“Our ability to collaborate with organizations and members of the community depends on the strength of our partnerships,” said Kathy Ramsberger, CEO and president of the Dr. Phillips Center. “Together, Dr. Phillips Center and Florida Hospital will create access to and incorporation of the arts across educational, social and institutional settings.”
The combination of arts and health make up a diverse, multidisciplinary field that transforms health and wellness by connecting people with the arts throughout key moments and milestones in their lives. The Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of Arts & Wellness will integrate literary, visual, dance/movement, music, and performing arts at the school itself as well as into a variety of healthcare and community settings for therapeutic, educational, and expressive purposes.
“This innovative school and research center has the potential to change the way we care for our aging population, treat anxiety disorders and a wide variety of other ailments, not just in Central Florida, but around the globe,” said Brian Paradis, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Florida Hospital.
“With this partnership, the school will allow researchers, clinicians and others to learn how the arts can be used to improve physical, mental and emotional health. It is our hope that the Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of Arts & Wellness will foster creativity in healing and become a world-class model for innovative health care.”
As part of the partnership, an Arts and Wellness Advisory Council comprised of five national and community leaders will be formed. Members include the CEO and President of the Dr. Phillips Center, a Florida Hospital representative, Margery Pabst-Steinmetz, a healthcare clinical specialist with arts and wellness expertise appointed by Florida Hospital, and a nationally recognized arts educator, administrator or philanthropist selected by Florida Hospital and the Dr. Phillips Center. In the first year the Council will develop a Strategic Plan that defines the programming for the arts center’s educational arts and wellness initiatives.
The goals of the School of Arts & Wellness include:
- To explore, integrate, and foster the ability of expressive, performing arts to further health, well-being, and quality of care for individuals, families and caregivers.
- To empower individuals, communities, and vulnerable populations with challenging conditions such as autism, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, trauma, chronic illness, mental health, anxiety disorders, age-related conditions, and other conditions, through direct and innovative performing arts-based programs and curriculum.
- To realize the potential of performing and expressive arts to further social change and public health.