Today the Prouty Garden and the growing controversy over the hospital expansion received national coverage in the New York Times. Reporter Abby Goodnough writes:  "But while the garden has a powerful emotional tug, the group has also raised a practical question: Will a bigger, higher-tech hospital thwart state and national efforts to get spiraling medical costs under control?" This last question about keeping health care costs down is crucial. It's why this is about the Prouty Garden — and about so much more than the garden.

Dr. Brazelton has long been a strong supporter of the Prouty Garden. He supports both expanding Boston Children's Hospital AND preserving the Prouty Garden. He has witnessed firsthand the powerful impact that the Prouty Garden has on patients and delivered a moving testimony at the February DPH hearing describing one such experience. He was kind enough to record a radio message which we are running on WBZ-AM radio this week, which you can listen to here.

In a recent op-ed in CommonWealth magazine, Susan Regan, retired health care attorney and former member of the New York State Public Health Council, states unequivocally that Boston Children's Hospital's proposed project represents backwards progress in healthcare delivery and a missed opportunity to "move decisively in the direction of high-quality, cost-effective care."

For the culmination of her year-long research project, Simmons College student Erin Hickey conducted a qualitative analysis of the comments on our Change.org petition to preserve the Prouty Garden at BCH. As you'll see, there are several key themes that frequently appear in the comments, including the garden as an "oasis," the garden's holistic healing qualities, the connection to nature the garden provides, the spiritual benefits, the sense of normalcy, benefits to staff, and so much more. 

We think you will find John Lynch’s latest report, "Response to the DPH on Relative Merit & Project Alternatives in the Matter of DoN Project 4-3C47," submitted today, to be a compelling window into the ongoing work we have been doing.  Lynch does not mince words - making clear the contradictions and discrepancies which run rampant through the words and actions of Boston Children’s Hospital (the Applicant), as they have progressed through the process of expansion. Read on for highlights from this compelling report.

Read now this article published on May 18th in HealthLeaders Media. "Gardens have been a mainstay at hospitals, even before research backed up widely held views that being in nature had a calming and healing effect on patients. Lately, hospitals across the country have poured more resources into their gardens, with some planting vegetable crops that are incorporated into patient meals. At one hospital in Massachusetts, however, this spring might be the last for its garden, and the community is outraged."

Today, the Friends of the Prouty Garden (FPG) submitted to the DPH a new report analyzing the Hospital's efforts to create a massive new complex in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston. The report contends that proposed $1 billion expansion project at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) would further restrict access to quality pediatric services for Massachusetts Medicaid patients and indigent children, while expanding services to wealthy, private-paying international patients.

As you may have heard, yesterday our preliminary injunction was denied. However, this is neither a loss nor a win but a necessary next step forward in the legal process. Though he denied the the preliminary injunction, the good news is that Judge Salinger's ruling also entitles the Friends of the Prouty Garden (FPG) to move forward with our legal claim regarding the Hospital's violation of actions in light of the pending Determination of Need (DON) certificate.

On this Mother's Day, thoughts turn to the beloved Prouty Garden at Boston Children's Hospital- a timeless emerald oasis that uplifts children, families and staff. The garden heals regardless of diagnosis or ability to pay; it is irreplaceable and as vital now as ever.

The Friends of the Prouty Garden will be joining in the festivities at Jamaica Plain's 38th annual Wake Up the Earth Festival, this Saturday, May 7th from 12 noon to 6 pm. We will have a table and group members will be on hand to pass out flyers, buttons and spread the word about the vital importance of the Prouty Garden. We invite you to stop by!

Yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court, a judge heard our case to protect the Prouty Garden. The hearing was scheduled in direct response to the civil complaint that a Ten Taxpayer Group  filed in Superior Court a couple of weeks ago seeking injunctive relief to stop the hospital’s ongoing construction activities around, and now in, the Prouty Garden.

Today we remember one of the many young people to whom Prouty Garden has provided comfort and solace in their final days and hours. Shannon Nissa Bailey Powers spent most of her life in and out of BCH for Cystic Fibrosis treatment. Here we share more of her experience with Prouty, her self-portrait, and a eulogy she wrote for her grandmother, which eloquently expresses the sense of beauty, mystery, and joy Shan found in the Prouty.

We will once again be gathering in front of the hospital this Saturday, April 30th from 6:30 am to 10 am to peacefully protest the destruction currently happening the garden, and to inform the community about the importance of this healing garden and ways to get involved with our cause

This week, Boston Children's Hospital put up fencing in the Prouty Garden and began geological boring, another example of how the Hospital continues to move forward with its expansion plan, even without final state approvals and with a pending lawsuit. The Friends of the Prouty Garden today published the following advertisement in the Boston Globe, urging the public to call the hospital and demand they stop the destruction and reopen the garden immediately.

Today we share this personal story, poem and artwork by Deana Tavares, a poet and artist who is a former BCH patient, volunteer and employee. Deana has been attending every Saturday vigil this month and is the person responsible for the most beautiful of our signs. We thank her for sharing her wonderful talents for our cause.

A Ten Taxpayer Group, consisting of members of the Friends of the Prouty Garden, intervened today in the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) process to determine the need for a more than $1 billion expansion at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH).  The Ten Taxpayer Group filed a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging that BCH has violated state law and regulation by proceeding with construction of and fundraising for the 12-story facility without obtaining necessary state approval.