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Prescribing Connection: Supporting Health Through Community and Creativity · Healthier Together: Larimer County's Public Health Podcast

0:02
Welcome to Healthier Together, Larimer County's
0:04
public health podcast, where we come together
0:05
for healthier lives, connected communities, and
0:07
real conversations. From your local public health
0:10
team, I'm your host, Tom. And I'm Joanna. In
0:12
February, our Community Health Improvement Plan
0:15
team, or CHIP, hosted their annual event for
0:18
partners throughout Larimer County. This year's
0:20
event focused on social prescribing and the power
0:23
it has to address the current CHIP's priorities.
0:26
In a previous episode, we provided an overview
0:28
of social prescribing and how it ties to CHIP.
0:31
If you missed it or would like to re -listen,
0:33
you can find the link to that episode in the
0:35
show notes. Today, Jo Buckley, our Community
0:38
Health Improvement Plan Coordinator, is here
0:40
to dive a bit deeper into the world of social
0:42
prescribing and the work CHIP has been doing.
0:45
Jo, thank you so much for joining us. Yeah, thank
0:47
you for having me. To start, can you just remind
0:50
us what social prescribing is? Absolutely. Social
0:53
prescribing is a newer term being used to talk
0:56
about all the great ways we can support health
0:59
for individuals and for community through those
1:02
social connections we have, whether that's a
1:05
physical connection like playing tennis together
1:07
or the arts like seeing a theater production
1:10
together. Today, we're talking specifically about
1:13
the connection between social prescribing and
1:15
community arts. Can you explain what you mean
1:18
when you say community arts? So the beauty of
1:21
community arts and what is so true in so much
1:24
research about social prescribing is that the
1:26
arts are all the more powerful for our overall
1:29
well -being and our health long term if we do
1:32
them in a community setting or in a social engagement.
1:35
So that can look like taking knitting from your
1:39
own house to a knitting club on a Wednesday night.
1:42
Or something like dancing in your living room
1:44
being a community art instead by doing a broad
1:48
dance performance in the summertime. What are
1:50
some examples of local organizations that participate
1:53
in community arts? There are so many. You could
1:56
probably think about lots of activities that
1:58
kids engage in, especially this time of year
2:01
in the summer. Theater programs, dance troupes,
2:05
local choirs of all ages, folks that participate
2:09
in mural making. I also love to shout out a few
2:13
organizations we have locally in Lambert County,
2:15
like Sound Effects Music that brings musicians
2:18
into some of our facilities like assisted living
2:22
and memory cares, as well as local theater that
2:24
brings lots of different languages and disability
2:27
access to some of our population in Lambert County.
2:31
How do social prescribing and community arts
2:34
connect and work together? Well, the great thing
2:36
about the arts is there is a ton of research
2:40
on how wonderful it is. Sometimes we take the
2:43
arts for granted and think it's this above and
2:46
beyond thing that we can add into our lives or
2:49
something that could be saved for a special day
2:52
if we get around to it. But really, especially
2:55
with the arts that we are actively participating
2:58
in or arts that bring us into community, so that
3:01
could look like going out for... a concert together
3:05
with friends or making a watercolor group with
3:10
friends in the park. All of those are ways that
3:14
it really builds social cohesion, so how we trust
3:17
and look out for one another, and our own well
3:19
-being. So I'd love to share some data around
3:22
this. There's all sorts of arts broken down,
3:25
but even if you look across art forms, arts can
3:28
really specifically lead to health in ways around
3:32
emotional regulation and enhanced self -efficacy.
3:36
And they found this across age groups. So older
3:39
adults in this longitudinal study who did hobbies
3:42
were 20 % less likely to be depressed than those
3:45
who never did hobbies. Same goes for youth. Those
3:48
who were participating in a bunch of those high
3:51
school clubs and activities that had to do with
3:53
the arts were 28 % at higher odds of reporting
3:57
social support even a year later. So these are
4:00
the types of engagements that make us human,
4:02
build on our creativity, help us explore and
4:05
navigate the world and make connections that
4:07
we otherwise wouldn't. So the arts actually are
4:10
crucial to health, not just an above and beyond
4:12
thing. And that's why I really like our plan
4:14
of leaning on social prescribing as counting
4:17
arts as a crucial part of our health, not something
4:20
that needs to wait until we feel better. What
4:22
would an arts prescription look like from a health
4:25
care provider? What would that process look like
4:27
for a patient? Yeah, so this really varies. Other
4:30
countries like the UK and Australia are a little
4:33
more prescribed or just a little more advanced
4:37
in how they see social prescription. And they've
4:40
integrated it more into their health care system.
4:42
So they usually have link workers that work with
4:45
folks for around six months to promote social
4:48
prescription for that period of time until it
4:50
becomes a habit. And that looks like phone calls
4:53
to check in how it's going, trying different
4:55
things, seeing what's a fit. and working with
4:58
individuals to see how they can link into existing
5:01
community programs. Here in the U .S., we don't
5:04
have that widespread health care support of it
5:06
looking the same across the country or even across
5:09
the county for different individuals. And so
5:11
one way that looks here is just getting the conversation
5:15
started. So if you're a provider, a great thing
5:18
you can do is talk with folks even in the waiting
5:22
room or when they're in their office visit. about
5:24
what health and engagement and social connection
5:27
looks like for them, and know that you have arts
5:30
in your back pocket as a great thing to recommend
5:32
and support. When that comes from a provider,
5:35
it adds validity to it, and it adds this sense
5:39
of care for ourselves, that we know this is part
5:43
of our health plan. rather than only seeing it
5:46
as entertainment. But it should be fun too. So
5:49
what we recommend and what some programs do locally,
5:52
including those out of CSU and other institutions,
5:55
is trying something that really fits you and
5:58
your interest. That might be crafting. It might
6:02
be a metal concert, right? Each person is going
6:05
to be really different. But I really recommend
6:07
taking a friend and getting yourself there and
6:10
having that accountability of a place you need
6:12
to show up to. So that it really is something
6:16
that you make happen. And then try it out for
6:19
six months. So maybe if you go once a month,
6:21
you could try the same thing six times. It usually
6:24
takes that long to feel comfortable with it.
6:26
But that's the way to make the prescription actually
6:28
stick and be a little more effective than only
6:31
trying things once or skipping around a ton without
6:34
finding something that really speaks to you.
6:36
So you already spoke briefly about the impacts
6:38
on mental health. Can you? go into a little bit
6:40
more detail about some of the physical health
6:42
outcomes that people might see from participation
6:44
in community arts? Absolutely. So this is really
6:47
great to think because, of course, some of the
6:50
arts are very physical. Like dancing is a great
6:54
way to use art and physicality in a real paired
6:58
way that supports health. But there's also lots
7:01
of ways that support and engage our physical
7:04
bodies that we don't always think about. So there's
7:07
a wonderful study of choir and singing and how
7:11
great that is, especially for folks who may not
7:13
have the mobility to do other types of cardio.
7:16
It is great for heart and lung health. And they've
7:19
actually done studies that specifically for women's
7:22
heart health, singing can be a really great fit.
7:24
So there's some that you don't always think about,
7:27
but this can look really varied depending on
7:30
the individual, what their physical goals are
7:32
or capacities. And so for me, I know that. I
7:36
love making art with my grandma and she is this
7:39
wonderful quilter. And when I'm with her, I am
7:42
up and down and off the floor and going across
7:45
the room and folding these big quilts. And it
7:47
becomes something really physical because we're
7:48
in creation together. So there's not a one size
7:51
fits all here, but just the stress reduction
7:54
alone and the social benefits are really going
7:57
to support overall well -being. So who would
8:00
you say benefits the most from that kind of intervention?
8:03
I would say folks that really can benefit the
8:05
most from arts and health are those who would
8:07
otherwise be most socially isolated. That is
8:10
so many of us in the county, and we really see
8:14
this along older adults and youth specifically,
8:17
folks that might not be in the workforce. But
8:20
really, it depends on the individual, and we
8:22
see numbers rising for social isolation. Those
8:25
tend to coincide with other negative health impacts
8:28
that are related to physical isolation, or sedentary
8:32
lifestyles. And so the great piece about including
8:37
arts for physical health here is that we're also
8:41
building social cohesion that lends itself to
8:43
other ties. For example, if I joined a Wednesday
8:49
night salsa crew, And started dancing every Wednesday
8:52
night. And I was getting those benefits. I'm
8:55
also meeting people that are different ages,
8:57
generations from me, live in different parts
8:59
of town. From my experience there, I know that
9:02
there's multiple languages spoken in that space.
9:05
And I have more of that team and network to rely
9:08
on. So that's why it can come back to the social
9:11
isolation piece. The physical activity piece
9:14
is wonderful. But the arts can really elevate
9:18
that to... This level of social cohesion where
9:21
we trust each other, we can lean on each other,
9:23
and we're building a space of inclusivity that
9:26
shifts the whole lens of our life. Instead of,
9:28
I have to take care of myself and I'm on my own
9:31
here, to what a beautiful community we live in
9:34
and there's so much connection to be had. Are
9:37
there other kinds of activities that have like
9:39
a disproportionately larger impact than others?
9:41
A lot of the studies do focus in on one type
9:44
of art to control for what that activity can
9:47
benefit for folks. The thing I will say is that
9:51
is across the board in the research is that there's
9:54
a couple common factors that make an art activity
9:58
a little more beneficial to our health. One of
10:01
those is co -creation. So wonderful to go see
10:05
a concert. Even better if you yourself pick up
10:08
an instrument and participate. Another one is
10:11
culture sharing. So this could be like making
10:14
art or food, music or dance from a culture that
10:18
you relate and identify with and can share with
10:20
others who share in that culture. And then another
10:23
is the inclusivity piece, but it's done in community.
10:27
So all of those pieces are really what's key
10:30
to art more than the exact activity being done.
10:33
So what barriers would you say exist in implementing
10:36
community arts prescriptions or referrals in
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Larimer County? That is a great point because
10:40
there are barriers and it's really, there's not
10:43
equal access to the arts and to health and wellness
10:46
across our county. And that's something we're
10:49
really working on and aware of here at the health
10:51
department. So I would say that transportation
10:55
can be a really big barrier. To this, there's
10:58
some options for... virtual ways to participate
11:01
or ways to even localize and support art that
11:04
you do have access to, inviting people over or
11:07
working within your own neighborhood. Beyond
11:09
that, time and resources can affect who gets
11:12
to go to art. So for example, not everyone can
11:15
afford going to a big theater production that's
11:19
coming through town. However, I would really
11:21
recommend there's a lot of great free art engagements
11:25
and folks and organizations that work really
11:27
hard to create access, and invite everyone into
11:30
art spaces. Another good way to find those is
11:33
some of those summertime events that happen.
11:36
So if there's a festival, a tabling event, or
11:41
a cultural event that happens through the year,
11:43
those are great ways to tap into free and accessible
11:46
art engagement. I would also add even sites like
11:50
Meetup or Reddit have really good examples of
11:53
places around you that can get you connected
11:56
and engaging with arts. It's not to say, though,
11:59
that it doesn't come with barriers. So if there's
12:03
something of an access barrier or you're interested
12:05
in this or you'd like to know more, you're always
12:08
welcome to reach out to me at the health department.
12:10
And we'd love to hear you connecting with your
12:13
provider and looking around what else might be
12:15
a possible creation, because you yourself creating
12:19
something might open up a possibility for others
12:21
as well. How we like to look at things at the
12:24
Lamar County Department of Health and Environment.
12:26
is from an upstream and preventative lens whenever
12:29
possible. So while I would love to see insurance
12:32
coverage and I would love to see things like
12:34
transportation, free tickets, these things that
12:38
we can do on a local level to look out for one
12:42
another, ultimately, I think it really comes
12:45
to policy and how we support the overall structure
12:48
of the environments and communities that we live
12:52
in. So for example, Funding the arts and making
12:55
them free and accessible, both on municipal,
12:58
state, and federal levels, can really make a
13:01
difference. And other countries, again, have
13:03
been leading the way in this effort. Not to say
13:05
there aren't great examples of how we already
13:07
do that and can expand it. In addition, it's
13:11
some of these other pieces that create the structures
13:14
of our lives, like needing access to a car or
13:17
having certain types of employment that can sometimes
13:20
limit us from art and engaging with it in natural
13:23
ways. So I would love to see a world where we
13:26
walk to work past a mural, where our coworkers
13:29
are in our afterschool crafting league, and we're
13:32
connecting with each other of these things that
13:34
really make us human. In the meantime, while
13:37
we address those barriers, we can really lean
13:39
on each other for support and invite others to
13:42
come with us to some of these things, knowing
13:44
that even though art can most help folks who
13:47
are most marginalized by isolation. It's really
13:51
that idea of a high tide lifting all boats and
13:53
all of us can benefit and share some of that
13:56
great peace, connection and creativity that we
13:58
build with each other. So do you think this is
14:00
something that could eventually be covered by
14:01
insurance? Yes, there is some exciting movement
14:05
on this. And I mentioned other countries really
14:08
passing us the torch on this because they've
14:11
had such success with social prescribing. The
14:13
first and best example we have is the New Jersey
14:17
Performing Arts. Center has actually collaborated
14:20
with insurance to get some of their offerings
14:23
covered. And so this is great and works really
14:26
well with private insurance and is growing across
14:29
the country. This isn't quite the case yet for
14:32
programs like Medicare or Medicaid. So I am hopeful
14:37
to see it keep growing just because of how much
14:39
data and research we've seen and its benefits.
14:42
How does all of this relate to Larimer County's
14:45
Community Health Improvement Plan? Well, our
14:47
community health improvement plan is really focused
14:50
in this five -year cycle on social connection
14:52
and spaces for social belonging. So we are trying
14:56
to look at some of those upstream factors of
14:58
how people get involved, where they have access.
15:01
And social prescribing has been a key piece this
15:04
year to make sure that our health providers and
15:08
our whole health care network are bought into
15:11
the idea of how powerful social connection is.
15:15
just because it can add that validity to it and
15:17
make us all take social connection and being
15:21
with friends or going to see an art performance
15:23
from something that would be nice to have or
15:26
something that maybe we've even fallen out of
15:28
practice with since the COVID pandemic to a key
15:32
piece of our life that we're interacting with
15:35
every day or at least weekly. What work is CHIP
15:38
currently doing or planning for the future related
15:41
to social prescribing and community arts? Well,
15:44
I'm so excited to share that we have a few upcoming
15:47
projects. So for one, we've been working with
15:51
Community Corrections, which is part of our Department
15:55
of Corrections under the county government, to
15:58
work with people in reentry, their access to
16:01
arts and connection and community. There's been
16:05
some really profound and inspiring stories from
16:08
other states that by getting folks access to
16:11
a concert or a pottery class, whatever it might
16:14
be, and having them bring a plus one or someone
16:17
that they may have lost contact with in their
16:19
life during their incarceration, that integrates
16:22
them really well back into family and has something
16:25
that they can share and something that they can
16:28
offer their support system who's been supporting
16:30
them and has been able to repair some bonds that
16:34
are crucial for people getting jobs and housing
16:37
and some of those other main efforts. So we're
16:41
excited that the piece of art has to play in
16:43
this. And then secondly, we've been collaborating
16:46
with CSU's music therapy program. They do wonderful
16:50
stuff across the community and have lots of great
16:53
work that supports mental health, like kids programs
16:56
to women's drumming circles. But we've been collaborating
17:01
with some of their students who write lullabies
17:03
every semester and our maternal and child health
17:06
program. to connect first -time parents or parents
17:10
who are going through these challenges in their
17:13
life to sort of have support of a personalized
17:15
lullaby written just for them and their baby
17:17
that they co -create that can really help that
17:20
bonding in this postnatal period and reduce some
17:23
postpartum depression. So it's a great way to
17:25
share art with folks who are really in the thick
17:28
of it and may not otherwise be able to make time
17:30
for that, but that can kind of lift the spirits
17:33
enough to keep engaging with some of the other
17:36
great work happening. How are you hoping providers
17:38
and arts organizations get involved here in Larimer
17:41
County? Well, I would love for everyone to sing
17:44
its praises across town. So all of us can do
17:48
a great job first by taking great care of ourselves
17:50
and maybe even challenging ourselves to try something
17:54
new this month or see what else is out there.
17:57
There's always great flyers right at the coffee
17:59
shop or wherever we might be with inspiration
18:01
of events and things going on. And I don't know
18:05
about you all, but we sometimes default to, OK,
18:08
maybe it would be easier to stay in tonight.
18:10
But just like remembering like a workout, like
18:14
eating healthy. These are all great things that
18:16
help us expand what's possible, build new routines
18:19
around taking care of ourselves. And if we're
18:22
doing that, we're going to have more options
18:24
and ideas to share with others in our lives.
18:27
So I would love for all of our health care providers
18:29
and community arts. organizations to just sing
18:33
the praises of how great arts involvement is
18:35
and how great social connection and these opportunities
18:38
are for our health. So if you're looking for
18:41
any more inspiration or want to know more about
18:44
what's out there, what's possible and what you
18:46
can be referring to, I'd love you to reach out
18:48
to me at the county and we could be great in
18:52
partnering together of exploring what's going
18:55
to be right. for you and for your clients. So
18:57
Joe, on that note, if there are providers or
18:59
community organizers that are listening to this
19:01
podcast who would be interested in getting involved,
19:03
where would you recommend that they start? Well,
19:06
this is great because it can be as formal or
19:08
informal as you like. If you are already involved
19:11
with a group of people that go fishing or play
19:14
cards together, that's a great place to just
19:17
recommend what you know. Beyond that, there's
19:20
some great... resources like find help that offer
19:23
connection to specific programming. So this is
19:26
things that are going to be a little bit more
19:28
health centered, like perinatal moms group that
19:32
works on breastfeeding support and plays music
19:35
at the same time. And then in addition, I can't
19:38
recommend enough just resources that we have
19:40
like Reddit or like a bulletin board. that keep
19:44
us informed of what's going on because that's
19:46
going to center us into our local nexus of the
19:48
community that we're going to have access to.
19:51
And that can be enough to just plant the idea
19:55
that art is important and we can all go do it.
19:59
And then that person might find some specialized
20:02
care depending on that. So if someone's interested
20:05
in dance and you as a provider or a community
20:07
arts organization, cheer them on in that and
20:10
root for it and check in on it. they might be
20:13
able to find the dance that is just right for
20:14
them, just because it's one of those things that
20:17
is so personal, how we relate to art. Please
20:20
feel free to reach out to me at jbuckley, J -B
20:23
-U -C -K -L -E -Y, at lemmer .org. Jo, thank
20:26
you so much for joining us today. Thanks for
20:28
having me. Our next guest on the podcast is Mimi
20:33
Ferry Lee, the executive director and co -founder
20:35
of the Dandelion Arts Collective. She's here
20:38
to talk to us today about the impact community
20:40
arts has on public health and more about her
20:42
work with the Dandelion Art Collective. Mimi,
20:45
thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so
20:46
much for having me. I'm really excited to be
20:48
on the podcast to chat more about arts and public
20:50
health. To start, can you tell us a little bit
20:53
about the Dandelion Arts Collective and the work
20:55
that you do? Yes. Dandelion Arts Collective is
20:58
an arts and health nonprofit. We are dedicated
21:01
to increasing health equity and public health
21:04
promotion through performing arts education and
21:06
practices. So we use things like theater, movement,
21:10
music, and other performing arts modalities to
21:13
support health and well -being. We're a 100 %
21:16
mobile program and reach community members across
21:19
the northern Colorado region in places like schools,
21:23
social service centers, community spaces, a lot
21:27
of third community spaces. And we've had the
21:31
opportunity to work with a variety of partners
21:34
and populations from eastern kind of Well County
21:38
all the way up to Larimer County. That's fantastic.
21:41
Can you tell us how it got started? Yes. So my
21:45
co -founder and I are both longtime arts educators
21:48
and performers, respectively, in different arts
21:51
modalities, including theater and dance. So after
21:56
years of performing professionally, we both continue
21:58
to perform professionally. The wheels started
22:00
turning about how we could utilize and help collaborate
22:04
on arts and health interventions. We both really
22:08
think of ourselves as not only educators and
22:11
artists, but also activists. And a big component
22:15
of what we're doing is really trying to consciously
22:17
think about how arts can intentionally contribute
22:21
to community level health and shifting cultures
22:23
of health. So we in 2023 started working together
22:29
and collaborating on building this collective
22:31
because we really knew and believed that there
22:33
were not only other artists that have shared
22:36
values, but other organizations, institutions
22:38
and health practitioners directly wanted to contribute
22:41
to arts as a health intervention. How did you
22:45
guys come up with the name Dandelion Arts Collective?
22:48
So Dandelion Arts Collective, when we were really
22:51
thinking about. our name. I loved the idea of
22:57
it being connected to nature and this idea of
23:00
growth and thriving, but I think dandelions are
23:03
often misunderstood. So I was just reading a
23:06
story about, you know, how dandelions were actually
23:08
brought to the United States as a food source
23:11
and a medicinal source, but they've kind of lost
23:14
that. But for us, you know, throughout history,
23:18
dandelions have been representative of like hope
23:20
and resilience nourishment growth healing but
23:23
they're also a little misunderstood and i think
23:25
that that kind of is an opportunity for us to
23:28
advocate for our contributions as artists and
23:31
creatives to the world that's how we came up
23:33
with the name dandelion arts collective it's
23:35
fascinating we just think they're beautiful one
23:39
of our goals is to like plant those little seeds
23:42
and let them scatter and see how new things grow
23:45
we hope that all of our you know programs and
23:49
partnerships just help pollinate and create that
23:52
little opportunity for a new positive health
23:55
outcome. How many people do you serve through
23:58
the Dandelion Arts Collective? So this last year
24:01
in 2025, we served over 3 ,600 participants and
24:06
had over 9 ,100, almost 10 ,000 participant engagements.
24:12
And yes, we're really proud and excited to have
24:15
the level of impact that we've had in such a
24:17
short amount of time. And I think that's really
24:20
a testament to the breadth and depth of what
24:23
we try to offer, who we like to partner with,
24:25
and also just our amazing team. So we have about
24:30
30 team members and collaborators in our collective.
24:34
Myself and my co -founder, Krista Jill McBrown,
24:37
are leading the artistic endeavors. And we have
24:41
a wonderful team of board members and artists
24:43
and scientists and interdisciplinary artists
24:47
and educators that collaborate with us. Dandelion
24:50
Arts offers a number of programs that address
24:52
different community needs. I was hoping we could
24:55
just kind of talk through the different ones
24:57
and how they each support health and well -being
24:59
for participants. Absolutely. So I'll just talk
25:04
briefly about each one of the programs. So our
25:07
first program is called Seedling. And this program
25:11
is really specifically working with families
25:14
and children in early childhood. We work a lot
25:17
in arts -based movement, like creative movement.
25:20
We're working in public school systems, libraries.
25:24
In addition to the direct health benefits of
25:26
just participating in art and how it contributes
25:29
to health and development, both cognitively and
25:33
emotionally, we're really thinking about how
25:35
we can engage children intentionally in civic
25:38
practices and have them contributing their ideas
25:43
to larger public health goals by really centering
25:47
their voices. So our second program is called
25:49
Bloom. Bloom is a program that is directly working
25:53
to help support youth mental health through arts
25:56
intervention and creative practices. So something
26:00
that might be interesting to listeners is if
26:03
you are familiar with like arts -based therapy,
26:06
this public health and arts and what we're doing
26:08
is a little bit different. So clear distinction
26:11
is say you're receiving an arts -based intervention
26:14
through like a psychiatry intervention where
26:18
it's one -on -one. Or maybe someone in a hospital
26:20
setting is receiving an arts intervention. We're
26:23
consciously thinking more about it as a community
26:25
level intervention. So, for example, with our
26:30
Bloom program, we're really consciously trying
26:32
to bring young people and teens together to create
26:36
community and use the arts practices to support
26:40
self -efficacy, empowerment, and really contribute
26:44
to. The interventions that really support lifelong
26:47
mental health, one thing that many of us know
26:50
is most mental health challenges are really not
26:54
addressed until, you know, a decade after they're
26:57
really experienced. So for us, primary prevention
27:00
is a really big key component of why we're doing
27:03
this work. Our nurture program addresses holistic
27:07
and... joy and pleasure -based sexual health
27:10
education. So sexual health is something that
27:13
we experience through our lifespan. And we really
27:16
try to create programs, meaningful programs that
27:19
go through the lifespan. So one of the programs
27:23
that I offer and have developed is called Positive
27:25
Play. I'm really excited. That'll be presented
27:27
at the work of Fred Rogers Conference this summer
27:29
and is a program for children and families to
27:33
really build their strength and tools in autonomy
27:35
and consent. through play. And our director of
27:40
the nurture program, my co -founder, Crystal
27:41
Joan McBrown, her program, Make a Truth Theater,
27:44
also uses a lot of devised theater work and creative
27:48
practices to support sexual health education.
27:52
She's doing amazing work on not only working
27:55
with teens and youth, but also really creating
27:59
sexual health programs for caregivers to also
28:04
you know, be able to engage with their young
28:06
people in meaningful and healthy ways about sex
28:09
and sexuality from a place that isn't based in
28:13
shame but really rooted in, you know, concrete
28:16
information that is also centered in joy. Our
28:21
Propagate program specifically works with disabled
28:25
populations, so people with neurological and
28:27
physical disabilities. We have programs where
28:30
we create device data projects with young people
28:33
and adults through ongoing programs and relationships,
28:36
visit day programs for folks with disabilities,
28:39
and also work in school systems. And I think
28:43
beyond, again, just the direct health benefits
28:46
of arts participation. I think for this population,
28:49
we're really striving to center the voices and
28:52
passions of people with neurological diversity
28:55
and disabilities and really not thinking from
28:58
a medical model, but a person first model and
29:01
creating opportunities for people to express
29:04
themselves in meaningful ways and really share
29:06
their stories about things that are meaningful
29:09
to them, not in the bubble or just the viewpoint
29:14
of them like only being disabled. Because we
29:17
are a multitude of things. And finally, our Roots
29:21
program is specifically dedicated to helping
29:25
people build environmental stewardship through
29:27
the arts. So we have a lot of partnerships with
29:31
environmental organizations and offer a lot of
29:35
programming at these intersections of how we
29:37
build relationship, a meaningful relationship
29:41
to nature. sharing public health information
29:45
about climate action or building our skills as
29:51
naturalists. So this happens in partnership with
29:55
a couple of science organizations, including
29:57
the Watershed Center and the City of Longmont
30:00
Water Conservation Department, where we create
30:02
a big festival for people to learn about their
30:05
watershed through arts and science engagement.
30:08
Wow, that's a ton of really varied and interesting
30:11
programs. I am very curious to know what kind
30:14
of impacts do you see these programs have on
30:17
their participants? It's really a breadth and
30:20
depth of impacts that we see. You know, we're
30:24
really seeing a lot of like increased literacy
30:26
of all kinds. So with young people, we're seeing
30:29
increased literacy in empathy skills and emotional
30:33
literacy. We're really seeing a lot of opportunities
30:36
for people to build social capital and build
30:39
really meaningful relationships through arts
30:41
experiences. Sometimes it's really practical
30:44
stuff like building physical literacy, you know,
30:47
and building more interception skills so people
30:51
have a deeper connection to their bodies and
30:53
the sensations of their bodies. I also think
30:56
we've really seen a lot of people grow in self
30:59
-efficacy. and really feel empowered to call
31:03
themselves artists or practitioners or activists
31:06
through our programs. I really think that I've
31:10
seen a lot of people experience joy and wonder
31:13
and awe and pride. And just my favorite moments
31:19
are just seeing people really meaningfully connect.
31:24
with people they care about, whether that's someone
31:26
new that they've just met in their community
31:28
or a family member or a caregiver, a teacher,
31:32
a fellow teacher, a peer. Those moments of connection
31:36
to me, I think, are one of the great joys of
31:39
arts interventions, because as many of us have
31:42
seen in kind of the work of public health research,
31:45
isolation is becoming a really, really difficult
31:49
challenge in the public health field. And I think
31:52
that arts is one of the best strategies and solutions
31:56
to helping decrease isolation. Definitely agree.
31:59
And yeah, we've seen that time and again here
32:01
just in working in public health, how bad isolation
32:04
can impact somebody's health. Would you mind
32:06
talking a little bit about some of the health
32:08
outcomes that you see? Yes, absolutely. So I
32:11
just wanted to remind myself. So it was 80 years
32:15
ago that the United Nations declared access to
32:17
arts as a human right. I think that that declaration
32:21
is really a testament to, you know, so a lot
32:24
of people that do public health research kind
32:26
of talk about it as, duh, research. They're like,
32:28
well, yes, arts is good for us. And I think there's
32:33
a couple of things that we can really look to
32:35
now, though, that there's people doing really
32:38
big, large cohort studies and collecting longitudinal
32:42
data. So we just talked a little bit about like
32:46
isolation and social health, which is just a
32:48
huge component. Just getting people gathering
32:51
together and breaking kind of invisible boundaries
32:54
and constructs about what it means to be in community,
32:57
I think has a huge impact. There is a lot of
33:00
research about the interaction between arts and
33:03
mental health. So there was just this huge study
33:05
that came out in Australia about supporting adults
33:08
with depression. And dance blew everything out
33:11
of the water, more than SSRIs, more than any
33:14
other kind of exercise, more than cognitive behavior
33:16
therapy. Which isn't to say that as arts and
33:19
health practitioners, we think that everybody
33:21
should only be doing art. We think that there's
33:24
a lot of different kinds of interventions that
33:25
are really important. And going to your physician
33:28
to make those connections about the medications
33:30
that you might need or interventions you might
33:32
need is great. But we love that they're proving
33:35
that arts can be one of these things that is
33:36
most impactful. There's a lot of research about
33:39
PTSD, especially for veterans being supported
33:42
by arts interventions, groups singing for postpartum.
33:46
mothers that have just given birth, really being
33:49
supported in postpartum depression through group
33:51
singing activities. In terms of physical health,
33:54
we can think to things like Parkinson's. So there's
33:57
a lot of research about movement practices and
34:00
supporting people living with Parkinson's. There
34:04
was just a big study that came out that regular
34:06
arts engagement is really equivalent to like
34:09
one hour of exercise every week. So you don't
34:12
have to physically be moving. But of course,
34:15
when we sing, we increase our lung capacity.
34:18
When we dance, we build balance and coordination.
34:21
There's also a lot of research about the cognitive
34:24
benefits and really using arts very intentionally
34:27
through the creative aging, but really through
34:30
your lifespan. So it's not only building gray
34:33
matter and white matter, but we're really thinking
34:35
about it in terms of supporting people with dementia
34:39
and Alzheimer's. And using it as a preventative
34:43
tool in clinical settings that can be really
34:45
effective for pain tolerance and pain management.
34:48
There's so much research about it supporting
34:50
early childhood development, like the list goes
34:52
on and on. So I think at the end of the day,
34:56
it's really about people finding arts interventions
34:59
that feel meaningful to them. It doesn't have
35:02
to look like a class, but you are going to reap
35:06
the benefits of. participating in arts engagement,
35:09
no matter what you choose. That's fascinating.
35:12
There's people that start a singing class and
35:15
they're interviewed later and they literally
35:16
say, this program saves my life. I don't want
35:20
to diminish or underestimate the fact that I
35:22
think that this can be, arts interventions can
35:25
be life -changing people and can set people on
35:28
a trajectory for lifelong thriving and health.
35:34
offers programming that touches so many different
35:36
needs in the community. And I'm just curious
35:39
how, as an organization, you landed on those
35:42
priorities. We started with really looking large
35:47
at the Healthy People 2030 goals. And then we
35:52
really honed in on doing a local needs assessment.
35:56
So we looked at county level. public health goals
35:59
for the next decade. We did lots of interviews
36:03
with organizations that we partner with, are
36:05
regularly engaging with participants that we're
36:08
hoping to obviously partner with and find programs
36:12
and create programs for. So we have a community
36:16
council that really makes up a large portion
36:19
of the population that we're aiding to serve.
36:22
And I think that's something that is a little
36:24
bit unique about what we do is we build a lot
36:26
of new programming. So using our essentially
36:30
years of expertise and we have such an amazing
36:34
team of educators and practitioners and cultural
36:38
stewards, we've really had the opportunity to
36:41
build original programs for specific populations
36:44
based on their communicated needs. And I think
36:49
that that is something that maybe is a little
36:50
bit distinct from maybe just like. Educational
36:54
entertainment or going to a concert, for example,
36:57
is like amazing arts intervention. And something
37:01
that we're strategically trying to do is create
37:03
these atmospheres of connection that you can
37:05
experience from going to a symphony or going
37:08
to see a show or engaging in a community art
37:12
class, but really weaving in the public health
37:15
goals that have been articulated by the population
37:18
and integrating those in as seamlessly as possible.
37:23
So what feels just like play and creativity in
37:27
a creative process also can dive into different
37:31
public health data information, public health
37:34
communication, civic engagement, and really kind
37:38
of some of those underlying public health goals
37:40
that organizations and partners might have. Our
37:44
CHIP team has been focusing on social prescribing
37:47
recently, on raising awareness about it and supporting
37:50
social prescribing in Larimer County. Are you
37:53
familiar at all with social prescribing? Yes.
37:57
So I first learned about social prescribing through
38:00
my arts and public health certification with
38:03
the University of Florida. University of Florida
38:06
School of Arts and Medicine is one of the institutions
38:09
really leading research in the United States
38:11
and is really a big proponent of social prescribing.
38:15
the arts on prescription that's happening in
38:17
the United Kingdom. There's social RX that's
38:20
happening in the United States. It's formerly
38:22
called arts pharmacy. They're not working in
38:25
Colorado yet, but they are working on a national
38:27
scale. Actually, there's a program that I just
38:30
learned about in Steamboat called Wild Horse,
38:33
where they're working with young people and using
38:35
social prescribing to work specifically with
38:37
teens to support mental health. So kind of a
38:39
smaller, more, you know, rural mountain community.
38:42
So I know it's happening. And I will say for
38:45
us as Dandelion Arts Collective, it's happening
38:48
a little more guerrilla style. We've had a lot
38:50
of healthcare providers and social service organizations
38:53
refer participants over and patients over to
38:57
us to participate in our programs. And we'll
38:59
hear from them, oh, we heard about you all from
39:02
this mental health organization and thought it
39:05
would be a good opportunity for us to engage.
39:07
When I offered a positive play group program
39:09
once at... a public library, there was a family
39:11
that contacted us that had been referred a foster
39:14
care family. And they thought that that would
39:16
be a great intervention for them to support some
39:18
family bonding. We're really excited when those
39:21
kinds of things happen. I would say it's also
39:23
reciprocal. So one of the great things about
39:26
being an arts and public health organization
39:28
is we can also refer people to other healthcare
39:31
resources that would be valuable based on the
39:35
conversations. So, so much about what we're doing
39:37
is really building relationship. And I know like
39:40
the word community gets used so frequently and
39:44
so broadly, but I really do think that, you know,
39:47
community building at its heart is about, you
39:50
know, sharing information, resources. And just
39:54
the other day I was able to, we were working
39:56
with a group at a children's museum in Lafayette.
39:59
And this was specifically an event for children
40:02
with neurodiversity and disabilities. And I was
40:04
able to refer them to a practitioner. that specializes
40:08
in a somatic therapeutic service called Feldenkrais.
40:11
Like those are the kind of things that we're
40:12
weaving in or, you know, partnering with an organization
40:16
like Longmont Food Rescue. All of those interconnections,
40:20
I think, really speak to why public health and
40:24
arts, I think, are a natural intersection because
40:27
they both recognize that health is very holistic.
40:33
How would you like to see social prescribing
40:35
integrated into community arts work here in northern
40:38
Colorado? This is a great question. I have a
40:41
lot of goals. So I would love to see arts engagement
40:46
be a regular question that people receive at
40:50
a routine doctor's visit. The same way that we
40:54
ask about sleep or nutrition or safety, I think
40:59
it would be. wonderful if healthcare workers
41:02
were just integrating and building arts as one
41:07
of the pillars of health that people can consciously
41:10
think about engaging in as part of their health
41:13
literacy. I am really passionate about and we're
41:16
really passionate about primary prevention models.
41:19
There's a lot of opportunities to build research
41:21
and just programming. that supports early intervention
41:26
and primary prevention, utilizing the arts. So
41:30
it not only serves as like secondary or tertiary
41:33
care for people that are already experiencing
41:36
health ailments, but also for people that are
41:40
really trying to build. And this is one of the
41:42
things that's really exciting to me when we're
41:44
talking about kind of the evolution of public
41:46
health. So, you know, we've been working a lot
41:48
in the realms and domains of like the social
41:50
determinants of health, we're really thinking
41:52
about building cultures of health. And those
41:55
sociocultural changes, I think, really start
41:59
with social prescribing and arts interventions
42:02
just being woven into everyday experiences and
42:07
everyday societies. So seeing them in community
42:11
centers, seeing them regularly in school. seeing
42:14
them in community spaces. So whenever I see a
42:18
community arts festival, my brain is going, ah,
42:21
public health, public health in action. Like
42:24
that's really exciting to me. Another thing that
42:27
I'm really excited about is continuing trainings
42:30
for prospective arts facilitators and educators
42:34
so they can really learn about what it means
42:36
to be an arts and health practitioner. So we've
42:41
been really lucky to engage in professional development
42:44
that has helped us really shift kind of that
42:47
model of being not just an arts educator, but
42:50
also being a health practitioner. And I also
42:52
think simultaneously, not every arts experience
42:56
is necessarily going to be healthy for people,
42:58
especially, you know, it's not like a catch -all,
43:01
like people have had negative experiences in
43:03
the arts. And it's not to say that every arts
43:05
experience is going to be healthy for every person.
43:08
So I do think it takes some conscious training
43:10
and opportunities for artists that are interested
43:13
in this field to really receive professional
43:15
development and continuing education so they
43:18
can really be consciously thinking about trauma
43:20
-informed care and healing -centered practices,
43:23
being able to develop what are the interventions
43:25
that are going to be most supportive to a person
43:29
or a community. And that, of course, takes relationship
43:32
building, but also and just learning through
43:34
experience. But I'm excited to see. where that
43:38
and how that, you know, our field essentially
43:41
is going to build over the next decade. What
43:44
do you wish more people knew about the connection
43:46
between health and the arts? I think sometimes
43:48
when we think arts, we might think of going to
43:52
a museum or going to a show or taking a dance
43:54
class, singing in a choir, but arts can be a
43:57
lot of things. So it could be creating your garden,
44:01
you know, being gardening in your backyard. It
44:04
could be cooking a new recipe. It could literally
44:08
just be doodling in a notebook while you're having
44:10
a conversation. There are so many different types
44:14
of art. So really, I think focusing on anything
44:16
that ignites your imagination, curiosity, feels
44:20
inspiring, creates awe for you. And arts. interventions
44:26
don't necessarily just have to be something that
44:28
you do, but also something that you experience.
44:30
So there are direct health benefits of just going
44:33
to experience art. So if you haven't taken on
44:36
this identity as an artist, and while I believe
44:38
everybody is a creative and an artist because,
44:41
you know, we're part of nature and nature is
44:43
creative. That, you know, there's a lot of ways
44:47
to engage in it that feel right for you. So if
44:50
going to do karaoke is not your jam, that doesn't
44:54
need to be your, you know, arts practice. It
44:57
really can be anything that feels right to you.
45:01
Researcher Tasha Golden, an artist, she really
45:05
talks a lot about. the benefits beyond direct
45:08
participation. So there are a slew of benefits
45:11
of just directly from direct participation. But
45:15
I also think that, you know, there's a lot of
45:17
opportunity and she speaks to this a lot about
45:19
public health communication and onboarding. So
45:23
like helping people understand and get more information
45:27
about public health through arts interventions.
45:31
Sometimes that might look like a mural. Sometimes
45:34
that might be communicating. education about
45:36
epidemiology using the arts very intentionally
45:39
to be that bridge for communication. Arts really
45:43
are great at also exploring stigmatized topics.
45:46
So sometimes it could be hard to go into a setting
45:48
where you're like, all right, let's talk about
45:50
your trauma. But with arts, you can engage in
45:54
a way that offers an entry point and a way to
45:58
explore it on a somatic level, maybe through
46:01
an experience of drawing or free writing that
46:04
kind of removes that barrier of feeling like
46:09
it is therapeutic, which it will be, but kind
46:13
of takes away that kind of stigmatization. Tasha
46:16
Golden also speaks a lot about this, and this
46:18
is something we're really consciously trying
46:20
to do, is create more comprehensive, qualitative
46:23
data for public health research using arts. So
46:26
an example I want to give is we partnered with
46:29
the city of Vermont on some environmental workshops.
46:33
And while adults were doing a particular program,
46:36
I've worked with several groups of children and
46:39
we created pieces of artwork that were reflective
46:42
about the environmental goal that was being discussed
46:45
at that meeting. That art piece became like an
46:49
artifact that we were able to share their goals
46:52
for environmental change in the community through
46:56
the actual art making process. So I think there's
46:59
a lot of opportunity to get more in depth. and
47:04
nuanced public health data through art practices.
47:08
Pasha Bolden worked in a women's prison system
47:11
for incarcerated young women, mostly in teens,
47:14
that experienced, oh my gosh, a depth of, well,
47:18
just a variety of life experiences. And she worked
47:21
with them in a creative writing project. And
47:23
compared to the Five Point Like Art survey, she,
47:27
through this creative writing project, was able
47:29
to give the team of collaborators and researchers
47:32
that she was working with way more information
47:35
about these people's life experiences, what would
47:38
have changed, what they needed through this creative
47:41
writing project that never would have been answered
47:43
by just filling out a survey. So I think there's
47:46
a lot of opportunity there. I think there's a
47:49
lot of opportunity for arts to also help people
47:51
engage in civic dialogue. So when we're thinking
47:54
about big cultural changes, And, you know, shifts
47:58
in social justice, we can think about songs that
48:01
we've maybe seen or someone holding up a protest
48:03
sign. So I think really arts can meaningfully
48:07
help propel sociocultural changes. Because if
48:12
artists are good at doing one thing, we're really
48:14
good at imagining futures that don't exist yet.
48:17
And I think that's naturally part of what public
48:19
health does too. You know, it's like we're thinking
48:22
really long term. And I think as artists, Being
48:26
in that creative space of imagining something
48:28
else, imagining a different world, and building
48:31
that through a creative process is all part of,
48:35
you know, how we make those bigger cultural changes
48:38
that will increase health equity. For our listeners
48:41
who want to get more involved in the Dandelion
48:43
Arts Collective or learn more or join one of
48:45
your programs, how can they go about doing that?
48:48
They can visit our website, dandelionartscollective
48:51
.org. You can also email us at info at dandelionartscollective
48:56
.org. And if you're out and about in the community,
48:59
you probably might find us. So if you're in Larimer
49:03
County, you can find us this summer and fall
49:06
at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. You
49:09
can find us at public libraries throughout the
49:12
community. And yeah, we encourage you to check
49:15
out our events page and see what's coming up.
49:17
If you're an organization, whether it be a public
49:20
health entity or a social service organization,
49:23
we love working and finding new partnerships.
49:26
And one thing I didn't mention is, you know,
49:28
we partner with over 35 community organizations.
49:31
So we really believe that art is a communal act.
49:36
I think one thing that we can really do is look
49:39
to people that have already been doing this for
49:40
generations. So that really includes indigenous
49:44
populations, artists, educators. you know, matriarchal
49:48
communities, intergenerational communities. They're
49:51
naturally and consciously weaving in arts practices,
49:56
cultural practices into their everyday lives.
49:59
And I think that for all of us, we can look to
50:03
and be in community with people that are centering
50:06
arts in their lives and really see an opportunity
50:11
to really learn from. communities that are doing
50:13
this really effectively. We're really excited
50:16
and passionate about collaborating with other
50:18
community members and organizations that have
50:21
shared values. We love seeing everybody out in
50:24
the world creating and engaging in art. And we're
50:28
so, so grateful to contribute in our small way.
50:31
Mimi Ferry Lee, Executive Director and Co -Founder
50:34
of the Dandelion Arts Collective. Thank you so
50:36
much for joining us. Thank you. Do you have a
50:39
question about public health in Larimer County?
50:41
or a topic you'd like us to discuss, let us know.
50:44
Email us at healthiertogetheratlarimer .org.
50:48
Thanks for listening, Larimer County. Until next
50:50
week, stay well, stay connected, and remember,
50:53
we really are healthier together.