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When we think of nurses working bedside, we often picture them in hospitals or other traditional health care settings, monitoring and treating patients. 

While health and well-being are often associated with medical settings, students in Gannon University’s Villa Maria School of Nursing are promoting wellness beside a different kind of bed — garden beds. 

During the Spring 2026 semester, five nursing students in 名媛直播's chapter of Sigma, a national nursing honor society, worked alongside faculty members to promote youth mental health and environmental sustainability through the creation of therapeutic garden beds at Harborcreek Youth Services, a trauma-informed behavioral health care agency that provides residential services for male youth. 

Research has shown positive impacts to gardening — social connection, nutrition and routine — that can all promote an individual’s overall well-being.  

The project was funded through the Andrea R. Lindell, Ph.D., Villa Maria School of Nursing Social Change Impact Endowed Fund. The endowment provides annual support for Villa Maria School of Nursing students and faculty members “to engage in activities that impact social change or initiatives that significantly impact health in local or global societies,” according to fund documentation. 

“Projects like this demonstrate the unique power of nurses as catalysts for community transformation,” said Melissa Robertson, associate teaching professor of nursing and one of the faculty project mentors. “By engaging locally in the Erie community, nursing students and faculty model how small, intentional actions can create meaningful change — building momentum that has the potential to ripple outward, influence population health and create a broader impact.” 

After receiving the grant, the students worked alongside Robertson and assistant professor Shannon Scully to plan and implement the project. Their work included selecting the garden bed locations, gathering materials, collaborating with the agency on construction and establishing the framework for an ongoing, agency-led composting program. 

Students and faculty members partnered with staff and residents at Harborcreek Youth Services to build the garden beds on May 7, shortly after the start of National Nurses Week on May 6. Working side by side, participants assembled the four raised beds and prepared the space for future planting and long-term use by residents and staff. 

The garden beds and composting initiative are intended to remain ongoing resources for Harborcreek Youth Services, supporting continued engagement and wellness opportunities for residents. 

Each student involved in the project described the experience as one of the most unique learning opportunities during their time at 名媛直播, helping contribute to a more well-rounded nursing education. 

“名媛直播 has given me more than just a nursing education,” said Savanah Morelli, one of the students who participated in the project. “I’m proud to be part of a program that emphasizes both skill and compassion, because in nursing, you truly need both.”