November is Arts + Health Month



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Arts and health is a diverse, multidisciplinary field dedicated to transforming health and healing by connecting people with the arts at key moments in their lives. This field integrates literary, performing, and visual arts and design into a variety of healthcare and community settings for therapeutic, educational, and expressive purposes.

The field of arts and health has five areas of focus:

1. Patient care - the integration of the arts into the patient experience has a positive impact on health outcomes.

2. Healing environments - the arts create safer, supportive, and more functional environments in health facilities and community centers.

3. Caring for caregivers - arts programming for caregivers creates a more normative environment within which care can be provided.

4. Community well-being - arts and health benefit communities by engaging people in programs aimed at prevention and wellness activities and sharing information to improve health literacy.

5. Education - medical and nursing schools in a number of countries see the value of integrating arts courses to help students develop observation, diagnostic, communication, empathetic, and other essential skills.

The following FSU academic departments and resources are directly related to the field of arts and health: 

• Department of English
• Department of Nursing
• Department of Performing and Fine Arts
• Department of Psychology
• Department of Social Work

Check out our list of books, databaes, and articles that are related to Arts and Health Month.

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