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One Bench One Tree Initiative completed in Brant Community Healthcare System

Light green and black drawing of a bench and tree sitting next to eachother.
Last week the One Bench One Tree Initiative completed it's installation at both Brant Community Healthcare System's locations, The Branford General Hospital and The Willett Urgent Care Centre. Photo Courtesy of One Bench One Tree.
Andrew Dow - CJKS - Ohsweken • ON | 19-12-2022
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Last week the One Bench One Tree Initiative completed it’s installation on the Brantford General Hospital and The Willett Urgent Care Centre sites. A bench and a tree were installed at both sites to offer a space for healthcare workers to rest. One Bench One tree is a grassroots project dedicated to expressing thanks and gratitude to the healthcare workers during and after the pandemic. The project was developed by architecture students at the University of Guelph.

Alli Neuhauser, External Communications Coordinator, said the project was created in February 2021 to honour frontline workers when the COVID-19 pandemic started.

She said, “When the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing back in 2020 we felt like it would be nice to honour the frontline workers who had to give so much for us to be able to get through the pandemic. So we came up with this idea to honour them with the outdoors and having a bench and a tree for them to relax at, if they can get a break at the hospital. We wanted to give the gift of rest, to these frontline workers.”

The project is currently at 20 different hospitals across the province of Ontario. Neuhauser stated that the project is looking to expand to more locations across the province and eventually the country. One Bench One Tree has partnered with Trees for Health which is an organization that is looking to increase the amount of green space and tree canopy at hospitals. Neuhauser said there’s been a correlation with having green space and having nature and healing at hospitals.

Neuhauser spoke on the importance of thanking healthcare workers who have been under significant stress since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Now that influenza is at an all-time high, RSV is at an all-time high. COVID-19 is still kicking around so, we definitely don’t want them to feel like they’ve been forgotten about since the pandemic is not at the forefront of everyone else’s mind. But they’re still dealing with a lot at these hospitals, any amount of thanks and appreciation we can give them is all we want to be doing.”

Listen to the full CJKS story below:

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