Nurturing vegetables, spirits at Cooperstown garden

Fargo, N.D. – Gardening is good for the body, that’s the theory of one long-term care center. Gardening is also good for emotional, spiritual and social wellness.

In 2024, the Griggs County Care Center built a handicap-accessible vegetable garden. Named the Griggs County Care Center Sanctuary Garden, the space is safe and accommodating for the center’s 35 or so residents and the surrounding community. Gardening gives residents and the surrounding community an opportunity to connect to nature.

In the garden’s eight months, Foundation Director Amber Wogsland said she can see improvements in the residents’ well-being.

“Residents who normally would not come out of their rooms took a stroll and checked things out,” she said. “At first, they only observed, watching others enjoy the space. As the growing season progressed, they got their hands dirty. Residents who struggle with memory loss started telling stories of what they grew and created from their own home gardens or from living on the farm. We know this impacted the residents’ social health and elevated their well-being.”

Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation because they are more likely to live alone, have lost family or friends, and suffer from chronic illness or hearing loss, according to the Social Determinants of Health Report (SDoH). The Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation completed the SDoH report in 2023. In North Dakota, about one-third of all seniors live by themselves – which is higher than any other state in the U.S.

In addition to reducing loneliness, the care center prepared the vegetables for meals and snacks, impacting the residents’ nutrition and physical well-being.

“This project started as a dream. Thanks to the BUILD Grant to get us started, we anticipate that this project will continue to grow and expand as we develop the northwest corner of the care center property into an area used for vegetables, flowers and memorials for everyone to enjoy,” Wogsland said.

Wogsland is especially grateful for community involvement. Along with the residents who benefited from the project, dozens of students and other local organizations supported the garden too. High school students built the four raised beds and even attended a day of planting to get the vegetables in the ground. 

“The garden project is special,” said Amber Blomberg, Foundation & Community Engagement Executive Director for BCBSND. “We love how it benefits the social, emotional and physical health of these residents as well as the employees and students who interact with it.”

BUILD grants work to transform the health of rural North Dakotans. This year, the grants invested more than $45,000 into eight organizations. In addition to Griggs County Care Center, those organizations include:

• Eckert Youth Homes – Williston: In this project, Eckert Youth Homes purchased the RealCare Baby 3 Simulator and curriculum to incorporate this education into existing programming.
• House of Everyday Learning - Fargo: The focus of this project was to help alleviate the burdens that families experience driving to Fargo for pediatric screenings or therapy services on a weekly or bi-weekly frequency. The Mobile Therapy Unit (MTU) Program brings these services directly to the rural communities and decreases barriers such as transportation, cost and time away from work and school for the families that it serves.
• Langdon Prairie Health - Langdon: The Langdon community educated and provided resources to community members from different socioeconomic backgrounds to raise awareness that mental health services are available by telehealth in a private, confidential and secure setting. This program concentrated on two specific population groups, youth and farmers, to assist in treatment of depression, anxiety and traumatic events.
• Northland Health Center – Turtle Lake: “A Care Closet” provided a free resource for students and their families experiencing hardships: food insecurity, lack of weather-appropriate clothing, basic hygiene supplies, school supplies and more.
• Pembina County Memorial Hospital - Cavalier: This project provided an outdoor activity for the residents, staff and community volunteers at Wedgewood Manor, a skilled nursing facility in Cavalier. The Cycling with Love includes all ages and stages of life.
• Sanford Health - Hillsboro: This project provided adaptive devices to allow those with mobility issues to get to medical appointments.
• Sanford Health – Valley City: The Promotion of Breastfeeding in Rural Populations program addressed several social determinants of health areas including health care access and quality, economic stability and education access and quality. One Certified Lactation Consultant and two nurses travel to other Sanford Health rural clinics where lactation services and support do not exist.

Learn more about BUILD grants at bcbsnd.com/caring-foundation.

About the BCBSND Caring Foundation

Established in 1989, the BCBSND Caring Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Over these 30 years, the Caring Foundation has worked to improve the health and well-being of North Dakotans and their communities. Through collaborations with organizations across North Dakota, it is our goal to support sustainable and innovative efforts that promote better outcomes and create lasting change. 

Contact:

Melissa Richard
Director of Communications
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH DAKOTA, FARGO
952-240-3477 (mobile) | melissa.richard@bcbsnd.com | www.bcbsnd.com