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For Immediate Release

Washington, DC, December 7, 2004—The Society for the Arts in Healthcare with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and Americans for the Arts announce the findings of a recently completed survey on the level of arts and humanities in U.S. hospitals. The survey, Cultures of Care: A Study of Arts Programs in U.S. Hospitals, shows more than 2,500 hospitals use arts programming to create healing environments, support patient mental and emotional recovery, communicate health information, and foster positive working conditions. Seventy-seven percent of U.S. hospitals responded. Written by Naj Wikoff, president of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare and director of the Dartmouth Medical School C. Everett Koop Institute’s Healing & the Arts Program, the study reveals the level and diversity of arts activities in hospitals. Following are motives for and types of arts programming:

• Patient care, primary focus—When asked why hospitals invest in arts programming, 96 percent cited patient care as their motivation; 79 percent use arts to create a healing environment; and 56 percent to help patient families.
• Displayed art most common, but music overall patients’ favorite—Seventy-three percent of hospitals surveyed have permanent displays of the visual arts. Some hospitals even run galleries, but music is the favored art form for patient care as 82 percent of artists who work in care units are musicians.
• Healthcare workers benefit, too—Forty-one percent of hospitals surveyed have arts programs that benefit hospital staff and volunteers. Music, crafts, and the visuals arts are among the most common art forms used in programs for caregivers.
• Professional staff operates hospital arts programs—Seventy-nine percent of hospital arts programs are administered by professional staff and 66 percent of their budgets come from hospital general operating funds.

“The survey results underscore the profound value of the arts. They enhance recovery by lifting patients’ spirits and subsequently, easing their pain,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “The survey demonstrates that hospitals and local arts organizations are working together and drawing upon community resources to personalize care and create a more welcoming hospital environment.”

“Health care organizations are increasingly using the arts to enhance quality of care,” said Paul Schyve, M.D., senior vice president of the Joint Commission. “At a time when hospital stays are shorter and healthcare staff serve patients with a higher level of acute care, the arts help create a humane environment.”

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare reports a growing interest in the arts and humanities in healthcare. Membership has more than doubled in the past year. Half of the Society’s membership is healthcare institutions and remaining members are a mix of artists, arts therapists, doctors, nurses, architects, interior designers, and others working in the arts and healthcare.

“Our goal with this survey was to identify a baseline of arts in healthcare activities, identify the range of programming, and determine what resources and skills are needed to help the healthcare industry provide the best possible care to all Americans,” said Gay Hanna, executive director of the Society for Arts and Healthcare.

Cultures of Care: A Study of Arts Programs in U.S. Hospitals is the most recent volume of the Monograph series from Americans for the Arts. The series examines in-depth issues affecting the arts and arts policy in America and is published quarterly.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America with offices in Washington, DC, and New York City. With more than 40 years of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. For more information, visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare (SAH) is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation in Washington, DC. Founded in 1991, SAH is dedicated to promoting the incorporation of the arts as an integral component of healthcare by: demonstrating the valuable roles the arts can play in enhancing the healing process; advocating for the integration of the arts into the environment and delivery of care within healthcare facilities; assisting in the professional development and management of arts programming for health care populations; providing resources and education to healthcare and arts professionals; and encouraging and supporting research and investigation into the beneficial effects of the arts in healthcare. For more information, visit www.societyartshealthcare.org.

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 7,800 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 7,300 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, the Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about the Joint Commission at www.jcaho.org.

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