The Homewood Health Centre

For more information on the Homewood Health Centre and the Homewood Organization, check out their website: http://www.homewood.org 

The Homewood Health Center is:

“…a leader in mental health and addiction treatment, providing specialized psychiatric services to all Canadians. Located in Guelph, Ontario, in a beautiful setting on the banks of the Speed River, Homewood has been improving lives since 1883. Unique in Canadian health care, Homewood is a highly specialized provincial and national resource. A fully accredited facility, Homewood has always achieved the highest standards in quality care. Homewod has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Canada Award of Excellance Quality Award and Healthy Workplace Award.”

                                                                                                                         - from the Homewood Website

 The Homewood Centre Profile:

• Accredited by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation

• Affiliated with McMaster University Faculty of Medicine

• Fully trained and accredited clinical staff

• Integrated volunteer services

• Outcome-driven programs

• Funded for 312 beds

• 650 full- and part-time staff

• 300,000 square feet of facility space located on 47 acres of wooded land

• Founded in 1883

Contributing to Homewood’s success is the presence of the first and only medical psychiatric Horticultural Therapy (HT) program in Canada providing treatment, care and complimentary alternative medicine. Mitchell Hewson is the Manager of The Homewood Health Centre’s Horticultural Therapy department. 

There is a significant amount of research, knowledge and care, which go into the programming of this department.  There are currently 2 other talented therapists that work on Mitchell’s team; Don Webers, HTT and Julie Martin, HTR.  All the Horticultural therapists are members of the multidisciplinary treatment team; providing functional assessments; cognitive, social, physical and behavioral.  The HT department is involved with Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), best practices and cutting edge treatment.  Another critical part of the Homewood HT team is its over 35 volunteers!

For the official Homewood description of their HT department, click here.

 Here are some photos of The Homewood's HT centre in action!

Mitchell shows a class a good reference guide.  Patients can take home not only projects, but the power to create their own projects and find their own Horticulture resources.

The Homewood is set on a picturesque and large lot in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.  Part of the site and its many gardens consists of a Labyrinth as well as raised beds specifically designed for the Horticulture Therapy department.

The Raised beds at Homewood.