We don’t usually associate artwork with
a hospital visit. Yet study after study finds that art in hospitals
benefits patients in many ways: reducing stress levels, decreasing
fear and isolation, reducing the need for medications and
pain-killers and even shortening hospital stays. In
2000, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation launched a program to bring
visual art into our hospitals. Today, more than 100 pieces by
notable artists grace the walls of our hospitals, all donated by
local artists and collectors.
“We are grateful to our donors for their
contributions to this innovative program,” says Dr. Bev
Spring, a physician with the Palliative Care Unit at VGH.
“Art helps to create an atmosphere aesthetically and
attitudinally where emotional and physical healing can happen. This
is important for the heart and soul of the hospital –
and the hearts and souls of those who find themselves on the giving
or receiving end of care here: patients, their families and staff
alike.”
The Art Committee is currently working to enhance the program.
For more information, please contact
Jim O’Hara at 604.875.5100 or
[email protected].
