DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In recognition of National Nurses Week, May 6-12, Gardenuity, a gardening for wellness organization that believes in “Getting Dirty for Good,” and Travel Nurse Across America (TNAA), one of the fastest-growing healthcare staffing firms in the country, today announced a new year-round program aimed at taking care of the people who take care of others through the wellness powers of gardening.
Travel nurses and allied professionals—“travelers”— are on the move, providing medical care within a variety of health care settings which requires them to live away from home without traditional comforts and support systems. They are working in new environments where they must constantly adapt to unfamiliar surroundings and new people. As a result, their mental health can suffer, potentially impacting their ability to care for themselves and others.
To address this need, Kristen Henderson, human resources manager and leader of the Health & Wellness Committee for TNAA, and a breast cancer survivor, has implemented a variety of programs including a new effort with Gardenuity to deliver the highly documented health and wellness benefits of gardening to TNAA’s mobile corps of travelers while they are on assignment. Further, the program gives them a path to pay the benefits of gardening forward when they depart a location.
In recognition of Henderson’s personal experience as a patient and TNAA’s mission, Gardenuity sends TNAA travelers, regardless of where they are temporarily based across the country, a garden kit that features pink-hued plants, soil/growing medium, a portable growth bag to hold the plants, a water mister and instructions to nurture the garden.
According to Henderson, having the opportunity to plant and nurture the garden as they could at home gives travelers immeasurable health and wellness benefits. “Travelers often miss a sense of ‘place’ and they work in stressful situations,” she said. “The simple act of planting and caring for a small, portable garden delivers so many benefits including feelings of home, the peace and calmness generated by caring for plants, and physical benefits such as lower blood pressure. Travelers, perhaps more than anyone, need and deserve the opportunity to connect with nature and derive these benefits. This is something we can do to honor and support them, especially during National Nurses Week, May 6-12, but all year long too—as a benefit of working for TNAA.”
When their assignment is completed, and travelers depart a location, they are encouraged to take the portable garden with them to the next city or they can easily gift the garden to a special patient or colleague, paying the benefits of gardening forward and leaving a lasting contribution. In addition, Gardenuity donates a portion of the cost of each garden to Susan G. Komen to keep the giving going.
Donna Letier, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Gardenuity, which delivers gardens to homes and workplaces across the country, applauds TNAA and Henderson for creating a unique program for travelers that “touches the soul, helps heal the body and calms the mind for the nurses on the front lines who are delivering amazing care to patients” she said.
“TNAA is a progressive, forward-thinking organization delivering a unique program that recognizes the benefits of nurturing plants for travelers. We are honored to be a part of this effort, to help TNAA give back, and we love what this effort brings to the people who take care of other people,” Letier concluded.
About Travel Nurse Across America
Travel Nurse Across America (TNAA) places travel nurse and allied health travelers on multi-week assignments in healthcare facilities in all 50 states, and via its MSP (SimpliFi) provides workforce management services for some of the nation’s leading healthcare systems. TNAA was awarded the HCSS Certification with Distinction by The Joint Commission and is a founding member of the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations (NATHO). TNAA has been awarded the 2022 and 2020 Best Temp Agency to Work For by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). Additionally, our nurse voted awards and recognition include Travel Nursing Central Gold Winner (2019, 2020), The Gypsy Nurse Best Overall agency finalist (2020, 2021) and Best Assignment Concierge finalist (2021), Highway Hypodermics Top 10 agency (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), and Blue Pipes Top 10 agency (2019, 2021). For more information, visit www.tnaa.com.
About Gardenuity
Gardenuity, founded in 2017 by Donna Letier and Julie Eggers, is a technology enabled organization bringing gardens and gardening experiences into the health and wellness category. The company delivers customized container gardens and gardening experiences to consumers and corporations across the country. Based in Dallas, Gardenuity is a recognized leader in gardening for wellness, helping individuals and organizations improve well-being, performance, mental health, and nutritional wellness. With its patent pending Match technology platform, custom garden kits, and garden experiences, the company has celebrated over 3 million harvests and led more than 3,000 events and experiences, working with over 500 companies including Cigna, TIME, Deloitte, Salesforce, Uber, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), KPMG, and Microsoft.
