Hospital focuses on 'food as medicine'

St. Joseph's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., maintains farms on hospital grounds


St. Joseph’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has maintained a farm on land that was once a hospital lawn since 2010. The farm, has since expanded to include three large “hoop houses,” that provide seasonal produce for patient meals, the hospital cafeteria and local food banks and a farmer's market all year long, according to an article on the ABC News website.

A few years ago, the hospital made one of the hoop houses disability-friendly by widening the aisles and raising up the planter boxes to make it easier for a person in a wheelchair to work the soil, Rob Casalou, president and CEO of St. Joseph, said.

An exercise bike pumps water to irrigate the plants so patients with neurological disorders from the hospital can water plants by pedaling.

“We began the farm in response to health of the community and the health of our own 6,000 hospital workers,” said Casalou.

Read the article.

 

 



January 7, 2015


Topic Area: Energy Efficiency


Recent Posts

Grounding Healthcare Spaces in Hospitality Principles

Thoughtful design can establish the calm of a spa and the restorative feeling of a resort in healthcare spaces, bringing benefits for patients and care providers.


UC Davis Health Selects Rudolph and Sletten for Central Utility Plant Expansion

Work is already underway with substantial completion anticipated in the fall of 2027.


Cape Cod Healthcare Opens Upper 2 Floors of Edwin Barbey Patient Care Pavilion

The first two floors opened for patients in May 2025 and house the Davenport-Mugar Cancer Center.


Building Sustainable Healthcare for an Aging Population

Traditional responses — building more primary and secondary care facilities — are no longer sustainable.


Froedtert ThedaCare Announces Opening of ThedaCare Medical Center-Oshkosh

The organization broke ground on the health campus in March 2024.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.