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Lincoln – On Thursday, April 28th at 2 pm in a ceremony open to the public, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will plant trees at the Lincoln Regional Center (LRC) to memorialize and honor past employees and community leaders who contributed to mental health treatment.
This year marks 150 years since Arbor Day began being celebrated as a holiday.
The Arbor Day Foundation will also present LRC with an official designation as a Tree Campus Healthcare Institution, the first site in Nebraska to be so honored. Tree Campus Healthcare strives to improve human health outcomes by connecting inpatient healthcare facilities of all sizes with local community forestry programs, while improving the extent and condition of the community forest.
Facilities in the U.S. delivering inpatient healthcare services are eligible for Tree Campus Healthcare recognition, including hospitals, senior care and other residential rehabilitation properties. To receive the designation, the institute must meet five program standards: have an advisory committee, facility tree care plan, community forestry project, a celebration event and a financial investment toward a tree care plan or projects. The program is in its third year.
“A place to call home, a sense of community, of belonging and purpose are essential to mental health and influences everyone's quality of life," said Larry Kahl, chief operating officer of DHHS. “We often say, there is no health without behavioral health. The plants and trees on these beautiful grounds instill a sense of hope, strength, and patience."
“Trees not only play a vital role in the environment but also in our daily lives," said Dan Lambe, chief executive officer of the Arbor Day Foundation. “They have shown to improve patient recovery time and improve the overall mental state. The Tree Campus Healthcare program does an incredible job of bridging the gap between health and nature."
The ceremony will be held in the Building 10 parking lot. LRC staff and patients in attendance will wear masks; masks will be available for the public but not required.
Past employees who will be recognized with memorial trees:
- Susan Jean Dahlman
- Gwen VaNay Duitsman
- Judith Delgado
- Carlos Guillermo Florian
- Merilyn Olsen
- Margaret Sommer
LRC is also planting a tree in memory of George Hanigan, who, appointed as the DHHS Behavioral Health Administrator in 2004, was a tireless advocate for behavioral health and ushered in mental health reform in Nebraska.
Food Service Assistant Gerald Lindsey will be recognized with an honor tree recognizing his 54 years of service to LRC. A tree for hope and recovery will also be planted in honor of LRC patients past, present, and future.
The Lincoln Regional Center, part of DHHS's Division of Behavioral Health, has organized and held this annual Arbor Day ceremony since 1979, planting trees each year to add to its beautiful campus, which has been an accredited arboretum and an affiliate site with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum since 1984. The first Arbor Day in Nebraska was in April of 1872, when more than one million trees were planted.
Today, the 107-acre campus has 375 different plant varieties that include evergreens, ornamental trees, shade trees, and shrubs, totaling approximately 3,000 to 4,000 trees. The Lincoln Regional Center also has more than 30 different varieties of oaks and a substantial collection of viburnum trees, a nature path, and extensive wildlife that promote and foster a peaceful and beautiful environment for care and treatment.
The Arbor Day Foundation is the world's largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. Its Tree Campus Healthcare program aims to transform community health and wellness and ultimately save lives through the health benefits provided by trees, as well as recognize healthcare institutions that make an impact on wellness through tree planting, education and community engagement.
The Lincoln Regional Center has earned recognition in the Foundation's third year of the program.