The team at the Green Road Project recently joined together to raise a cup of cheer in an expression of thanks to all who have made the project possible. Anxiously anticipating the spring groundbreaking for the new healing garden space, winter weather did not curtail the celebration as supporters arrived amidst sparkling lights to the woodland setting which is at the heart of Naval Support Activity Bethesda, home of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The future open space, sacred place (below) will surround Wounded Warriors and their families with the healing powers of nature in an oasis of respite—and combine a healing, patient-centered approach with rigorous data on what works to improve the health of veterans.
A multi-facteted study integrates with the design of the space and includes the development of metrics which measure the body’s transition from a state of illness to a state of wellness. The project will include commemorative and communal pavilions, a streambed restoration for Stony Creek and a wheelchair-accessible path — which will be especially important for the soldiers living in the area’s approximately 400 long-term living units, many of whom are amputees facing long, painful recoveries.
Dr. Brian Berman (above), president of The Institute for Integrative Health: “With the Green Road Project, we’re looking at…the relationship between the macrocosm of nature and the microcosm of human beings—specifically, the effects of nature on human health. Nature affects us at all levels: mind, body and spirit. When people come into close contact with nature, it has a way infusing their spirit and bringing them closer to their own true nature. The impact of that on their psychological well-being, their emotions, and their mental state can be profound. The result of all this can be physical healing. We’re hopeful the Green Road Project’s research will shed light on this process.”
Dr. Fred Foote (above), CAPT, MC, USN, Ret.,: “The Green Road Project will utilize three of the metrics developed by the “Epidaurus 2″ project: combined biomarkers of the stress response; qualitative analysis of journals and stories using natural language processing; and advanced genomics to assess and measure how a patient’s “whole person” changes as they become healthier. You can’t measure easily a whole body transition from illness to wellness…but it is possible by using advanced informatics to chart the mind.”
Dr. Patricia Deuster (above center), Dir. of The Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP): “We hope the Green Road Project will add to the evidence base of how nature may invoke healing and how the physical environment can have a profound effect of healing.”
Dr. Marni Silverman (above center), Sr. Scientist at CHAMP: “The Green Road Project will bring new evidence to the forefront, and hopefully lead to policy changes that will incorporate integrative health modalities into mainstream medicine.”
See more photos here. The Green Road Project is one of six projects selected to receive a Nature Sacred Award, an integrated research and design initiative to provide evidence of the human benefits of nearby nature experience in cities.
