April 26, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Healing Through Art Program Provides Distraction from Pain, Anxiety and Hospital Routine

John Delgado rated his pain at 9 on a scale from zero to 10 – even when he was taking medication to reduce its severity. Then, with encouragement from nurses and volunteers at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, he picked up a paint brush and focused on recreating the image before him. To his surprise, he realized he was experiencing less pain.

“When I’m painting, my mind is set on what I’m doing, and not my pain level,” said the Culver City resident, who has been a hospital patient several times during this past year.

That’s exactly the response registered nurse Heather Dodge hoped for when she started bringing art supplies to her medical-surgical unit last year – a unit where patients spend days, weeks or sometimes months.

“As an artist and a nurse, I saw a huge opportunity to help keep patients occupied with art rather than focusing solely on their pain and illness, said Dodge, who earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2012, after receiving her bachelor’s degree in fine art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2002. She actually began as a hospital volunteer in 2010 before becoming a certified nursing assistant and later an RN.

These experiences led her to combine her loves of art and nursing by exploring a new approach to help patients deal with pain, stress and isolation while hospitalized. As she began visualizing this new approach to healing, she wondered how to attract dedicated volunteers like herself to help with the program.

“My challenge was to create a meaningful experience that would help distract patients from their illness and pain by offering them an outlet for creativity while keeping volunteers actively engaged in the program,” she said.

The answer was to provide art supplies and inspiration to patients and volunteers, allowing them to work together to create paintings or other projects. The outreach was an immediate success, with patients like Delgado and others welcoming an opportunity to express themselves through art while interacting with volunteers.

As artwork was completed, Dodge asked patients if they would like to keep the painting or donate it to the “Healing Through Art” program. If patients opted to donate the piece, Dodge would frame and gift it to another patient on the unit during the holiday season.

“In this way, each piece of artwork has the potential to touch yet another life,” Dodge said. To date, about 64 works of art have been gifted for other patients during Hanukkah and Christmas.

Currently, the program is evolving to include additional types of art, and may soon expand to other units at the medical center. While Dodge has funded the fledgling effort with personal funds, she hopes to receive support through a grant and have the program become part of the hospital’s Volunteer Program.

Dodge thinks similar programs are a rarity in hospitals nationwide. Although many hospitals have child-life specialists who do art projects and provide play therapy to help pediatric patients deal with the uncertainty and monotony of hospital stays, few have equivalent art programs for adult patients.

“The same anxieties and fears common to hospitalized children are still very relevant in our adult population, and helping patients discover their ‘voice in color’ provides a fundamental vehicle for self-expression” she said.

“I truly believe this personal interaction while creating art can play an important role in helping someone heal faster, manage stress and have a better overall hospital experience,” she continued.

Delgado agrees, and is glad he had a chance to participate in the program. “Lying there in pain, I was kind of desperate, so I started painting,” he explained, “and sure enough I stopped thinking about my pain, and started realizing it wasn’t that bad. The program really helped me.”

For more information about the program or to donate art supplies, please contact Heather Dodge athdodge@mednet.ucla.edu.

Culver City resident, John Delgado (far left), is pictured with Heather Dodge, RN, founder of the medical center’s Healing Through Art program, and volunteer Vignesh Balasundaram.
<>Related Posts

CHP Arrests Man Accused of Stealing $5K of Copper on PCH

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of grand theft and was booked at the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station A 22-year-old...

Topanga Beach Bus Resumes Service Between West Valley and Santa Monica

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

The route now operates once daily in each direction and is being escorted by Caltrans The Topanga Beach Bus resumed...

(Video) The Willows: 30 Years Going Strong

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

Founded in 1994, The Willows Community School, located in Culver City, California, is a Developmental Kindergarten through 8th grade non-profit, co-educational...

ASTEME Camps Explore Science, Technology, Math and Engineering

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

Many teachers and parents hear this question daily when it comes to schooling: “When am I ever going to use...

Q&A: No Age Limit on Home Care Management & Home Safety, Tips from a Care Manager

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

In-home safety issues that go unnoticed — cracked sidewalks, broken railings or uneven flooring for example — are often the root...

Film Review: Sinners

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

FILM REVIEWSINNERSRated R137 MinutesReleased April 18th   This is one big Blues/Jazz/Vampire/Disco Dance Party. Wow! Sinners will pick you up and...

SMC to Host Free Children’s Concert in May

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

The event will feature collaborative performances with local artists, including a Taiko drumming group from Culver City’s El Marino Language...

LAX/Metro Station is One Step Closer to Transforming the Airport Commute

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

New Multi-Modal Metro Station Connects Angelenos to the Airport Metro Board Chair and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced...

THIS WEEKEND: Art and Music Festival Takes Over Third Street Promenade

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

Admission is free and open to the public The Third Street Promenade will transform into a lively celebration of creativity...

Tony P’s Dockside Grill to Close After 28 Years in Marina del Rey

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

In a farewell letter to patrons, owners wrote, “We hope these final weeks are a celebration of all we have...

Four Proposals Compete for SMC Station’s Affordable Housing Future

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

The site sits in the Pico Neighborhood, where 83% of trips are by car and nearly half of residents struggle...

(Video) Matú Kai Brentwood: The full experience

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Sister restaurant to Matú in Beverly Hills, located at 11777 San Vicente Blvd. Sister restaurant to Matú in Beverly Hills,...

Uncle Stevey’s Bagels Wins Westside Hearts with Next-Level Bagels, Premium Sandwiches, and Local Coffee

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Family-Run Shop Serves Delicious and Thoughtfully Curated Bagels With Love By Dolores Quintana A little more than a year since...

Santa Monica’s Socalo Toasts Pali Wine Co. with a Five-Course Culinary Celebration

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Enjoy Celebrated Central Coast Wines, Including a 100-Point Red Blend Socalo, the acclaimed Mexican restaurant from celebrity chefs Mary Sue...

Fogo de Chão Hosts Wine Lover’s Dream Night with Chilean Winery VIK

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Diners Will Enjoy a Chef-Curated South American Menu, Highly Rated Wines Wine lovers and culinary connoisseurs are invited to gather...