Jamaica Hospital Medical Center -- Department of Public Affairs -- 8900 Van Wyck Expressway Jamaica, New York 11418
For Immediate Release
Name: Xavia Malcolm
Telephone: 718-206-6746
Email: xmalcolm@jhmc.org
The Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care Hosts Art Exhibit in Observance of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
Nov 01,2018
On November 14th, Jamaica Hospital’s Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care will host an art exhibit in observation of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.
The theme of the exhibit involves calming landscapes; pieces were created to provide hospice patients and their families with visual escapes to serene gardens, countrysides, beaches, and plains.
There has always been a correlation between art and health care. Art can evoke positive emotions that will help people along their healing process. It can also serve as a respite for those going through a difficult period toward the end of life.
Hospice care is a specialized kind of care provided to those who are facing the advanced stages of life-limiting illnesses. This type of care focuses on making patients as comfortable as possible while receiving treatment and support from an integrative health care team. At Jamaica Hospital’s Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care, a high priority is placed on making sure that a person’s last days are spent in comfort and dignity. Many amenities are provided to patients on the unit that promote serenity and allow them to feel more at home.
“Providing our patients and families with a sense of serenity during a difficult time is very important to our staff. The art painted by the students from the Community Learning Center of the Clarkstown School District will help us to create a tranquil space. We are thankful to the students for dedicating their time and donating these beautiful paintings.” said Dr. Alan Roth, Chief of Palliative Care Medicine at Jamaica Hospital.
Over two dozen paintings all created and donated by the amateur artists from the Community Learning Center will be placed throughout the hospital’s hospice unit. The paintings took three to eight weeks to complete by students varying in ages from 18 to 92. All works of art were painted in either oil or acrylic.
“The students come from varying backgrounds in occupation, culture and family settings but all have this bond of commonality in art. What is amazing is that they can use their love of art to help patients in need of comfort at a difficult time, at the end of life,” shared Marion Arbuco, Director of the Community Learning Center of the Clarkstown School District
Jamaica Hospital hopes to draw attention to art and its relationship to hospice care by inviting the public to view the exhibit Calming Landscapes in a gallery-style space. For more information about this event please contact the Public Affairs Department at 718-206-6020.