CentraCare Health-Monticello Hospital is inviting the community to the dedication of their healing garden, Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 3-5 p.m.

 

The garden is located on River Street, near the Care Center, just outside the Monticello Cancer Center. There will be a dedication program at 3:30 p.m. Administrator Mary Ellen Wells is expected to welcome the community and Rev. Jocelyn Bakkemo will hold a short ceremony. Light refreshments will be served.

 

“We are very excited. There has been a lot of work in the healing garden,” Communications Specialist Joni Pawelk said.  “It has been a dream of ours for  number of years and its nice to be in a position to see it come about.”

 

“We are so proud to be able to provide a beautiful and serene place for patients, residents, family members and staff on our campus,” said Euretta Sorenson, RN, BSN manager at the Monticello Cancer Center.

 

The garden was created through donations from the community and is open to anyone as a place to come to seek peace and serenity.

 

“It has already proven itself as a nice place to find some peace and calm,” Rev. Bakkemo said. “Our vision was to create an outdoor space for people to connect to nature. They can distract themselves from whatever is going on inside the hospital.”

 

The healing garden features a waterfall, a rain garden, a pergola, a raised garden, walk ways, trees and flowers.

 

“One of the garden’s special features includes engraved rocks that have been donated by individuals as tributes or memorials to friends or loved ones,” Sorenson said. “The inspirational rocks provide comfort. The Care Center residents like the staff to wheel them out there. They look at the rocks and they’ll say, ‘I knew this person,’ or ‘I like that saying.”

 

The healing garden can be seen from the windows of the cancer center while patients are undergoing chemotherapy. Ground was broken in October, 2013 and Oncologist Dr. Harold Londer dedicated the land.

 

Dr. Londer practiced oncology in Monticello for 20 years. Radiation Oncologist Dr. Nelson Adamson offered an uplifting message, saying the garden was a constant source of inspiration.

 

The hospital is looking for volunteers to help take care of the garden. They hope residents will be able to plant flowers in the raised beds in the spring.

 

The rain garden, at the bottom the hill was installed by volunteers last year. Excess rain water drains to that spot and is filtered by perennials growing there to help keep the river clean.

 

Olson and Sons, Electric, donated the installation and the hospital did receive a donation from the United Way. Funds from the rocks sold also went to fund the garden but the majority of the funding came from members of the community.

 

“We want to invite the community to join  us at the dedication,” said Rev. Bakkemo. “It is for them to use to, if they should feel the need.”

 

For more information on the healing garden, the dedication ceremony, or to volunteerr, call  (763) 271-2255.