Donor impact creates a beautiful healing environment for patients

 

Research has shown that access to plants and nature can be beneficial to both mental and physical well-being, promoting a sense of peace and alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.

 

The Brigitte Harris Cancer Pavilion was created with this in mind, designed to deliver innovative and world-class cancer care within a beautiful space that inspires hope and healing – recognizing that a patient’s care environment has a significant impact on their well-being.

On the third floor of the Brigitte Harris Cancer Pavilion is the Kathleen McCree Lewis Garden View Infusion Suite, dedicated by David Baker Lewis in honor of his late wife who passed away from an inoperable lung tumor.

“I wanted a way to memorialize Kathleen and also to recognize the organization’s steadfast commitment to Detroit,” David said, recalling their long history with Henry Ford Health, from the birth of their children to Kathleen’s cancer treatment, to his service on the system’s board.

The terrace outside the infusion suite overlooks West Grand Boulevard and Henry Ford Hospital. Since the Brigitte Harris Cancer Pavilion opened, it has only been lightly decorated with planters and partitions. That is, until additional renovations to the terrace got underway in 2025.

“Patients can spend a lot of time in infusion chairs, so it’s important for them to have something nice to look at. Patients have better experiences and more positive health outcomes when they have access to natural light and views of nature,” explained Megan Winkel, Lindsay Anderson Curator of Art for Henry Ford Cancer and Manager of Henry Ford’s Arts in Health program.

A landscape designer was hired to enhance the terrace with natural features. As part of this effort, Anette Hebert was brought on to fill the terrace with plantings, breathing life into the space.

“It’s not encouraging to be in a hospital and just see blank walls,” Anette reiterated. “Having something beautiful to look at matters.”

Working on this project was especially personal for Anette. A close friend of hers, who also assisted with the renovation, lost her son to lymphoma last year. To honor his memory, Anette decided to take two panels that were set to be removed from the terrace and upcycle them into vibrant greenwalls that she would donate as a gift in kind.

In addition to the greenwalls, the terrace has been enlivened with highly realistic faux plants and grasses native to the region with seasonal additions — including boxwoods, evergreen and cypress trees, maple bushes, ferns, eucalyptus and lavender. The layered landscaping and artistic additions warm up the space, emulating the feeling of a private garden.

“When we first got there, all the shades were down. As we worked on the patio and started putting the pine trees and flowers in, all the shades came up. Nurses, patients and family members were sharing how good it looked,” Anette recalled

The renovation was topped off with the addition of an abstract aluminum sculpture in the center of the terrace — created by the late Maureen Voorhees, whose art is also featured outside Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital. The sculpture was donated to the cancer pavilion by Carlene VanVoorhies, longtime Henry Ford volunteer and donor, who also serves as a docent at the Detroit Institute of Arts

There is a seating area for patients and families inside the infusion suite, with large windows offering natural light and a view of the terrace. The recent additions give patients and their family members a respite from the clinical environment and a reason to step away and decompress.

Anette shared that she hadn’t worked on a project that touches people’s lives in this way before, with the majority of her planting service geared at commercial or residential locations such as hotels, restaurants and apartment buildings. In the future, she hopes to continue building green spaces at other Henry Ford Health facilities, encouraging others to support beautification projects.

“The mental part of healing is so important. What we did is not just a rooftop garden — it’s helping people heal,” she said.

The plants will be updated to reflect seasonality — including the recent addition of lights for the holiday season — and to keep the terrace dynamic, other artistic elements will be added to the space over time.

Reflecting on the progress of this project that was fueled by his philanthropy, David shared, “It’s really so gratifying — the notion that patients in the infusion center will have the opportunity to just take a moment and enjoy the peacefulness of the garden and its tranquility. It’s sort of like me being able to give a gift to Kathleen.”