Sister Anastasia Steffes tended the flower gardens at Borgess Health in the 1960s and 1970s. She visited patients daily. Now a major garden and courtyard on the campus of Borgess Medical Center has been dedicated to her -- the Sister Anastasia Healing Garden where flowers and vegetables both grow.
"We’ve grown tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and green peppers for the past two years," says Sharon Ritchie, of Borgess Mission Integration.
Produce has been shared with Loaves & Fishes, Ministry with Community, Kairos, the Hospital Hospitality House and the Congregation of St. Joseph.
"The fresh vegetables are truly appreciated," says Ritchie. "Our clients say that they typically do not have the funding to purchase fresh produce."
"Sister Anastasia attributed her good health to her focus on flowers," says Mary Heintzkill, Director, Spiritual Care. "At her 89th birthday, she said, ‘From flowers I get my therapy, my fresh air, my exercise.’ She understood, however, who was responsible for the blooms, adding ‘I can do the watering, the weeding and the pruning, but only God can make a flower.’"
The garden has been doubling in size each year. It is kept up by Master Gardener Richard Harrison, Borgess Maintenance Grounds Department, and many volunteers. Plants are donate by Wenke Greenhouses.
In other green news for the hospital, Borgess has received an Environmental Leadership Award from Practice Greenhealth, a national organization for health care facilities.
The hospital has taken steps to improve reprocessing that have resulted in $550,000 in savings and more than 1 million fewer kilowatt hours of energy used annually. It is recycling nearly 400 tons of waste more than it did in its baseline year of 2005 and is generating nearly 500 fewer tons of waste. For example, by using reusable gowns, Borgess has eliminated more than 77 tons of landfill waste.
It is further saving energy through the installation of a more efficient water pumping system for the eight floors of the Borgess north tower.
"We’ve also installed energy-efficient lighting in the Borgess Medical Center parking ramp and on the production floor at our regional laundry service, Textile Systems, Inc.," says Eric Buzzell, Vice President, General Services & Property Management and Textile Systems, Inc.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Lew Tysman, Borgess Health
Photo captions
Mary Heintzkill, Director, Borgess Spiritual Care, addresses the audience. About 75 people came to the dedication.
Some of the vegetables that will be grown in the Sister Anastasia Healing Garden. Next to the vegetables is the water used to bless the earth at the dedication ceremony.
Sister Paula Terese Pilon, Borgess Coordinator of Workplace Spirituality, offers water to bless the earth to Sister Ginny Jones. Everyone who attended of this ceremony was offered water.
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