Wasatch Canyons Celebrates Opening of the LiVe Well Garden

Our Wasatch Canyons Campus is home to a 20 bed inpatient psychiatric unit that provides 24-hour care for children and adolescents with depression, anxiety, bipolar, anger management, and other psychiatric and behavioral issues. This year, staff and patients worked together to create a LiVe Well garden that would provide fresh fruits and vegetables and enhance the healing atmosphere of the campus.

Nine year-old Ellie Stephens is one patient who has already benefited from the project. Ellie was given seeds for two tomato plants. She planted one in a pot at home and the other at Wasatch Canyon’s new garden.

“It’s fun watching how fast they grow,” said Ellie. “My plant at home has three tiny tomatoes already, and it feels great that one little part of me is in the garden.”

Megan Frye, a Pre-doctoral Psychology Intern who worked with Ellie in and out of the garden said, “We talked about the progress of her plant growing at home and it became a really great metaphor for how she was growing as a young person too. Planting the sprout together in our garden was a great way for her to really see her accomplishments come to life.”

The idea of a community garden grew from a member of the Hospital’s Board of Trustees who suggested that Intermountain Healthcare consider solutions to improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The garden also provides a way for patients to connect with nature, and for the team to conduct therapy outside on occasion.

Features of the Garden include:

• A gathering area
• Wheelchair access
• Various sized garden beds
• A drip watering system
• Outside potable water source

Eagle Scout Jeremiah Rogers also played a role in creating the garden. Jeremiah, with help from his family and church youth group, built two large garden boxes, filled all the garden beds with dirt, and planted many of the vegetables and flowers.

“It looks really nice,” he said. “I’m glad I can help provide a small area on campus for patients to come and enjoy nature.”

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