Florida: Arts in Medicine in the Panhandle

The Florida Division of Cultural Affairs (FDCA), in collaboration with the Shands Arts in Medicine Program (AIM) and the George E. Weems Memorial Hospital, recently announced the Apalachicola Arts in Medicine Program as part of the AIM in the Panhandle project. This initiative will foster collaborations between artists and health providers in Florida’s panhandle region, and will demonstrate the power of the arts in health and wellness, one of four central goals of the FDCA’s Culture Builds Florida’s Future plan. The project, which has received tremendous community support, intends to become a model for the implementation of arts in health care programming in rural hospitals. The Shands Arts in Medicine Program, which began in 1990 with $5,000 in seed funding from the FDCA and a grant from the Children’s Miracle Network, has grown into a national and international model. To learn more, contact FDCA Arts Administrator Laura Stone.