Texas Children's Hospital brings together international leaders with conference through the Global Alliance for Arts & Health

HOUSTON, March 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Texas Children's Hospital is excited to host the Global Alliance for Arts & Health's 2014 Annual International Conference, Enhancing Lives Through Arts & Health: 25th Anniversary Conference & Celebration. The conference, which will run April 9 through 12 at the iconic Hotel ZaZa, will provide a forum for hundreds of leaders to present and discuss cutting-edge arts and health topics and exciting developments from around the world. For more information, or to register for the conference, visit thesah.org.

"Houston is the perfect city to host this international conference," says Steven Libman, executive director of the Global Alliance for Arts & Health. "We're ecstatic to be able to combine two of Houston's most influential communities, the Texas Medical Center and the arts community, to truly embrace the goal of  transforming health and healing though the arts."

Breakout sessions, hosted by Texas Children's Hospital, the Jung Center and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), will focus on five critical areas: caring for the caregiver, community well-being, education, healing environments and patient care. More than 500 international leaders are expected to participate including arts directors, health care providers, artists, therapists, architects, designers, administrators, educators and researchers.

"An exciting addition this year is that for the first time ever artists working in health care will have an opportunity to sit for the pilot of the Artist in Healthcare Certification Examination," says Helen Currier, director of Renal, Vascular Access and Palliative Care Services at Texas Children's and vice president of the Global Alliance for Arts & Health. "The exam's purpose is to determine if the artist has the minimal level of competency to safely and effectively work in the health care environment. Data from the pilot(s) will validate the certification examination." Currier is also the leader of the Global Alliance's Competency Taskforce.

Thanks to sponsor organizations, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Center for Photography, Johnson & Johnson, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Rice Public Arts, Houston Symphony, The Menninger Clinic, Houston Boychoir, Texas Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, the best of Houston will be on display with tours of the medical center, as well as cultural and museum tours. As part of the Texas Medical Center tour, Texas Children's is honored to display the 2013-2014 Children's Hospital Association (CHA) Photo Exhibit, a biennial competition comprised of 50 extraordinary images from CHA members. Of note, is the inclusion of photographs by Texas Children's photographers Paul Vincent Kuntz, who placed first in this year's competition, and Allen S. Kramer, who placed fourth.

Arts and health is a diverse, multidisciplinary field that integrates literary, performing, and visual arts and design into a variety of health care and community settings for therapeutic, educational and expressive purposes.

In health care settings, where a patient's sense of control is often lost or minimized, the arts serve as therapeutic and healing tools. By reducing stress, loneliness and the perception of pain, the arts improve the patient experience and have a positive impact on health outcomes. These benefits then further lead to shorter hospital stays, less need for pain medication, and enhanced patient adherence to treatment, resulting in substantial financial savings for both patients and health organizations.

About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Center for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, a second community hospital planned to open in 2017. The organization also created the nation's first HMO for children, has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

About The Global Alliance for Arts & Health
The Global Alliance for Arts & Health (formerly Society for the Arts in Healthcare) is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation in Washington, DC. Founded in 1991, the Global Alliance for Arts & Health is dedicated to advancing arts as integral to health care 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 health care facilities; assisting in the professional development and management of arts programming for health care populations; providing resources and education to health care and arts professionals; and encouraging and supporting research and investigation into the beneficial effects of the arts in health care.

Contact: Jenn Jacome
832-824-2679
[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital