The Arbor Day
Foundation recently named all 18 Aspirus Health hospitals as 2024 Tree Campus
institutions for their dedication to enhancing community well-being through
tree investment, education and community engagement.
Aspirus Health
hospitals earning this recognition:
- Aspirus Divine
Savior (Portage, Wis.)
- Aspirus Eagle River
- Aspirus Iron River
- Aspirus Ironwood
- Aspirus Keweenaw
(Laurium, Mich.)
- Aspirus Lake View
(Two Harbors, Minn.)
- Aspirus Langlade
(Antigo, Wis.)
- Aspirus Medford
- Aspirus Merrill
- Aspirus Plover
- Aspirus Rhinelander
- Aspirus St. Luke’s
(Duluth, Minn.)
- Aspirus Stanley
- Aspirus Stevens
Point
- Aspirus Tomahawk
- Aspirus Wausau
- Aspirus Wisconsin
Rapids
- Howard Young Medical
Center (Woodruff, Wis.)
Currently, only 59
hospitals in the nation are designated as Tree Campus institutions.
“As a health system,
we recognize the critical importance trees play in the health of individuals
and communities,” said Andrew Miller, Director of System Facilities Management
and Security for Aspirus Health. “We believe planting and caring for trees is
the right thing to do and aligns to our mission of healing people, promoting
health and strengthening communities.”
The Arbor Day
Foundation is a global nonprofit with a mission to inspire people to plant,
nurture and celebrate trees. Its network of more than a million supporters and
partners has helped the organization plant more than 500 million trees in
forests and communities across more than 60 countries since 1972. The Tree
Campus program recognizes schools, universities, and healthcare facilities that
utilize trees to improve their communities.
“Healthcare
institutions like Aspirus Health’s 18 hospitals are at the forefront of
recognizing the profound impact nature can have on human health,” said Michelle
Saulnier, Vice President of Programs at the Arbor Day Foundation. “By
integrating trees and green spaces into their campuses, facilities like Aspirus
Healths’ are not only creating healing environments today, but they are also
building a foundation for healthier, more resilient communities in the
future.”
Trees and green
spaces are proven to improve health outcomes and reduce stress for both
patients and caretakers. Trees also provide profound layers of good for the
greater community, including combating extreme heat, improving air quality, and
reducing flooding impacts.
“The landscape and
grounds program of our Aspirus Health campuses sets the stage for the
exceptional care we deliver to our patients,” Miller said. “Our facilities
teams take pride in ensuring we provide high-quality services and an excellent
patient experience for everyone who visits our campuses. I commend our
facilities team members for their hard work and dedication that earned Tree
Campus designation for all 18 of our hospitals.”
To earn Tree Campus
recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation, a healthcare institution must uphold
five core standards:
- Maintaining
a tree advisory committee
- Having
a facility tree care plan
- Completing
a community forestry project
- Educating
the community on the connection between trees and human health
- Investing
in a campus tree program
To learn more about
the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus program, visit arborday.org.