The ability to comfort, console, and sustain is one of the most enduring qualities of the arts. Increasingly these qualities are being put to use in hospitals, hospices, and other health centers in the United States. This Monograph reports on the first-ever survey of arts programs in U.S. hospitals conducted in partnership with the Society for Arts in Healthcare and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The publication includes survey findings, profiles of innovative programs, and a discussion of critical issues facing arts and healing practitioners.

Americans for the Arts’ Monograph series featured in-depth issue papers on topics that were of the greatest interest to our members and arts professionals at the time. They often still serve as excellent resources for best practices and historic reference for today’s issues. Monographs were produced from 1993–2010. Monographs from 2001-2010 are available for downloadable in PDF format our online store at a nominal fee for nonmembers but free to members. All monographs from 1993-2000 are available for free download via the National Arts Administration and Policy Publications Database.

This Monograph reports on the first-ever survey of arts programs in U.S. hospitals conducted in partnership with the Society for Arts in Healthcare and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.