Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Celebrates Arts + Health Month in November

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- To highlight the positive effect the arts have on the health care experience, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is celebrating Arts + Health Month in November through a variety of activities and workshops at its Minneapolis and St. Paul hospitals. Founded by the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, Arts + Health Month is an opportunity for organizations and individuals worldwide to promote the integration of the arts into healthcare environments.

Research has shown that integrating the arts into healthcare settings helps to:

• Cultivate a healing environment
• Support the physical, mental, and emotional recovery of patients
• Communicate health and recovery information
• Foster a positive environment for caregivers that reduces stress and improves workplace satisfaction and retention

"The arts have a profound effect on the healing journey of a child," said Sheila Palm, child life manager at Children's. "We have seen firsthand what this integrated approach to care can accomplish, be it a teenager working on an art project during chemotherapy treatment, or a music therapist softly playing guitar for an infant. Having the arts at our fingertips allows us to guide the child down a more holistic and healthful path towards recovery."

During November, Children's is facilitating a number of activities, including:

• Art Project Days: Patient families will join artists Sharra Frank (at Children's – Minneapolis) and Theresa Cox (at Children's – St. Paul) in creating two community art projects. Frank will be leading workshops to create a large mixed media mosaic collage, and Cox will be leading workshops to create an original circle design mural. Workshops are scheduled for November 9, 10 and 11 in Minneapolis and November 8, 10 and 11 in St. Paul.
• Guthrie Theater Workshops: Facilitated by Guthrie actors, the workshops on November 19 will guide former Children's patients in telling the story about their medical journey. During the project, called "Hero's Journey," patients will be encouraged to create a hero (either themselves, or something else they see as a hero) that helps them tell their story. Each "Hero's Journey" will be filmed and patients will leave with a DVD copy of their video.
• Star Studio guest appearances: Children's in-house TV studio is featuring numerous guest appearances, including: Actors from The Children's Theatre Company who will present a special showing of the puppet play "The Biggest Little House in the Forest" on November 17, and visiting artists from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts who will have a special appearance on November 14.
• Children's Theater Workshop: Following the showing of "The Biggest Little House in the Forest" on November 18, Children's Theatre actors will lead a puppet making workshop for patients.

In 2009, Children's began its Arts & Healing and Urban Renewal Project. The project was two-fold: pair art with traditional medical treatments to study its effect on the healing process, and revitalize the neighborhoods around Children's St. Paul and Minneapolis hospital campuses. To accomplish these goals, Children's did the following:

• Commission 38 Minnesota artists to create 685 pieces of art that continue to be installed inside and outside Children's two hospitals
• Partner with community arts organizations to provide professional in-hospital theater productions, interactive art experiences and music therapy
• Develop evidence-based research programs aimed at studying the impact arts have on healing.
• Solicit funding for the entire program through the generosity of the community

The project is one of the largest hospital-based arts programs in the country, merging art, architecture, science and landscaping to transform the healthcare experience for patients.

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Serving as Minnesota's children's hospital since 1924, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health care organizations in the United States, with 340 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children's of Minnesota provides care through more than 12,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits every year. Children's is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children.

Children's is regularly ranked among the top pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, most recently in 2011 for its neonatal, cardiovascular, cancer and pulmonology care. Once again in 2010, Children's was recognized by the Leapfrog Group as one of the seven top hospitals in the country for quality and efficiency. In addition, the American Nurses Credentialing Center has named Children's a Magnet hospital, a designation that recognizes excellence in nursing.

About The Society for the Arts in Healthcare

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare is a non-profit 501c3 organization based in Washington, DC. Founded in 1991, and representing over 1,700 members from around the globe, the Society is dedicated to advancing the arts as integral to healthcare by demonstrating the valuable role 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 healthcare 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.thesah.org or call 202-299-9770.

SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota