Arts and Humanities Director Delivers Keynote at Arts Care Conference

Nancy Morgan, the director of the Arts and Humanities Program at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, recently delivered the keynote address at the Arts Care International Arts in Health Conference titled “Sustainable Creativity in Healthcare.”

The conference, held in Belfast, convened leading experts in the field of arts in health, including Morgan, who brought the arts to the patients and staff of Georgetown Lombardi.

“Arts in health care, in the US, are newly established compared to Northern Ireland,” says Morgan.

Arts Care is an organization based in Ireland that facilitates workshops and performances for patients, clients, residents and staff in health and social care settings. The organization, like Georgetown Lombardi, emphasizes the benefits of creativity to the wellbeing of patients.

In her speech, Morgan described her first trip to Ireland, “I saw hospitals rich with art, spoke with artists who were employed, not for a day or two, but as an integral part of the healthcare team . . . This, I decided then and there, would be my own calling.”

“Art programs at Georgetown Lombardi and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital enhance morale, generate team spirit, and improve physical and emotional wellbeing. The arts contribute significantly to achieving key hospital objectives: patient health, wellbeing and satisfaction, staff retention, reduced medical error, cost savings and a competitive edge. The arts and artists are essential to the optimum functioning of all healthcare facilities,” she said.

By: Alaina Farrish
Georgetown Lombardi Communications, July 2012