From Vision to Reality: Advancing Social Prescribing in Hampton Roads and Beyond
We just wrapped up our 2nd annual Healing Arts in Medicine Conference. Our theme this year, “The Wave of Social Prescribing,” centered around an initiative that we are passionate about bringing to Hampton Roads. Social prescribing is an approach that connects patients with non-medical interventions, such as arts, music, and community activities, to improve well-being by addressing social determinants of health. This approach offers a framework for making the healing arts more accessible through integrating it into healthcare referral pathways so that the arts become a natural extension of a patient’s treatment plan.
While social prescribing has already been adopted in 30+ countries, we have yet to integrate it into our healthcare systems here in the United States. However, there are grassroots organizations and individuals who are leading the movement to advance this initiative in the U.S. We had the honor of inviting 4 of these leaders to speak at our conference this year:
Alan Siegel, MD - Executive Director of Social Prescribing USA
Aly Maier Lokuta - Assistant Vice President of Arts & Well-Being at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Jill Sonke, PhD - Director of EpiArts Research Lab
Julia Hotz - Journalist & Author of The Connection Cure
With over 40 attendees who tuned in, and more than 70 participants registered, this year’s conference brought light to groundbreaking insights, impactful community health programs, and thought-provoking dialogue about arts for health, community connection, and social prescriptions. Specifically,
Dr. Siegel shared diverse clinical applications of social prescribing - arts, dance, and even phone calls being used to address conditions including loneliness, Parkinson's disease, and mental health.
Aly shared recent findings from a pivotal arts in health pilot project that involved an innovative collaboration between Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, Healthcare Systems and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Dr. Sonke shared the evidence-based benefits of arts engagement, including that engaging in arts activities more than once per month leads to more healthy aging and those who engage in hobbies are less likely to develop depression.
Julia encouraged us to shift our mindset from thinking about “what’s the matter with you” to “what matters to you,” encouraging us to find ways to self-prescribe socially engaged activities for our well-being.
As if that wasn’t enough, their presentations were followed by a panel discussion where our speakers responded to questions about the future of social prescribing in the U.S., including addressing current obstacles and barriers to accessibility.
Participant feedback affirmed the impact of this half-day virtual conference:
“I’m feeling valued and understood!! [It] sometimes feels like we are constantly swimming upstream, and trying to prove the value of this approach, but everything presented today has been so affirming.”
“Seeing the images & hearing the stories has been truly inspiring. It just makes me that much more excited to be part of this movement. Thank you, all, for this amazing event!”
“Sometimes you can feel a bit isolated in the field and although we get to see these moments for ourselves, its validating to see the positive outcomes experienced by others too.”
In case you missed it, we will be releasing the full conference replay on National Social Prescribing Day - March 19th. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and social media channels to be the first to find out when it’s released!
Groundbreaking Initiatives
In the meantime, here’s a look at the groundbreaking initiatives we’ve been working on behind the scenes:
Hampton Roads Social Prescribing Network (HRSPN)
To build on the momentum created at our region’s first-ever Social Prescribing Roundtable Convening last Fall, we created the HRSPN - a network of regional cross-sector stakeholders who are actively working to advance social prescribing initiatives in Hampton Roads. We meet quarterly to share insights, success stories, updates, challenges, and collaborative opportunities as it pertains to implementing arts in health social prescriptions. The HRSPN currently has over 70 members (and growing!) including representatives from healthcare systems, insurance companies, community foundations, arts organizations, artists, and healing arts therapists.
National Toolkit for Social Prescribing
In response to our landmark roundtable convening last Fall, we were invited to create a national toolkit to provide a framework for other regions. Our team has been compiling best practices, case studies, templates, and lessons learned to share in an easily digestible framework and toolkit to be published later this year. This toolkit will provide a step-by-step framework so that convening organizers can kickstart grassroots social prescribing initiatives within their region.
Healing Arts Social Prescribing Intervention - A Collaborative Pilot Program
We believe in the power of passionate individuals gathering together for meaningful and intentional dialogue – which is exactly how this groundbreaking pilot project came to fruition! In collaboration with the Sentara Brock Cancer Center, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art and Tidewater Music Therapy, we are spearheading a pilot program right here in Hampton Roads to connect healthcare professionals to arts engagement interventions for their patients. Through a direct referral pathway, cancer patients will gain access to arts and music activities as a vital component of their treatment plan. We will be rolling out the program this year. Our goal is to demonstrate impact data to support building a sustainable arts prescription model within our regional healthcare system.
As you can see, we are taking great strides to fulfill our vision of integrating the healing arts into the healthcare experience, ensuring accessibility for individuals and caregivers in every community. Thank you for being here alongside us on this journey - stay tuned for more updates throughout the year!
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