Healing through design: How an integrative medicine garden supports whole-person healing 

Healing doesn’t begin and end with clinical care. Every stage of a patient’s journey is shaped by experiences that support the mind, body, and spirit. At Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, that holistic philosophy extends beyond the treatments provided inside the hospital to the environments where patients, families, and caregivers spend their time, including the outdoor spaces. 

Designed as an extension of the Center for Health and Integrative Medicine, the Integrative Medicine Garden reflects decades of research demonstrating the value of thoughtfully designed outdoor environments in healthcare. Studies have associated these environments with reduced stress, greater emotional restoration, and, in some cases, measurable improvements in patient recovery.  

“Nature has proven to have a notable impact on patient outcomes,” says Geoff Roehll, Director of Healthcare and Senior Living at RVi. “Patients who have access to nature may require less pain medication, recover more quickly, and experience lower stress levels. That’s why hospitals increasingly incorporate healing gardens and restorative outdoor spaces as part of the overall patient experience.” 

How intentional design supports the patient journey 

Inscribed across the garden’s primary water feature are the words “journey through a garden.” The phrase reflects the project’s guiding philosophy that for patients and families, the path through treatment and healing is just that—a journey—and every path, gathering space, and moment of respite was intentionally designed to support them along the way. 

While aesthetics played a major role in the garden’s sensory experiences, ultimately, its form followed its function. RVi worked closely with hospital staff to understand how the space could extend and enhance the hospital’s integrative approach to care, developing a program centered around the core tenets of mind, body, and spirit. 

That program is reflected in the way the garden unfolds. A wall of windows creates a visual connection to the landscape, while direct access from the interior flexible yoga space extends wellness activities outdoors. An outdoor yoga lawn and patio transition into meandering pathways that encourage gentle movement and connect a series of spaces for counseling, meditation, and quiet reflection. A low seating wall and evergreen plantings define the garden’s edge, creating a sense of enclosure while buffering the space from the surrounding hospital campus and parking areas. 

Each space feels distinct yet remains seamlessly connected through circulation, weaving through flower gardens, water features, benches, and shaded areas. That sense of connection also creates flexibility and a greater sense of autonomy in an otherwise prescribed setting. 

“When so much of a patient’s treatment journey may feel out of their control, the landscape gives them choices about how they engage with their surroundings,” says Roehll. Visitors can seek out sun or shade, conversation or solitude, movement or quiet reflection, depending on what they need in the moment. 

Those moments of choice were intentionally crafted—driven by programming, aligned with healthcare outcomes, and influenced by countless design decisions that support every detail of the landscape. 

Every detail has a purpose 

In a healing garden, details that might appear purely aesthetic often serve a much deeper purpose. At the Integrative Medicine Garden, every material, planting, and hardscaping element was selected for the role it plays in creating a comfortable, restorative experience.  

The garden’s central water wall serves as both a visual focal point and an acoustic feature. The sound of cascading water creates a calming atmosphere while providing subtle white noise that enhances privacy for conversations and serves as a backdrop for meditative reflection. Additional pondless water features throughout the garden extend the aquatic sensory benefits, without the maintenance or safety concerns associated with standing water. 

Comfort guided many of the garden’s material selections as well. Darker paving minimizes glare and reflects sunlight that can be uncomfortable for patients with heightened light sensitivity, while shade structures and strategically placed seating create welcoming places to rest. Flexible gathering spaces accommodate everything from organized counseling sessions to informal conversations between families and caregivers. 

Planting design also serves multiple purposes. A diverse mix of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants introduces seasonal color, texture, and fragrance that enrich the sensory experience, while evergreen plantings establish a year-round buffer from surrounding parking areas and hospital activity. Together with low seat walls, they create a sense of enclosure that allows visitors to feel immersed in the landscape rather than the campus beyond. 

Even the infrastructure contributes to the garden’s long-term performance. Rainwater is absorbed through permeable pavers to help manage stormwater naturally, while low lighting features extend the garden’s presence into the evening, ensuring the space remains welcoming throughout the day. 

“When people experience a healing garden, they notice how it makes them feel, not why,” Roehll says. “Our job is to make sure every detail works together to build that experience.” 

Healing beyond the garden  

While the Integrative Medicine Garden serves as one example of an integrated, restorative landscape, it reflects Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital’s broader commitment to treating the whole person across the entire journey. Rather than viewing healing as something that happens only within clinical spaces, the hospital has embraced an evidence-based approach that considers how every interaction with the natural and built environment can influence the user experience, from patients to families, staff to clinicians, and everyone in between. 

“We’re looking at everything through the lens of the patient, the hospital staff, or the family visiting. For many, the minute you arrive at a hospital, stress starts to rise,” says Roehll. “Anything we can do to reduce that is going to help.” 

That philosophy extends well beyond the garden itself. From intuitive circulation and clear wayfinding to rooftop green space and staff courtyards for respite during shifts, RVi’s hospital campus planning throughout Advocate Good Shepherd has helped to position each element as an opportunity to reduce stress and create a greater sense of comfort for everyone involved. Every pathway, outdoor space, and connection is considered through the lens of how people move, feel, and interact with their surroundings. In this way, the Garden becomes one expression of a much larger healing landscape.  

“You have the intimate space of the garden at the micro-scale, and when we plan and design hospitals, we’re looking at the macro ‘healing garden’, which is the entire campus,” adds Roehll.  

Ultimately, the Integrative Medicine Garden demonstrates that healing is influenced not only by the care people receive, but by the places where that care occurs. Through thoughtful planning and a shared commitment to whole-person wellness, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital has created a landscape that helps transform moments of waiting, reflection, and recovery into meaningful parts of the healing journey.