New green space growing at Adventist Health Reedley
REEDLEY – Thanks to community feedback, a newly renovated green space soon will be visible at Adventist Health Reedley. Clover is now growing in the field behind the Birth Center, near West Carob Avenue and North Hope Avenue.
The space is used as a landing pad for air ambulances, which transport patients facing life-threatening conditions. In the past, the hospital’s Facilities team routinely disked the field to limit fire and safety hazards; however, this caused the helicopters to lift the loosened dirt and spread a dust storm several feet into the air. The thick dust limited pilot visibility during landing and takeoff and became an inconvenience to nearby community members.
“We are blessed to be in a position to care for our community, but we don’t want to hurt our neighbors in the process,” says Susan Chapman, the hospital’s associate patient care executive and site administrator. “We know the dust has been an issue for those who live near our facility, so it was important to us to find a permanent solution. This was a situation where our community spoke up, and we listened.”
Chapman began exploring alternatives to disking in 2018 by meeting with multiple departments within Adventist Health in the Central Valley. Following those discussions, administrative leaders decided that planting clover was a long-term option that best addressed the issues involved.
Crews installed an irrigation system in the field before completing the seeding on June 28, 2019. Once fully grown, the 6-inch-tall clover will cover the entire 2 ½-acre space around the landing pad, limiting dust. The plant requires little water, is drought tolerant and prevents other weeds from growing. Aside from leaving a positive environmental impact, administrators hope patients and their families will appreciate the appeal of a new green space.
“We are always looking for opportunities to do better by our community, however big or small,” says Chapman. “While the clover is a small addition to our campus, we are excited to watch it grow.”
# # #
Adventist Health in the Central Valley is part of Adventist Health, a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 80 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides care in hospitals, clinics, home care agencies, hospice agencies and joint-venture retirement centers in both rural and urban communities. Our compassionate and talented team of 35,000 includes associates, medical staff physicians, allied health professionals and volunteers driven in pursuit of one mission: living God's love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. Together, we are transforming the American healthcare experience with an innovative, yet timeless, whole-person focus on physical, mental, spiritual and social healing.
