Co-ordinate to Boehnert, patient response to arts initiatives similar the ones advocated in "Building Bridges" has been overwhelmingly positive. As an example, she cites a heart transplant patient who was introduced to the expressive arts during his 6-week stay at Hartford Hospital. Before he was discharged, he created his ain little gallery in his room. A patient being treated for leukemia besides created an impressive torso of work, giving pieces away to cheer upwardly fellow patients who were not having skillful days. Staff, too, says Boehnert, do good from Art for Healing: "My volunteers besides get dwelling house better than when they came."

Since 1991, the Society for the Arts in Healthcare (SAH) has provided support for programs such as the ones at Hartford Hospital and the Mayo Clinic, equally well as others similar the Artists in Residence program at Florida's Shands HealthCare hospitals, which offers patients a variety of bedside art making activities. Examples include Art Infusion, a multi-media program for adults on chemotherapy, creative arts for pediatric inpatients, and (similar Mayo Scottsdale) an oral history program which seeks to transcribe patients' personal stories.

"In a lot of places, funding is a struggle," explains Curry. To assistance secure funding for arts in healthcare programs, the SAH provides grant opportunities, like the SAH/Johnson & Johnson Partnership to Promote Arts and Healing and SAH Consulting Grants, as well every bit several awards.

In Apr, the SAH hosted its 15th international arts in healthcare conference in Chicago, the topic of which was "Vision + Voice—Charting the Course of Arts, Health and Medicine." The conference urged attendees to "focus (their) vision for the future."9 Given always-increasing involvement in integrating the arts into healthcare—specially inpatient intendance—be information technology by means of the clinical practice of art therapy or by expressive, creative arts programs, the future of such programs seems bright. As Dana Gioia, chair of the NEA, says: "The arts accept an boggling power to raise our lives, to assistance us heal, and to bring us comfort in times of great stress. Nosotros must reconnect the arts with the actual human being that Americans lead, the journeys we have in life, which atomic number 82 the states through hospitals, to hospices, to the stop of life."10 TH

Roberta Newman is based in Brooklyn, North.Y.

References

  1. NEA News Room: Arts in Healthcare Research. Available at: http://arts.endow.gov/news/news03/AIHResearch.html. Last accessed June 16, 2006.
  2. Art Therapy Credentials Board, "What is Art Therapy?" Available at: www.atcb.org. Terminal accessed June 16, 2006.
  3. Nainis N, Paice J, Ratner J. Relieving symptoms in cancer: innovative use of art therapy. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2006 February;31(ii):162-169.
  4. Arts in Healthcare Research. National Endowment For the Arts New Room. Available at: http://arts.endow.gov/news/news03/AIHResearch.html. Final accessed June 12, 2006.
  5. Foster H. Medical settings foster the creation of art. Lancet. 2001;357(9268):1627.
  6. Foreword. "Building Bridges." Available at: www.harthosp.org/IntMed/manual/foreword.asp. Last accessed June 18, 2006.
  7. Guided Imagery. "Building Bridges." Available at www.harthosp.org/IntMed/manual/guidedimagery.asp. Last accessed June 18, 2006.
  8. Creating an Art for Healing Program: Grooming. "Building Bridges." Available at: www.harthosp.org/IntMed/transmission/art.asp. Last accessed June eighteen, 2006.
  9. Vision +Voice—Charting the Course of Arts, Health and Medicine Society for the Arts in Healthcare 15th Annual International Conference Plan. Bachelor at: www.thesah.org/doc/Last%20program.pdf. Last accessed June 18, 2006.
  10. Society for the Arts in Healthcare Fact Sheet. Bachelor at: www.thesah.org. Last accessed June 19, 2006.

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