Nemours teams with Harmony Institute

    Nemours, one of the nation's largest children's health systems, has announces a community partnership between Nemours and The Harmony Institute to study the significant impact that nature, in the form of therapeutic gardens and animals, can have on children's health, wellness and the overall healing process.
     "We are very pleased to begin this evidence-based scientific work studying the impact that nature can have on children's health," stated Dr. David Bailey, president and chief executive officer for Nemours. "Our work with Harmony defines the type of innovative thinking and work that our new free standing children's hospital and health care campus will bring to Central Florida. This partnership allows us to more broadly explore the true meaning of integrated care for children with long term and complex illnesses."
     Martha Lentz, The Harmony Institute founder and president said, "The Harmony Institute is extremely gratified to have established this working relationship with Nemours. We look forward to improving the quality of health care for children in Central Florida and beyond by demonstrating the values of human-animal-nature interactions as part of their whole recovery."
     Full release here. More after the break.
    She added, "The missions of our organizations are so similar in their long term commitment to innovative public health solutions - that it seemed only natural for us to work together."
    The results of this work that is being led by members of the Institute's Center Advisory Board from Texas A&M, Purdue and Florida Institute of Technology, could significantly help promote Central Florida as a leading health care region in the United States. Nemours announced in early December that it had signed a contract to purchase an approximately 118-acre parcel of land in the Lake Nona area off of Boggy Creek Road, south of State Road 417, on which to build the top tier integrated pediatric health care system.
    The study will also look at the potential shared programs between the Boggy Creek site and the Institute's 100 acres located within the community of Harmony in Osceola County.
    Of the collaborative agreement, Dr. Bailey said, "Synergies achieved by community partnerships like the one with The Harmony Institute, as well as others in the proposed medical and bio medical research community, can be truly revolutionary in the way they shape children's health care and the future of the region. These are building blocks for the future."
About The Harmony Institute

   The Harmony Institute is a non-profit foundation founded in 1996 to promote the psychological, emotional and public health values of living in an integrated balance with companion animals, wildlife and environmental ecologies.
    Created as a non-profit, independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the Harmony Institute was formed by former Orlando Humane Society director Martha Lentz to promote the public health value of living in close proximity to animals and natural wildlife ecologies. The Institute was named in memory of Margaret Harmony Eastman, the mother of the founder. The Harmony Institute Center Advisory Board (HICAB) is a group of leading experts from some of the nation's most prestigious universities, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States and is currently engaged in four studies within the Harmony community.
    In addition to its research studies, the Institute develops programs to innovate new ways for human beings to enjoy peaceful, healthy, coexisting relationships with - animals and the environment. Additional information about the Harmony Institute can be found at www.harmonyinstitute.org.
About Nemours
    Nemours, one of the nation's largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children's health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont's bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.
    Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children's specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children's hospital in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world's most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.
     Nemours employs over 4,200 individuals, including 400 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2006. The organization's goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children's advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at http://www.nemours.org/.