At Tampa General Hospital, medicine isn’t the only way to heal.
The hospital offers an Integrative Arts in Medicine Program, an approach to health care that encompasses the whole person by recognizing the subtle interactions between mind and body.
- Program aims to improve patient satisfaction, improve pain management
- Approach includes non-pharmacological options such as mindful breathing, music, art, yoga
- Program is free for patients
The program offers options such as mindful breathing, guided imagery, music, art and yoga.
"It makes you more aware of yourself,” patient Dorthenia Jackson said. “It calms you. It takes away some of the fears that you may have."
Jackson had quadruple bypass surgery in October. She joined the Integrative Arts program when she entered the rehabilitation facility, and said listening to music helped her the most.
"It just gives you that inner feeling of some kind of achievement and I think that was a big part that made me continue to come,” Jackson said.
The goal of the program is to increase patient satisfaction, improve pain management and offer non-pharmacological options.
"What I have learned through the patients is it really helps the patient find the balance in fight and flight response and medically and physiologically,” said program head Dr. Sheela Chokshi. “It balances sympathetic and parasympathetic, and gives a sense of control and sense of empowerment to the patients."
Stephen Martin, who had triple bypass surgery, said the program helped him recover faster.
"Hands down, it was probably the best medicine I received as far as healing,” Martin said. “I could have sat there and just worried about the medicines going through my IVs and all that stuff, but what made me feel good and confident about getting through what I was going through was the program.”
The program is free for patients and sponsored by US AmeriBank. For more information, visit the program's page on TGH's website.