NYC Health + Hospitals: Bridging Community, Care, and Culture in the BX

Every borough in New York State presents a distinct socio-cultural landscape that both shapes - and is shaped by - the health needs of its residents. The Bronx is no exception. Over the last decade, barriers to accessing healthcare, food, housing, and employment, compounded by rising gun violence, substance use, and economic instability in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, have deepened mental health disparities in the borough. Yet, the Bronx’s long history of creativity and cultural resilience continues to inspire new ways of caring for one another. As part of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab’s UN General Assembly (UNGA) Healing Arts Week, this two-part panel will re-imagine how connections between clinical and cultural ecosystems can be strengthened to address the rising mental and public health challenges in the Bronx.

This will occur in two distinct panels: 

The first panel will examine the mental health needs and the social determinants of health shaping the lives of patients navigating the city and state hospital facilities. The second will feature artists, community leaders, and program directors working to strengthen the borough’s cultural ecosystem.

Together, the panels aim to co-imagine a Social Prescribing framework tailored to the Bronx, an evidence-based pathway for integrating and connecting cultural assets to city- wide healthcare settings, ensuring that creative resources are accessible to those most impacted by health inequities.

Part 1 – Bridging Mental Health Care

Exploring emerging mental health challenges in outpatient, inpatient, and long-term psychiatric care in the Bronx, and how clinicians and artists are collaborating to address them.

Part 2 – Strengthening Creative Assets

Discussing the role of artists, cultural workers, and community organizations in addressing mental health needs, and how to integrate cultural resources into healthcare systems across the Bronx.

About NYC H+H Arts in Medicine

The Arts in Medicine department at NYC Health + Hospitals is part of a larger system-wide strategy to support workforce wellness. The department fosters the emotional well-being and promotes healing for patients, families, and caregivers. This is accomplished through activities and programs that utilize the visual, literary and performing arts throughout the Health + Hospitals system.

Arts in Medicine stewards, curates’ evidence-based design in our hospital spaces, exhibits and creates greater access for the health system’s visual art collection. In addition, the department develops evidence-based programs and art interventions for our health care facilities and clinics. This is achieved by combining artistic innovation and education into high-quality health care that supports the healing benefits of the arts.

Cover Image Photo Credit: 

Dister Rondon, Legacy (2024)

Artist Statement:

Legacy depicts the Young Lords’ takeover of Lincoln Hospital in 1970 as a pivotal moment in the fight for improved healthcare and patient advocacy. Through their activism–alongside residents of the neighborhood–they not only challenged the deplorable health conditions for patients and staff, but also confronted racial and class inequalities embedded within the healthcare system.

Holding a megaphone is Felipe Luciano, a key figure in the Young Lords movement, along with protesters Iris Morales and Denise Oliver-Velez, raising their fists and embodying the spirit of activism and resilience as they unite in the fight for social justice and equality. On the right side of the mural, a tender depiction of a woman cradling her baby adds depth to the narrative. Her arm bears a tattoo of roses, representing beauty and strength amidst adversity. These elements contrast with the vibrant roses in red, pink, and violet hues located in the bottom left corner, highlighting the interconnectedness of struggle and hope within the community.