WINTER CHLOROPHYLL FIX, Planted indoor oasis by Planterra represents a growing trend in healthcare design

West Bloomfield, MI – As temperatures cool and autumn leaves fall, the large-scale indoor healing garden at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital remains lush and green with shoots of new growth. Completed only 7 months ago by interior landscape firm, Planterra, the adjoining Main and Quiet Atriums will provide a unique oasis for patients during its first winter.

"Plants bring nature inside the building, so even in the off season our community can still come here and be connected to nature, and really take advantage of its healing affects," says Gerard Van Grinsven, CEO of Henry Ford Hospital West Bloomfield.

The gardens were deigned to maximize its therapeutic benefits, providing natural views to inpatient rooms, year-round walking paths, natural privacy screening and utilization of specific plants that were selected to optimize air quality. "These gardens are important to me professionally but also personally, as a flower child from the baby boom generation I know that when I require medical treatments, I need my chlorophyll fix. I feel most healthy when I am surrounded by plants," says, Larry Pliska, President of Planterra and designer of the interior landscaping at Henry Ford West Bloomfield.

The planted atriums are part of Henry Ford West Bloomfield's overall commitment to create a center of wellness, offering healthy lifestyle education and natural therapies within a mainstream medical setting.

Photographs, a white paper and a video of Gerard Van Grinsven discussing the gardens are available at: http://www.planterra.com/media/henryford/


ABOUT PLANTERRA CORPORATION (PLANTERRA.COM)
Established in 1973, Planterra is a national award-winning interior landscape firm that specializes in interior landscape design, installation and horticultural maintenance. Planterra has offices in Michigan, Ohio and Nevada and has grown to become a leading interior landscape provider for medical facilities, hospitals, hotels, casinos and office buildings in the United States and Canada.

The Planterra Conservatory in West Bloomfield, scheduled to open in 2010, will house the largest selection of exotic plants and tropical ornamental foliage, orchids, and decorative pottery in the region. The Conservatory's large inventory will feed Planterra's core interior landscaping business. The collection will also be open to the public offering visitors an exceptional "botanical garden" experience, unlike any nursery or garden center in the nation.

ABOUT HENRY FORD HOSPITAL WEST BLOOMFIELD (HENRYFORDHEALTH.ORG)
Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital combines the highest levels of clinical excellence with a focus on wellness and an exceptional service experience. Their staff is committed to providing safe, compassionate care and memorable experiences for patients, families and other members of the communities they serve. At Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, Henry Ford Medical Group and private practice community physicians embrace the concept of team medicine and work together to offer multidisciplinary Centers of Excellence including: Henry Ford Neuroscience Institute, Josephine Ford Cancer Center, Henry Ford Heart & Vascular Institute, Henry Ford Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Center for Digestive Disorders, Henry Ford Center for Women's and Children's Health, and Henry Ford Bone and Joint Center. With the best clinical and wellness programs, as well as a commitment to providing incredible service, the new Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is changing the face of health care for the people of Oakland County and beyond.