VCU Health has honed the power of art by bringing creativity to healthcare. What began in 1986 with the late Murry N. DePillars, former Dean of the Arts at VCU, as an idea to aid physical, mental and emotional recovery has evolved into: VCU Health Art in HealthcareToday, the department offers patients and team members a variety of services, including art lessons, kinetic imaging, music therapy, and theater.
The arts program has expanded over the years under the leadership of Director Philip Muzi Branch, who took over as director in 2005, but has a long-standing relationship with the university. He was born in St. Phillips Hospital, which was closed. This hospital was the facility of a medical school for the residents of Black He Richmond during the Jim Crow era. Branch also earned a bachelor’s and postgraduate degree from the VCU School of Arts. After working in arts education, he decided he wanted to bring art into the medical field.
“The hospital has three galleries here, showcasing work by local and regional artists,” Branch says. “I had a show here with my artwork. When I pulled the show in 2005, the director said he was leaving.”
Branch saw an opportunity in him and decided to apply for the position. The previous director was able to recommend him for the job and the rest was history, Branch says.
For nearly 18 years, he has helped bridge the gap between the arts and healthcare through a variety of resources. All art-based services offered in this department are intentional and used to develop a unique approach to the healing process.
“The traditional healthcare model is a very reactive process,” says Branch. “Our model in the art is that we want to be proactive. We educate our patients and staff about self-care and holistic care, and strive to engage the whole patient physically, mentally and intellectually.” This department creates a positive atmosphere that works to treat all levels of care by ensuring that five specific areas are met.
First, by placing art throughout the building, displaying art galleries, and hosting performances by local musicians in the lobby every Wednesday, a healing environment is established that benefits patients, healthcare workers, and visitors. will be Caregiver care is emphasized through bonding and resilience activities to create a better workspace. Caregivers then help ensure that the patient’s needs are met. Patient care through art instruction, music, etc. is the primary focus of the department. Research and teaching are the last areas the program addresses. Experts conduct ongoing research to find out how art affects patients and influences the healing process. The program then provides an opportunity for nursing staff, physicians, and other members of the medical team to learn about the benefits of the arts in health.
COVID-19 has halted the normal functioning of the department, but we have adapted in the best way we can. From customized buttons with staff faces to allow patients to safely see behind their masks, to online mindfulness meditation sessions, the department creatively maintained its mission.
As of 2022, the department has reintroduced services that have changed due to the pandemic, Branch says. Department members are again fully available to provide artistic services to assist in patient care.
Artistic coordinator Alexis Shockley, who was able to visit patients during the pandemic, noticed a difference in her work. increase. She helps select artwork for the building, hosts art lessons for inpatients and outpatients in addition to staff, and helps with cultural celebrations.
When working with patients, Shockley reads their charts to get background information and talk about their concerns. Each case is different and some patients have certain limitations. Shockley works with each patient using a variety of media including clay, watercolour, sewing, acrylic painting, and jewelry making.
Her service took on a different meaning during the pandemic. “I was the only visitor for many, as there had been no visitors for a long time,” she says Shockley. “I found myself going to see patients and they just wanted to talk, so I put a little art aside and was the talker. .”
The traditional medical model is a highly passive process. Our model in art is that we want to be positive.
—Philip Muzi Branch, Director, VCU Health Arts in Healthcare
Whether during a pandemic or now, the benefits of using art to treat patients are clear and often immediate, says Shockley. “Patients I walked into had the lights off and lay there doing nothing,” she says. “By the time it’s over, the curtains are open, the lights are on, and the family is laughing.”
Art experiences not only help create a better environment for the patient by letting go of positivity, but also allow the patient to move freely. “I always say I’m the only one in the room that lets patients choose what they want,” says Shockley. “They have a say in their care and can make choices. Even if you are here, you can create beautiful things.”
The benefits of art go beyond patients, they also help healthcare providers learn how to improve their own work. Creative researcher and VCU Surgery Artist-in-Residence Sterling Hundley uses art to depict medical scenes for educational purposes.
“There was something very special about being able to see the patterns, what was happening, the technology being used,” says Hundley. “Look at the points where things were smooth and where there was friction, and work on using your creativity to come up with some solutions to those problems.”
Sitting in a sketchbook, Hundley observes and records surgeries, trying to understand how to improve patient engagement and the overall interaction between hospital and patient.
“There’s always room for humanity and creativity,” Handley says. “We see doctors, we see practices, they give so much of their time and care.
Semi Liu, Professor of Kinetic Imaging at VCU Arts and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the VCU School of Medicine, who has incorporated art as a form of medicine into his work.
In 2002, Liu came up with the idea of integrating creative ways of expressing himself and weaving it into his work in the medical field. “I was very interested in puppetry and used virtual his puppets for storytelling his performances,” he says. “I have tapped into my personal storytelling, experienced an emotional release, and actually released some kind of oppressive state of myself that was mediated by my virtual body, so it’s really beneficial for people in the community.” .”
Ryu saw the therapeutic effects and healing potential of using avatars and decided to create avatars for patients. By controlling an avatar with their own motions projected onto a large screen, patients can impersonate themselves or create and virtually access different profiles and settings. During her tenure at VCU, she has helped many people using her virtual reality technology.
Palliative care patients, such as cancer patients, use virtual bodies to express their lives and emotions. Avatars provide them with an outlet while also helping to analyze each patient’s feasibility, capabilities and quality of life.
While working with seniors at a senior center, Ryu found that using avatars made it easier and safer to talk about his childhood and traumatic experiences. “This allowed them to open up and tell more personal stories,” Liu says. “It made them cry and brought an emotional release.”
Younger patients, such as children struggling with mental health, are also using avatars to assist in their care. I came.
“When I talk about my negative experiences with my body, I feel overwhelmed,” Liu says. “Opening up is difficult, but the distancing effect is important for participants to be in a safe space. use.
Apart from using avatars, patients can also benefit from other artistic expressions such as music. Melissa Owens, along with her three members of the music therapy team, works with patients referred from her medical and care team. As a board-certified music therapist, Owens is able to assess patients and develop treatment plans that incorporate music to help patients address a variety of concerns.
“We’re unique in that we don’t teach music per se, but use it as a medium to achieve another goal,” says Owens. “Being in a hospital can create a great deal of anxiety and stress. We often need help dealing with the facts. Our goal as music therapists is to help our patients have the best possible experience in any given situation.”
What may look like bedside music is actually a carefully planned healing session. “The goal is not to perform for the patient, but to use live music to effect a positive change in the patient’s emotional or physical state,” he says Owens.
Owens and her teammates are professionals and trained in a variety of instruments used to create different musical moods. Manipulate music quality such as tempo and volume based on patient response. A patient’s potential negative association with singing is also considered to avoid harm.
Music, like many other arts, is healing when used correctly. “This can be used to help patients manage their emotions, increase their stress tolerance, relax and focus in the moment during surgery,” he says.
The stressful environment found in hospitals affects both patients and healthcare providers. While experiencing different types of stress, medical staff can benefit from art in the same way patients do.
Elizabeth Byland, Professor of Improvisation at VCU Arts and Director of Applied Health Improvisation, uses improvisation classes to help medical professionals develop better communication skills. This development will allow healthcare providers to improve communication with their team members and patients.
“Healthcare is centered around relationships between people,” Byland says. “It’s an ever-evolving industry, so maintaining a strong foundation of relationships is very important. As we evolve, that connection can get a little confusing.”
Byland says relationships are damaged when communication is lost. This is what she has witnessed a lot during her pandemic.
“Improvisation is about practicing listening. Being with other people, listening to what they just said and being influenced by what they said,” Byland says.
Byland helps medical students and current health professionals practice the critical skills they need to effectively deliver healthcare to their patients.
Whether it’s theater, music, kinetic imaging, or art, the various members of VCU Health can greatly benefit from bringing the arts into medicine. The department hopes to continue expanding and emphasizing artistic approaches to healthcare.
“We do what we can with the resources we have, and that’s very exciting,” says Branch. “When you see the results of patients smiling, you know that art has made a difference in their lives.”
