Linda Hutchinson-Troyer

Kernan Hospital is part of a medical community that is embracing the importance of healing gardens as an aid to medicine and technology in the human healing process. Had it not been for the vision, hard work and dedication of firesoul Linda Hutchinson-Troyer, Patient Therapy Manager at Kernan Hospital, the healing garden may have never been a reality.

In order to create the best possible healing garden for patients, staff, and family and friends, Linda Hutchinson-Troyer educated herself about healing gardens and their role in hospital settings. She was an impetus behind the formation of a relationship between Kernan Hospital, Ten Hills Garden Club, and TKF in 2000. Together, the three partners created a Butterfly Garden, which eventually became the centerpiece of Kernan Hospital’s healing garden. The Butterfly Garden was the spark that started the chain of events that led to the completion of the healing garden in October of 2001.

With the thoughtful care and guidance of Linda Hutchinson-Troyer and the hospital’s physicians, nurses, and therapists, the garden evolved into a natural, meditative environment of healing for patients, staff, families and the community. It meets rehabilitative needs of the patients by offering diverse opportunities for therapy, such as different types of ground surfaces and grade levels. A sensory garden stimulates the olfactory senses through flowers and herbs, and visual and auditory senses through a water feature. Now that the garden has had time to grow since the seeds were first planted, both the hospital community and the garden are flourishing.

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