Butler Introduces Healing Arts Program

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Saturday, September 25, 2010

GoLocalProv Health Team

Butler Hospital in Providence has partnered with The Healing Arts: New Pathways to Health, a nationally recognized organization that assists in training health care organizations' clinical staff in innovative new treatment methods using music, dance, and poetry, to foster patients’ emotional healing and improve mood. Butler is the first acute-care hospital to collaborate with The Healing Arts for the three-month pilot program.

Mind & Spirit

“The creative process can help people cope better with stress, help them work through difficult experiences, and improve mood,” said Barbara Ostrove, director of occupational therapy at Butler. The goal of the program is to enhance patient care and demonstrate healing arts as a viable treatment modality that supports a patient’s recovery and treatment. Cornell Coley, one of the musicians from The Healing Arts added, “Drumming, for example, provides a distraction from feelings of anxiety, is physically and mentally engaging, and gives people an opportunity to let go of what is in their mind for a period of time. It also works on a subconscious emotional level through the feel of the drum and sound of the beat.”

Collaborative Effort

The Healing Arts received funding from the Rhode Island Foundation and the Baker Foundation to fund the project for an organization with matching funds. Butler was able to match the funds using monies received from various CARE Awards, a recognition program that honors individuals and teams throughout the Care New England system who have made outstanding contributions in improving customer satisfaction.

Over the course of the program, the community is invited to follow a blog about its progress (accessible via Butler’s Facebook and Twitter pages), which will be updated by The Healing Arts artists and Butler staff daily.
 

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