EGH’s Learning Garden a Huge Success
It didn’t take long for Elkhart General Hospital to enjoy the fruits of labor from the first year of its Learning Garden. Located next to the hospital associate parking garage, the garden is for patients to learn firsthand how fresh vegetables are a critical part of a healthy diet and an important part of disease prevention and healing. In its first season of planting in 2015, the garden was home to a variety of vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers and onions, among others.
The harvested vegetables were put to good use – they were included in fresh-produce demonstrations at the Elkhart General Nutrition and Exercise class, a weight-management program that emphasizes both healthful eating and exercise.
Todd Blumenstock is just one of the participants who has benefited from the Nutrition and Exercise class.
Elaine Hagen, Elkhart General clinical dietitian, is a Nutrition and Exercise class instructor.
The Learning Garden project was funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, under Contract No. HHSN-276-2011-00005C with the University of Illinois at Chicago. The $4,500 in federal funding, given to the Elkhart General Garden Committee and the Seed to Feed program, was used to purchase a laptop, iPads and a projector for classroom and clinic use at the hospital. The Elkhart General Medical Library then held a workshop for clinical staff to use databases, books, journals and websites containing evidence-based resources and recipes to help educate patients on nutrition.
In addition to nutrition education at Elkhart General, the garden vegetables served a valuable community need – 260 pounds of vegetables were donated to area food pantries.
Great job to the Garden Committee and the Medical Library for all their hard work in 2015! Committee members are excited about planting more vegetables this year, as they aim to help more people learn the benefits of a healthy diet.
