Laura Bush Attends Ceremony for New Healing Garden at Houston Methodist

The Center for Health and Nature is the newest addition coming to Houston Methodist Hospital as a partnership between the hospital, Texas A&M University System, and Texan by Nature, an organization founded by Former First Lady Laura Bush.

The center aims to promote and uncover research that shows a correlation between medicine and the health benefits of incorporating nature with a patient’s recovery. “There’s a gap in research regarding what nature factors lead to increased health,” Laura Bush stated in an article to click2houston.com. “Additional data shared showed 30 minutes outside leads to a 7.5 percent lower incidence of depression,” Bush added.

In the video above from Click2Houston, the Former First Lady attended the ceremony to launch the new Center for Health and Nature on May 2, 2018. “We believe a healing garden can help demonstrate, from a scientific perspective, the ability of nature to play a vital role in promoting and maintaining the health and healing process,” said Dr. Marc Boom, the CEO of Houston Methodist Hospital, told Click2Houston.

Bush further went on to share her own stories on the importance of maintaining good health and taking advantage of spending time outdoors. She shared a story on the late Former First Lady Barbara Bush and how she would walk her dogs on the beach in Maine every day.

Photo: Facebook/Laura W. Bush

Houston Public Media went on to share that one of the center’s goals will be to create a research fund and also “launch a program that will explore the effects of nature on cardiovascular wellness and healing. Future research will also cover topics such as the immune system and neuro-degeneration.” There are also plans for an annual symposium bringing together experts from across the globe to discuss the impact nature can have on the healing process of patients.

The unveiled designed will feature beautifully landscaped walking paths,  meditation spaces, and art installations found throughout “Glory Garden” as it will be named. Senior students from Texas A&M’s University Landscape Architecture department assisted in the design. Making those connections with the outdoors can create impactful moments of bliss as many can vouch for when driving through our own beautiful and picturesque Hill Country towns. To have the same opportunity to gaze upon the beauty nature offers during a hospital stay can only be a great resource now available through invaluable partnerships such as these, forging ahead for the future of increased health benefits.