Social Prescribing Initiative to Launch in Connecticut

Statewide organizations partner to bring novel arts-based health treatment to patients

HARTFORD, CT, UNITED STATES, February 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Art Pharmacy, a healthcare services company, and Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), in partnership with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) are proud to announce the development of a social prescribing ecosystem in Connecticut. This statewide program will enable healthcare organizations and higher education institutions to prescribe arts and culture participation for individuals with a range of health concerns.

“In the face of the dual mental health and loneliness crises, arts-based social prescribing provides an accessible, effective and enjoyable intervention for the growing number of individuals in need of treatment,” Art Pharmacy CEO Chris Appleton said. “We are excited to bring social prescribing to the state and further develop the ecosystem for broader access and implementation.”

“I am so thrilled to welcome Art Pharmacy to Connecticut! When we launched the Social Connection Campaign to combat loneliness and social isolation in Connecticut, initiatives like this are exactly what we had in mind. This is a comprehensive and holistic approach that not only helps to improve the mental and physical well-being of our residents but promotes our sometimes-underappreciated arts and cultural organizations,” said Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz. “I look forward to the official rollout and thank DECD and NHSO for all their work on this partnership.”

“Building a social prescribing ecosystem in Connecticut will enable a much-needed care model in our state while creating new revenue opportunities for the state’s arts and culture organizations for the health benefits they are already providing, ” said DECD’s Director of Arts, Preservation and Museums Elizabeth Shapiro.

Social prescribing is the practice of referring individuals to community-based resources, such as arts and culture engagements. These models offer a “whole-person health approach,” as defined by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, that have been proven to improve mental health and reduce loneliness, as seen in a recent study by the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics. Further, decades of scientific research have established the connection between arts engagement and positive health outcomes, including reduced depression and anxiety and increased social connection as illustrated by Researcher and Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology Dr. Daisy Fancourt’s results from more than 3,000 studies. Arts-based social prescribing is an effective, evidence-based way to support patients with mental health needs, reduce social isolation and loneliness and promote adherence to co-morbid treatment plans both shown in analysis from A Healthier Canada Analysis and the University of Gloucestershire.

“The link between creative expression and mental wellbeing is undeniable. By integrating arts-based social prescribing into care strategies, individuals can access a new pathway to healing – one that reduces isolation, encourages self-expression, and fosters a sense of belonging,” said Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Commissioner Nancy Navarretta. “This initiative reflects our commitment to embracing diverse, evidence-based approaches to behavioral health support.”

Developing a social prescribing ecosystem in Connecticut involves three main components:
Art Pharmacy will establish relationships with the state's arts and culture organizations, e.g., community theaters, local ceramics studios and established institutions, like the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
Art Pharmacy will develop partnerships with forward thinking organizations whose constituents would directly benefit from arts prescriptions, e.g., higher education, K-12, healthcare and corporations.
Art Pharmacy will leverage its smart-matching technology and care navigation services to enable personalized arts and culture prescriptions.

“We know the arts have healing powers, so bringing Art Pharmacy’s social prescribing model to Connecticut empowers arts organizations, big and small, to amplify the work they are doing to provide therapeutic benefits to their communities,” NHSO CEO Elaine C. Carroll said.

“We are excited to see the collaboration between Art Pharmacy, the DECD, and the NHSO to bring this innovative initiative to Connecticut,” said Deb Bibbins, CEO of For All Ages, the convening organization of the Connecticut Collaborative to End Loneliness. “This program will provide residents in need of social connection with opportunities to engage with the arts and interact with others in meaningful ways, helping to reduce loneliness and promote stronger, healthier communities across our state.”

Art Pharmacy’s solution uniquely combines decades of research in the field of arts and health with the well-developed care model of social prescribing to address some of the nation’s most challenging health problems. Art Pharmacy’s social prescribing model is currently implemented in Georgia, Massachusetts and California.

As this program develops, Art Pharmacy, CDEC and the NHSO will work together to combat the growing mental health and loneliness epidemics with Connecticut’s own social prescribing ecosystem. Art Pharmacy is actively engaging with local and regional stakeholders in the arts, healthcare, higher education, corporations and K-12 and will enable social prescriptions throughout Connecticut in 2025.

To learn more about Art Pharmacy or get involved in the effort to build Connecticut’s social prescribing ecosystem, reach out to Art Pharmacy at hello@artphamacy.co or visit www.artpharmacy.co.

Amy Parrish
Rhythm Communications
+1 404-310-6559
aparrish@rhythmcommunications.com
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Instagram