Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) has earned the Arbor Day Foundation program's 2021 Tree Campus Healthcare facility recognition for the third year in a row. The recognition means Coatesville VAMC has consistently made positive impacts on the wellness of the surrounding communities through tree education, investment, and community engagement. Coatesville VAMC works to take care of green spaces to promote the health and rehabilitation of veterans and to contribute to local environmental efforts.

Successfully completing each year's facility tree care plan starts with the grounds crew team, which tends the 140-acre property throughout the year by pruning, planting, mowing, and raking the greenspaces. The team members compost the grass and leaves while they work to beautify the campus.

The campus's accomplishments are tracked and recorded by Beth Ramsey, Green Environmental Management Systems (GEMS) program manager at Coatesville VAMC. Among the practices developed at the Coatesville VAMC 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 at work on this year's tree care plan and is already looking ahead to next year's plans.

For more information on the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus Healthcare program, visit http://www.treecampushealthcare.org.