Imagine visiting a doctor and getting a prescription for tickets to a play.
That鈥檚 the idea behind 鈥渟ocial prescribing,鈥� a movement to connect people with arts and culture programs to boost health outcomes.
鈥淲e partner with your local theaters, museums, dance studios, community art centers,鈥� said Chris Appleton, founder and CEO of Art Pharmacy, an Atlanta-based health care services company that is expanding into 黑料吃瓜网.
Doctors call their social prescription into Art Pharmacy, and the group will connect patients with programs at no cost, Appleton said.
鈥淭he programs that those partners offer are sort of like the medicine that are on the shelf at the pharmacy,鈥� Appleton said. 鈥淎nd we provide the patient access to participate in those programs.鈥�
The company is partnering with the Department of Economic and Community Development and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
Connected patients are offered a list of options 鈥� a guided tour of botanical gardens, a community theatre performance, a pottery class and more.
A holistic approach
Social prescribing is a way for to address loneliness and mental health disorders.
A large part of Art Pharmacy鈥檚 business is derived from managed care health plans offering Medicaid and Medicare that cover the cost of 鈥�12 doses of arts and culture,鈥� the standard care plan that doctors prescribe, Appleton said.
鈥淥ne way to think about who pays for social prescribing or arts prescription in the United States is kind of like who pays for more traditional forms of care?鈥� Appleton said. 鈥淪o we work with managed care health plans, risk-based provider groups, [and] higher education institutions that are trying to address student mental health.鈥�
黑料吃瓜网 Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said the new program builds off prior work by the state .
鈥淭his is a comprehensive and holistic approach that not only helps to improve the mental and physical well-being of our residents but promotes our sometimes-underappreciated arts and cultural organizations,鈥� Bysiewicz said.
Creative expression and mental well-being are linked, said Nancy Navarretta, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
鈥淏y integrating arts-based social prescribing into care strategies, individuals can access a new pathway to healing 鈥� one that reduces isolation, encourages self-expression, and fosters a sense of belonging,鈥� Navarretta said.
Social prescribing models offer a , according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Social prescribing can also improve mental health and reduce loneliness, according to a 2023 study published in the by researchers at the University of California and Johns Hopkins University.
Data from and the also supports social prescribing to address social isolation and loneliness.
Art Pharmacy is available in Georgia, California and Massachusetts, and is now rolling out in 黑料吃瓜网 and New York City.
