Understand – Wellness walls
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health system in the United States, serving more than a million people annually across New York City’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centres anchors care co-ordination with the system’s trauma centres, nursing homes, post-acute care centres and home care agency – all supported by 11 essential hospitals. It has the most diverse workforce in the world, with more than 43,000 employees, and is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible.
Arts in Medicine is part of a systemwide strategy to support workforce wellness. The department champions emotional wellbeing and healing for patients, families and caregivers through programmes utilising the visual, literary and performing arts. In addition, Arts in Medicine is strategically placed within the ‘Quality and Safety Cabinet’, whose mission is to protect the safety and culture of the entire system. The department stewards a visual collection of more than 7,500 pieces of fine art dating back to the 1930s.
One of Arts in Medicine’s signature initiatives, the ‘Community Mural Program’, continues a mural tradition established in the 1930s by the Work Progress Administration, which commissioned hundreds of murals across New York City’s public hospitals. The programme invites artists and community members to collaborate, re-imagine hospital environments and promote community wellness. Artists engage stakeholders to create a mural that reduces stress and strengthens ties among patients, staff and local residents. The ‘Community Mural Program’ is currently part of a global study; HoME (Hospital and Mural Evaluation) in partnership with the World Health Organization, The Jameel Arts & Health Lab at New York University and Cultrunners.
Find out more at nychealthandhospitals.org/artsinmedicine
Create – The healing power of art
In the gym of the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at University Hospital Llandough, Paintings in Hospitals has added this dynamic oil painting of runners in action. It’s one of 15 new artworks from the Paintings in Hospitals collection to be displayed at the hospital after they were carefully chosen through a collaborative process with the multidisciplinary healthcare team and patients. This was facilitated by Dominic Harbour, Paintings in Hospitals Relationship and Development Manager, who said: “Our inclusive co-curatorial approach has involved in and outpatients, staff, consultants and physiotherapists, and the level of engagement and positivity has been fantastic! Inpatients are encouraged to take a walk around the ward’s new gallery space to support personal wellbeing and their rehabilitation journey.”
The resulting selection includes breathtaking Welsh landscapes, bringing the essence of the outdoors; fresh air, iconic coastal walking adventures, and colourful and energetic abstract works to uplift and enhance recovery. The various artworks capture the vitality of movement and stimulate physical and neurological activity, which in turn support the stroke rehabilitation experience.
Now in its 65th year, Paintings in Hospitals is dedicated to bringing the healing potential of art to as many people as possible. Backed by a wealth of scientific evidence on the health benefits of art and creative activities, the organisation has seen the positive impact art can have for patients, healthcare professionals, carers and communities.
Paintings in Hospitals has a collection of more than 3,000 artworks and is the only charity with a loan programme that helps health organisations display artworks that inspire better health. Find out more at paintingsinhospitals.org.uk
Deliver – Trees of life
The NHS Forest is run by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH). It is an alliance of health sites working to transform their green space to realise its full potential. The NHS has around 6,500 hectares of land in England alone, and healthcare sites can act as ‘anchor institutions’ in their communities, providing spaces for socialising and learning, recreation and exercise. Ensuring there is accessible green space can have wide reaching impacts.
The NHS Forest started as a tree planting project in 2009. Since then, more than 360 healthcare sites across the UK have joined the alliance, including Gloucestershire Royal (pictured), and more than 100,000 trees have been planted on or near their estates.
The NHS Forest team at CSH recently worked with Forest Research to develop a groundbreaking report on the monetary benefits of trees and woodland on the NHS estate across four sites. It showed how trees and woodlands offer a range of invaluable ecosystem services, including carbon storage and sequestration, air pollution removal, flood regulation, temperature regulation and noise mitigation. The total estimated annual monetary flow of these services across the four sites was a staggering £82,531.
“From mental health treatment to cancer prevention, we have only just scratched the surface of the enormous health benefits offered by trees,” explains Sarah Jordan, Director of Green Space at CSH. “Healthcare sites can tap into these benefits for their staff, patients and the local community by planting trees on their sites. The NHS Forest can help healthcare sites make this happen. As well as supplying fully funded trees thanks to support from Defra and the Forestry Commission, we have recently collaborated with the Woodland Trust and American Forests to develop the UK Tree Equity Score. This free online tool helps people decide where to prioritise tree planting for maximum benefits to health, wellbeing and the environment, while also tackling inequalities.”
Find out more at nhsforest.org
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This article was taken from the May 2024 edition of FORTIS magazine.
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This article was written for the November 2024 edition of FORTIS magazine; a forum for the NHS to share ideas, innovations and case studies. To read the publication in full and access digital copies, visit FORTIS magazine. FORTIS magazine is free for NHS change-makers and leaders and is available as a print or digital copy. FORTIS magazine is managed and owned by Health Spaces Ltd.
