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Community Hospital South features xeriscaping, an environmentally friendly landscaping practice; Perennials and native plants more cost efficient, conserve water

For release on April 29, 2011

Indianapolis, IN---Community Hospital South doesn’t need an irrigation system to water the flowers and plants on campus. The landscaping is carefully planned with selections that are compatible with the soil and weather conditions in central Indiana, in a practice known as xeriscaping.

“Aside from a couple of planters at the front of the facility, most of the plants and flowers you’ll see on our campus are perennials,” said Mitchell Breeze, director of general support services at Community South. “It’s one of many ways we’re working to conserve resources, but we’re still able to create a pleasant healing environment for patients and visitors.”

Breeze has selected a variety of plants and flowers for the Community South campus that are well-suited to the region. Among them:

  • Liriope
  • Coreopsis
  • Pardon Me Daylily
  • Ice Follies Daffodils
  • Blue Wonder Catmint
  • Saybrook Gold Juniper
  • Red Prince Weigela
  • Hamlen Dwarf Fountain Grass
  • Gro-Low Sumac
  • Royal Star Magnolia

In addition to focusing on xeriscaping, Breeze has been committed to preserving resources through the hospital’s recent expansion project. Plants that were displaced during construction were preserved off-site and have since been reintroduced to beds around the campus.

Xeriscaping is one of the many aspects of Community Hospital South’s commitment to environmentally-friendly practices. The hospital’s emergency department was the first building project in the state of Indiana to be awarded LEED® Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, and the patient tower that opened in July 2010 is registered with the Green Guide for Health Care.

“We feel that doing our part to make our building and grounds more environmentally friendly has a healthy impact on the community and the people who live and work here,” added Breeze.

About Community Hospital South
Community Hospital South is an acute care hospital located at 1402 East County Line Road. With a vast array of surgical capabilities, maternity care, emergency room services and cardiovascular care, Community Hospital South provides an exceptional patient and family experience for the residents of southern Marion and Johnson Counties. Ranked among the nation’s most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is Central Indiana’s leader in access to innovative and compassionate healthcare services, where and when patients need them—in hospitals, in convenient health pavilions and doctor’s offices, in the workplace, at schools, in the home and online. As a nonprofit health system with multiple affiliates throughout Indiana, Community’s wide continuum of care integrates hundreds of physicians, full-service hospitals, surgery centers, physician practices, home care services, walk-in care centers and employer health services. To put the needs and the convenience of patients first, Community pioneers advanced treatments and world-class health information technologies, with a focus on exceptional care, simply delivered. For more information about Community Health Network or to find a physician, call 800-777-7775 or visit eCommunity.com.

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Courtney Jones, Media Relations
Courtney Jones
Media Relations