On the main floor at the center of Mason General Hospital is the Wellness Garden donated in 2004 by the Centennial Hospital Guild to give family and friends a private place to sit and relax while at MGH.

The Wellness Garden contains seating and paths designed for all types of visitors to use, regardless of their physical limitations.

Mason General Hospital is a proud supporter of the community HOPE Garden, located on the grounds of the hospital.

The HOPE garden is a Shelton-based nonprofit that receives funds from federal and local sources to educate low-income families on nutrition and health.

During the summer, for 15 hours a week, high school students come to tend to the garden for a stipend. Through the process, they learn job skills such as interviewing, and give back to the community when bringing the produce to local food banks.

"Most of my students have never had a job before," said HOPE Garden Executive Director Rachel Uberman. "They learn some really serious life skills, like communication. And they're able to use the money to help their families pay bills or buy school supplies or food for their family. Many have severe anxiety and most live in single-parent households. The HOPE Garden provides stability."

Click here to learn more about and donate to the HOPE Garden.

Daily exercise is an important component of good health, so Mason Health is paving the way to wellness with a walking trail around the Hospital campus. The Get Out and Go Trail is completely paved and accessible for wheelchairs, strollers and walkers alike. Open to all residents, Hospital visitors, employees, families and friends, the trail is an excellent way to increase daily exercise.

The Get Out and Go Trail is approximately half a mile long, stretching from the hospital at the Wellness Garden on the west side of the facility, going south along Sherwood Lane, meandering east toward G Street, then up N 13th Street to Mountain View Drive, where it circles back to the Wellness Garden along Mountain View Drive. Completely paved, the trail connects the existing sidewalk to the new, black-topped portion of the trail, before reconnecting to existing sidewalk.