On March 31, 2015, the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine will host Creating Change: Arts for Rural Health Roundtable on the 22nd floor of the Capitol Building Tallahassee, Florida. This roundtable discussion will examine the use of the arts as a tool for addressing critical health challenges and expanding health solutions for rural communities. There will be a focus on creative strategies for using the arts as a way of enhancing individual and community health in rural communities. The discussion will also highlight three successful programs in Florida, and provide an open forum for discussion about how the arts can create solutions to the challenges that face rural populations.
This conversation is spurred by the success of the Arts in Healthcare for Rural Communities initiative, which began in 2008 through support from the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA), the Kresge Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The project developed highly innovative and impactful partnerships between health and arts organizations in rural communities throughout the state, and has led to a collaboration between partners at the University of Florida, including the Arts in Medicine Programs at UF, the UF Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), and Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities, along with Franklin’s Promise in Franklin County and the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, to promote use of the arts for addressing health and economic disparities in Florida.
Moderated by Captain Moira McGuire, assistant chief of Integrated Health and Wellness at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the roundtable will identify key issues and present ideas for developing sustainable collaborations that can effectively address critical needs, utilize resources and engage a wide array of stakeholders. This event will generate a critical cross-disciplinary conversation about rural health disparities and develop plans for bringing Florida’s leadership in using the arts to promote health into the national discussion surrounding rural health disparities.
