Phelps Hospital’s FARMacy Garden Promotes Wellness, Food Access

Phelps Hospital, Northwell Health is offering employees a welcome respite during difficult times with their volunteer-run FARMacy garden. The hospital-wide gardening initiative, which invites staff to grow produce for patients who are food insecure, aims to promote wellness and community building through education as well as access to healthy foods and healing spaces.

Phelps’ FARMacy initiative helps employees experience the rewards of gardening – learning new skills and stress management while adding balance to their day with fresh air and physical activity. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the number of volunteers in the health garden has tripled.

Using fresh ingredients harvested from the garden, Phelps’ own Michelin-star Chef Andrew Cain prepares meals to serve patients in the hospital who are food insecure. Accompanied by nutrition information and recipes, the thoughtfully crafted meals are part of Northwell Health’s commitment to redefining what food in health care can be by fostering wellness and improving patient health through good nutrition.

Phelps Hospital, Northwell Health is at 701 North Broadway in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. and can be reached by calling (914) 366-3000 or visiting www.phelps.northwell.edu. Follow @PhelpsHospitalNorthwell on Facebook, @Phelps-Hospital-Northwell on LinkedIn and @PhelpsHospital on Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

About Phelps Hospital

Phelps Hospital, part of Northwell Health, is a full-service 238-bed acute care community hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. With more than 1,700 employees and 1,100 medical staff members representing 60 medical specialties, Phelps offers one of the broadest ranges of community hospital services in Westchester County. Caring for the community is at the heart of what Phelps does. Patients benefit from distinguished physicians, many of whom are pioneers in their field, offering the most advanced procedures using the latest technology. Phelps is one of approximately 500 hospitals nationwide to achieve Magnet Recognition® status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for its commitment to nursing excellence and compassionate patient care. The hospital is supported by Northwell Health Physician Partners, a primary and specialty care medical group, with practices located on the hospital campus and in the surrounding communities. For more information, visit www.phelps.northwell.edu.

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 830 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 76,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,800 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.