Social prescription in the US: A pilot evaluation of Mass Cultural Council's “CultureRx”
IntroductionAs the field of public health strives to address the impacts of social determinants of health, it has seen increasing interest in community-referral practices that expand health care beyond clinical spaces. However, community arts and culture organizations are rarely included in these pr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016136/full |
| _version_ | 1797948177140154368 |
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| author | Tasha L. Golden Tasha L. Golden Alyson Maier Lokuta Alyson Maier Lokuta Aanchal Mohanty Alyssa Tiedemann T. W. Cherry Ng Maanasa Mendu Nicole Morgan Maria Nagae Kuge Tessa Brinza |
| author_facet | Tasha L. Golden Tasha L. Golden Alyson Maier Lokuta Alyson Maier Lokuta Aanchal Mohanty Alyssa Tiedemann T. W. Cherry Ng Maanasa Mendu Nicole Morgan Maria Nagae Kuge Tessa Brinza |
| author_sort | Tasha L. Golden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionAs the field of public health strives to address the impacts of social determinants of health, it has seen increasing interest in community-referral practices that expand health care beyond clinical spaces. However, community arts and culture organizations are rarely included in these practices, despite accumulating evidence of associated health benefits. In addition, such inclusion has not been formally studied. In response, this article offers an evaluation of “CultureRx” in Massachusetts (MA): the first US model of arts on prescription. The program is a partnership between 20 healthcare providers and 12 cultural organizations, in which providers can offer “prescriptions” to cultural experiences to support patients' health.MethodsEvaluation was undertaken to illuminate participant experiences, program successes and barriers, and recommendations for further development. The cultural organizations collected participant data (n = 84) and completed surveys about their own experiences (n = 12). Authors conducted semi-structured focus groups and interviews with healthcare providers (n = 33). Data analysis was customized for each dataset.ResultsFindings indicate that participants enjoyed and hoped to repeat their prescribed experiences, which they saw as beneficial to wellbeing. Providers identified the program as a new and critical addition to their toolkits; they also indicated it had a positive effect on their own wellbeing. Cultural organizations reported varied challenges, learnings, and recommendations.ConclusionThe CultureRx pilot suggests that integrating arts/culture assets into health and social care approaches can enrich and improve traditional US models of community referral. By including arts/culture resources when addressing social determinants of health, communities will be better positioned to equitably and holistically advance health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:40:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60527d5d78804b44a6c514b87f4e9ab2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:40:17Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-60527d5d78804b44a6c514b87f4e9ab22023-01-19T05:53:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-01-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.10161361016136Social prescription in the US: A pilot evaluation of Mass Cultural Council's “CultureRx”Tasha L. Golden0Tasha L. Golden1Alyson Maier Lokuta2Alyson Maier Lokuta3Aanchal Mohanty4Alyssa Tiedemann5T. W. Cherry Ng6Maanasa Mendu7Nicole Morgan8Maria Nagae Kuge9Tessa Brinza10International Arts and Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United StatesCenter for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesCenter for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesNew Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ, United StatesInternational Arts and Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United StatesInternational Arts and Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United StatesInternational Arts and Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United StatesHarvard College, Cambridge, MA, United StatesCenter for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesCenter for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesCenter for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesIntroductionAs the field of public health strives to address the impacts of social determinants of health, it has seen increasing interest in community-referral practices that expand health care beyond clinical spaces. However, community arts and culture organizations are rarely included in these practices, despite accumulating evidence of associated health benefits. In addition, such inclusion has not been formally studied. In response, this article offers an evaluation of “CultureRx” in Massachusetts (MA): the first US model of arts on prescription. The program is a partnership between 20 healthcare providers and 12 cultural organizations, in which providers can offer “prescriptions” to cultural experiences to support patients' health.MethodsEvaluation was undertaken to illuminate participant experiences, program successes and barriers, and recommendations for further development. The cultural organizations collected participant data (n = 84) and completed surveys about their own experiences (n = 12). Authors conducted semi-structured focus groups and interviews with healthcare providers (n = 33). Data analysis was customized for each dataset.ResultsFindings indicate that participants enjoyed and hoped to repeat their prescribed experiences, which they saw as beneficial to wellbeing. Providers identified the program as a new and critical addition to their toolkits; they also indicated it had a positive effect on their own wellbeing. Cultural organizations reported varied challenges, learnings, and recommendations.ConclusionThe CultureRx pilot suggests that integrating arts/culture assets into health and social care approaches can enrich and improve traditional US models of community referral. By including arts/culture resources when addressing social determinants of health, communities will be better positioned to equitably and holistically advance health.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016136/fullsocial prescriptionarts and healthcommunity referralswellbeingsocial determinantssocial care |
| spellingShingle | Tasha L. Golden Tasha L. Golden Alyson Maier Lokuta Alyson Maier Lokuta Aanchal Mohanty Alyssa Tiedemann T. W. Cherry Ng Maanasa Mendu Nicole Morgan Maria Nagae Kuge Tessa Brinza Social prescription in the US: A pilot evaluation of Mass Cultural Council's “CultureRx” Frontiers in Public Health social prescription arts and health community referrals wellbeing social determinants social care |
| title | Social prescription in the US: A pilot evaluation of Mass Cultural Council's “CultureRx” |
| title_full | Social prescription in the US: A pilot evaluation of Mass Cultural Council's “CultureRx” |
| title_fullStr | Social prescription in the US: A pilot evaluation of Mass Cultural Council's “CultureRx” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social prescription in the US: A pilot evaluation of Mass Cultural Council's “CultureRx” |
| title_short | Social prescription in the US: A pilot evaluation of Mass Cultural Council's “CultureRx” |
| title_sort | social prescription in the us a pilot evaluation of mass cultural council s culturerx |
| topic | social prescription arts and health community referrals wellbeing social determinants social care |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016136/full |
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