Volunteers dig in at Hudson Valley Hospital Center’s Organic Healing Garden

April 17, 2012 - PRLog -- The Organic Garden for Healing at Hudson Valley Hospital Center is almost ready for its grand opening on April 25 with more than a dozen volunteers preparing the ground for planting on April 16.

Volunteers from Kohl’s department store, Eisai Oncology and Hospital staff worked from afternoon till sundown moving topsoil and compost into the garden. The Organic Garden for Healing, part of the Hospital’s Cheryl R. Lindenbaum Cancer Center, will hold two special events on April 25 to dedicate the garden. The day’s events will start at 8:30 with a breakfast presentation featuring special guest speaker Dr. Marisa Weiss, President and Founder of Breastcancer.org followed by a dedication of the garden at 11 a.m.

“The Organic Garden at Hudson Valley Hospital Center is truly a community project with so many people stepping forward to make this garden a reality,’’ said John C. Federspiel. “We are very grateful to all our partners for their support and generosity.’’

Organic Garden for Healing will serve as the classroom for Hudson Valley Hospital Center’s Seeds for Health program, an educational and therapeutic program for cancer patients and their families. The program stresses the importance of nutrition in healing and the therapeutic value of gardening in managing stress and reducing anxiety. The program draws its inspiration from “Think Pink, Live Green.”  The brain child of Dr. Weiss, “Think Pink, Live Green” stresses the importance of lifestyle changes, including healthier eating, as a way to help prevent breast cancer and improve the health of those already diagnosed with the disease.

The Hospital approached Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a leader in the farm to table movement, to help plan the garden. Other partners include Shades of Green owner Myra Marsocci who designed the garden; Dain’s Lumber; Griffin Landscaping, Kohl’s department store; Peekskill Middle School and the engineering staff of Hudson Valley Hospital Center with special thanks to Sal DeMaio; Frank Garzione and Joe Smith for building the garden.

“The Hospital is very interested in spreading this important health message, and the best way to do that is to invest the community in this project and the philosophy it represents,’’ said Federspiel.

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Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor. NY provides quality, comprehensive medical care and state-of-the-art diagnostic treatment, education and preventive services. Call 914-737-9000 or visit www.hvhc.org We practice Patientology!