2021 GRANT RECIPIENT: Inova Mt. Vernon Hospital, Alexandria, Virginia

First place and winner of a $3,000 grant

INOVA Mt. Vernon Hospital is a 67-bed, in-patient acute rehab hospital serving patients with cerebrovascular accidents and strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, and/or amputees. Over the years, the Therapeutic Recreation (TR) team has incorporated gardening into their services and the garden has evolved from a 10’ x12’ raised garden to a Therapeutic Pavilion, where teams of trained therapists use gardening tasks to work on individual patient goals. The TR team collaborated with a Horticulture Therapist to create a year-round, interdisciplinary program. Weekly group sessions engage patients in a variety of activities, including seed starting, propagation, floral arrangement, accessible garden techniques, and mindfulness activities. All sessions are centered around a plant metaphor that relates to a patient’s experience in rehabilitation and healing to the plant life cycle/nature.