The Gardens of Ochsner

A Tour Through Ochsner’s Gardens:Environments Built for Healing

Ochsner’s gardens are helping patients, staff and students harness the power of nature

By Olivia Watson

At Ochsner Health, facilities planning begins with the fundamental understanding that our environment impacts our ability to heal, learn and grow. Chris Blackwell, Assistant Vice President of Facilities Planning, knows this best: “My team oversees new designs and construction plans across the hospital system, as well as remodels to existing facilities,” he shared. “At the core of every project we take on is one question: how can we build environments that promote wellness, incorporate nature and offer respite from the hospital walls?”

It’s no secret that our environment plays a significant role in our physical and mental wellness. In fact, research shows that being in nature can lower blood pressure, reduce stress levels and improve mental restoration. It’s why the hallways and patient rooms across the healthcare organization are flooded with natural light from large windows, and patients and staff alike can find refuge in a variety of peaceful gardens.

For the Ochsner community, these natural spaces serve many purposes. “There is the obvious healing benefit of a beautiful, tranquil place for patients, staff and visitors to walk through,” Chris said. “But there’s so much more. In a therapeutic sense, a space like the Healing Garden at the Boh Center will have different surfaces and textures that can serve as rehabilitation for patients with mobility issues, to help them regain physical skills and confidence in a safe place.”

In turn, these spaces help healthcare professionals better support their patients. Students can benefit from interacting with the natural environment, growing food and participating in programs like the “ground-to-plate” education initiative. Thanks to generosity from donors, Ochsner’s care extends beyond the hospital walls to healing, community spaces—laying the groundwork for stronger healthcare design and better health outcomes.

At the core of every project we take on is one question: how can we build environments that promote wellness, incorporate nature and offer respite from the hospital walls?

— Chris Blackwell, Assistant Vice President of Facilities Planning

Emeril’s Culinary Garden at the Dr. John Ochsner Discover Health Sciences Academy.

Photo courtesy of Ochsner Marketing and Communications

Building meaningful partnerships

Ochsner’s success in bringing these gardens to life is due in large part to cultivating meaningful relationships with like-minded organizations. Among them is Winn-Dixie, the supermarket chain that donated $40,000 to the Ochsner Cancer Institute in 2022. More specifically, generous customers of the chain made donations at store locations throughout Louisiana to support clinical research, patient treatment and supplemental support to ensure patients receive high quality care close to home.

“At Winn-Dixie, we hold an unwavering commitment to serving the families of the Gulf Coast, and our associates take great pride in cultivating a culture of giving, which is echoed by our customers’ generous participation in our donation campaign,” Lynn Rushing, Regional Vice President at Winn-Dixie, shared. “We are honored to continue our partnership with Ochsner in doing our part to support their incredible work that positively impacts the well-being of local patients, their families and the communities we serve.”

Some of the funding from Winn-Dixie’s donation will go to the Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development, which offers personalized, family-oriented care for kids with a wide range of physical, cognitive and behavioral disabilities. This includes the construction of a healing garden that will connect the Center for Primary Care and Wellness to the Boh Center building.

The Healing Garden at the Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development will connect the Center for Primary Care and Wellness to the BohCenter building.

The garden will incorporate different textures and surfaces including stairs, curbs, gravel, grass and cobblestones, which give patients and therapists the opportunity to practice navigating real world challenges in a safe environment. It will also be a place for all visitors to the pediatric campus to rest and relax.

A generous matching grant from the Ella West Freeman Foundation concluded in 2022 and inspired individuals, corporations and foundations to support the Healing Garden.

Empowering students with holistic learning

Beyond therapeutic applications, these gardens can also serve important educational purposes. A $500,000 grant from the Emeril Lagasse Foundation made a culinary garden and teaching kitchen at the Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy possible—helping the school join the national “ground-to-plate” education initiative.

“Partnering with Ochsner meant a lot to us,” Brian Kish, President of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, said. “We sought partners who were equally committed to our mission, and Discovery stood out to us right away as a school equally invested in inspiring, mentoring and enabling youth to reach their full potential.”

“ Their experience in the garden and kitchen means absorbing lifelong skills too, from independence and self-confidence to patience, respect and how to behave safely in a space. ”

— Katie Mularz, Program Director at Emeril Lagasse Foundation

Established in 2016, Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen program integrates gardening and cooking concepts into school curriculums, creating an interactive, food-centered learning environment. Teachers at partnering schools receive specialized training to integrate the curriculum into their classrooms and complement the work of garden and kitchen instructors provided by the foundation.

“Students benefit from learning both academic and soft skills,” Katie Mularz, Program Director at Emeril Lagasse Foundation, explained. “We’ve noticed that students with developmental disabilities are especially able to bloom, stimulating different parts of their brain, improving their motor skills and applying their knowledge to real-world applications. Their experience in the garden and kitchen means absorbing lifelong skills too, from independence and self-confidence to patience, respect and how to behave safely in a space.”

The impact at Ochsner has been noticeable—the Ochsner Discovery School has empowered 584 students with this holistic education, from pre-k to seventh grade.

And this impact extends to the entire community. “In New Orleans specifically, we have an opportunity to change people’s health outcomes based on what they’re putting in their bodies and how they’re interacting with nutrition— beginning with our youngest community members,” Brian said. “Students bring these experiences and recipes back to their families, improving how their parents, uncles, cousins or others interact with food and their health.”

The Tansey Healing Garden is located outside of the Benson Cancer Center at OMC-New Orleans.

Photo: Lea Witkowski-Purl

Paving the way for a healthier future

From the Tansey Healing Garden outside of the Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center to the indoor Winter Garden at OMC-New Orleans and the Walking Paths at Covington and Baton Rouge clinics, Ochsner is dedicated to building more healing spaces across its campuses.

New projects are already underway, including the healing garden sponsored by the Helis Foundation in the courtyard of the new Robert J. and Debra H. Patrick Neuroscience Center.

But between calming fountains, flowers, cobblestone pathways and gravel entryways lies a more important foundation: a community-wide commitment to lifting people up and giving them the space they need to reach their full potential and healthiest selves.