Therapeutic garden for youth with mental health challenges gets $8,000 boost

25 June 2018: Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust (BHCT) and Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today announce an $8,000 donation to develop a therapeutic garden for Child & Adolescent Services (CAS) in its location at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

BHCT Executive Director Lisa Sheppard says: “BHCT is very happy to fund the creation of a therapeutic garden for the service users at CAS. We are looking forward to seeing the development of the service to include this type of therapeutic approach. Young people who have challenges need this kind of creative and natural space, and having it available for them at CAS will be a wonderful enhancement of what is already a wonderful service doing amazing work for our youth.”

Jascinth Albouy-Onyia, Assistant Director Mental Health Services, comments: “This wonderful donation will help us create an intimate space where individuals can be immersed in scents, textures and colours. In the garden we will have items such as wind chimes and children’s art, providing both creative and educational opportunities for our service users, both able-bodied and individuals with physical challenges. It will add to the repertoire of interventions available when working with young people with major challenges and psychiatric diagnoses, and those with sensory processing difficulties.

“The sensory features of a therapeutic garden help individuals with natural ‘cues’ to interpret, better use and connect to their environment. The design we envision will be multi-sensory, with taste, touch, smell, sound and visual elements to provide a positive and rewarding experience for service users of our inpatient, outpatient, day programme services, and the Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic. We are very grateful for this donation which makes this garden possible.”

In the photo above, standing in the area that will be turned into the therapeutic garden, from left to right: R Scott Pearman, Chief Operating Officer, BHB; Preston Swan, Vice President, Clinical Operations, BHB; Lisa Sheppard, Executive Director, BHCT; Ashley Simons-Crane, Clinical Assistant, CAS; and Vikita Basden, Social Worker, CAS.

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Notes to Editors
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is a quango (quasi autonomous non-governmental organisation) established under the Bermuda Hospitals Board Act, 1970. It has a Bermuda Government-approved Board and a Chief Executive Officer, responsible for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. At the heart of both organisations is high-quality care to all patients.

With approximately 1,700 employees, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is Bermuda's second largest employer. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute are the only healthcare organisations in Bermuda accredited by Accreditation Canada, an independent organisation whose role is to help hospitals examine and improve the quality of care and service they provide to their clients. In addition to providing an extensive list of services for the community, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is part of a referral network that includes some of the world's leading specialist hospitals.

For more information, please visit www.bermudahospitals.bm or contact the Bermuda Hospitals Board Public Relations Department at publicrelations@bhb.bm.