Adult Down Syndrome Center dedicates Healing Garden
Nearly 150 family, friends and community supporters of the Advocate Medical Group Adult Down Syndrome Center, as well as leaders of the facility, gathered to dedicate a Healing Garden during a special ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, Oct. 17. Located directly behind the center, the garden will serve as a tranquil space to promote healing for patients, their families and employees.
"Thank you for generously supporting this garden," said Brian Chicoine, M.D., director of the ADSC, at the dedication event. "We have always worked to make this place comfortable and more like home than a doctor's office."
Standing next to brick pavers donated in honor of an individual or in memory of a loved one, Dr. Chicoine added, "You are all part of our family and this home, and now it's so special to have this healing place to share with all of you."
The garden will provide an appealing outdoor space for private relaxation and social interaction, as well as therapeutic, recreational and educational activities. In the works for the spring is a garden club, a group in which participants will be able to learn about plants and take part in light gardening tasks.
Jeff Falcone, a patient and volunteer at ADSC, is excited to see how the garden will grow in the coming years.
"I can escort patients scared to go to the clinic room to the garden where they can relax," Falcone said at the dedication ceremony. "I'm also excited about the flowers, fruits and vegetables that will be growing here starting next spring."
The ADSC is the largest medical facility specifically serving adolescents, starting at age 12, and adults with Down syndrome in the United States. For more than 20 years, ADSC has medically treated 6,000 patients with Down syndrome, both physically and mentally. It's the only one of its kind in the Midwest.
It takes a team approach to provide comprehensive, holistic, community-based health care services. From health and wellness services such as Zumba, social skills support groups, and cooking classes to top notch clinical care, the center helps its patients improve their length and quality of life beyond what was previously thought possible.
The garden was donated in honor of Sheila Hebein, Peggy Nemec and Linda Picchi, longtime employees of the National Association for Down Syndrome and advocates for the creation of the Adult Down Syndrome Center by Frankten Brink and Jeanine Cleary, parents of patients. Additional funds were raised through pavers prominently displayed within the courtyard of the garden.
"Seeing the healing garden come to fruition is a true testament of the commitment of Dr. Chicoine and the Advocate medical team to provide our patients and their families with a healing garden of peace and serenity for many years. This is a place for those to have personal reflection and wholehearted conversation, which speaks to our holistic approach," said Nancy Christie, vice president of operations, North Region, Advocate Medical Group.
Additional support is welcome to provide resources for continued maintenance of the garden as well as funding for its programs. The medical care and programs provided at the center are funded in part through donations, which are critical to providing personalized care.
Less than half of the cost of the ADSC's services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. As a result, donors help to cover an annual shortfall of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For more information on giving to the ADSC, visit www.advocategiving.org.
Advocate Medical Group is a physician-led medical group providing primary care, specialty services, medical imaging, outpatient services and community-based medical practices throughout the Chicago area and Central Illinois.
One of the state's largest medical groups with more than 1,100 primary and specialty care physicians in over 200 locations, Advocate Medical Group is part of Advocate Health Care, one of the leading, integrated health care systems in the nation.
More information can be found at amgdoctors.com or by calling (800) 323-8622.
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