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Campus Tree Healthcare Award

Birds eye image of the Coatesville VAMC campus
An aerial view of the medical center taken in the fall of 2020 by a drone from the south. From this angle building one, the main building, is clearly visible while many more buildings are partially visible behind the cover of green trees and vegetation on the 140 acres campus.
By Michael Hamill, Public Affairs Specialist

Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) has earned the Arbor Day Foundation program’s 2021 Tree Campus Health care facility recognition for the third year in a row.

Taking care of green spaces is a priority for Coatesville VAMC because trees promote physical activity and create calming spaces essential to stress recovery as well as contribute to our local environmental efforts. Both outcomes are important to the health and rehabilitation efforts of Veterans in long-term care.

The announcement means Coatesville VAMC has consistently made positive impacts on the wellness of the surrounding communities through tree education, investment, and community engagement.

Successfully completing each year's facility tree care plan starts with the dedicated grounds crew team, who tend the 140-acre property throughout the year by pruning, planting, mowing, and raking the greenspaces. Composting the grass and leaves while they work to beautify the campus is standard practice.

The campus' accomplishments are tracked and recorded by Beth Ramsey, Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) Program Manager at Coatesville VAMC.

"We established good policies and practices over the past few years, which has delivered positive results for the community of trees here at Coatesville VA and we are committed to continuing our efforts for 2022 and beyond."

Among the positive practices are conducting an inventory to identify trees and shrubs for removal, and planting replacements, protecting trees from invasive plants and insects like the Spotted Lanternfly, and partnering with community groups with common interests.

The GEMS team is hard at work on this year's tree care plan and is already looking ahead to next year's plans.

Visit https://www.arborday.org/programs/tree-campus-healthcare for more information on the Campus Tree Health Award.