CAMBRIDGE — The Eastern Shore Hospital Center Auxiliary announced Feb. 8 the receipt of contributions of $2,200 from the Waddell Foundation and Chesapeake Yoga Pathways enabling the Auxiliary to install a much-needed shaded pavilion for the ESHC patients.

Mary Leonard of Chesapeake Yoga Pathways explains the ‘Give Back Yoga’ effort as “A way for her organization to reach local under-resourced segments of the community.” Recently appointed Waddell board member and Dorchester Garden Club member, Barbara Hubbard “Recognizes first-hand the importance of patients getting outside.”

The Eastern Shore Hospital Center is a regional acute-care psychiatric facility, under the jurisdiction of the Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. The ESHC Auxiliary was chartered in 1952. The Auxiliary is a totally volunteer 501 (c) 3 organization. As a not-for-profit organization, the Auxiliary has a parallel mission with the Eastern Shore Hospital Center. This mission is to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and to provide the highest quality recovery-based continuum adult inpatient and transitional mental health services for 60 patients and 16 residents on the Eastern Shore. The Auxiliary serves citizens of the nine counties of the Eastern Shore. The Auxiliary operates a 5 day-a-week ‘open to the community’ gift shop at the hospital and coordinates two major events throughout the year – the Great Chesapeake Bay Wellness Race and the Fashion Show/Holiday Gift Bazaar. All monies raised are for direct patient benefit only.

There are currently several hands-on, on-going indoor beautification projects for the patient living areas and the nationally-replicated Treatment Mall. One of those projects includes a Patient Serenity Garden and Labyrinth concept – for which the Waddell Foundation, Inc. provided funding in its last awards cycle.

The ESHC has an extremely successful Horticultural Therapy program which includes a 40’ greenhouse where patients learn vocational skills such as plant care and propagation. The patients are able to utilize the greenhouse during spring and the early summer and fall months. Unfortunately, due to medication contraindications, most of the 60 patients and 16 residents may not participate in outside activities on very sunny, hot days. The Auxiliary installed the greenhouse, labyrinth and serenity garden as the result of much research on the benefits of Getting Outside.