St. Anthony Hospital
Located in Gig Harbor, we provide advanced medicine and trusted care for the surrounding community.
Healing Garden
What is a Healing Garden?
Photos courtesy of Jessica Ensslen
Hospitals have used natural landscaping, gardens and fresh air as components of healing for centuries. The healing garden at St. Anthony Hospital was created to continue with this tradition and provide patients, visitors and staff with a place of healing and peace. The hospital's major public gathering places overlook the Snuffin Healing Garden, including the cafe, the diagnostic imaging and surgery waiting areas. It represents the hospital's dedication to healing mind, body and spirit of our patients and to offer a comforting backdrop for them and to visitors as well. The garden is a place to meditate, alleviate stress and promote natural healing, while offering a sweeping view of the native forest.
Over the years, healing gardens have become less common. Studies show that nearly all visitors to a healing garden feel a significant positive change of mood during and after their visit, contributing to their overall recovery.
What makes our healing garden so special?
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Our healing garden is considered the heart and spirit of St. Anthony Hospital. The garden can be viewed from every public space, and all patient rooms either overlook the healing garden or surrounding woods.
The healing garden features a boardwalk, Zen garden and a lively pond home to a school of Cloud fish.
Rock boulders from Baker, Oregon, line the cascading ponds and water lilies are abundant in the three pools. The healing garden also has two relaxing waterfalls and two arch bridges. There are three modern art sculptures found in the garden that contribute to the peaceful surroundings.
Our balanced ecosystem
Our healing garden ponds play a vital role in preserving the natural environmental balance between water flow, plants and wildlife. St. Anthony maintains these ponds daily. Cloud fish used to be predominant residents in our ponds and helped to control the mosquito larva population. Due to unwanted goldfish donations our Cloud fish population is endangered. We ask that you please refrain from donating goldfish or any other type of wildlife into this ecosystem so we may continue to maintain its natural beauty and tranquility.