The Power of Nature Healing Garden at McLaren Health Care Village Soothes Body and Mind
A beautiful surprise lies in wait at McLaren Health Care Village at Clarkston. The vibrant colors of woodland wildflowers and soft sound of cascading water will beckon staff members, patients, and visitors to the restorative outdoors.
The new 4-acre Garden of Healing and Renewal is located near the Great Lakes Cancer Institute (GLCI) entrance and open to the public. It features walking trails, fountains, and thousands of flowers, plants, and trees.
The garden also has sitting areas for meditation and quiet conversation, as well as an employee-only patio with tables and chairs overlooking scenic woods and a pond.
“The garden gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy a tranquil environment for contemplation and renewal,” says Daniel Medrano, corporate director of facilities for McLaren Health Care.
The expanding medical campus, which includes the new GLCI — Clarkston Cancer Center and Clarkston Medical Group Building, covers 79 acres. As part of the project, the healing garden’s walking trails wind through a scenic half-mile of woods and wetlands.
One of the most unusual features of the garden is its labyrinth, a series of concentric circles that create a walking path to the center and back out again. An ancient symbol used for meditation and spiritual healing, the labyrinth has been found to reduce anxiety. This can lead to long-term health benefits, such as lowered blood pressure.
The labyrinth, like the rest of the garden, was designed with harmony in mind, says landscape architect and project manager Jeffrey Smith of Professional Engineering Associates in Troy, Mich.
He says, “McLaren has provided something pretty unique and special.”
A beautiful surprise lies in wait at McLaren Health Care Village at Clarkston. The vibrant colors of woodland wildflowers and soft sound of cascading water will beckon staff members, patients, and visitors to the restorative outdoors. 
One of the most unusual features of the garden is its labyrinth, a series of concentric circles that create a walking path to the center and back out again. An ancient symbol used for meditation and spiritual healing, the labyrinth has been found to reduce anxiety. This can lead to long-term health benefits, such as lowered blood pressure. 
