The Hospital's Mark Taper-Johnny Mercer Artists Program Uses the Power of Art, Music, Dance and Drama to Help Patients Face Life-threatening Illness or Injury with Renewed Hope and Inspiration
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is continuing its support for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) with its second $25,000 grant to drive collaboration between the entertainment community and the hospital’s Mark Taper-Johnny Mercer Artists Program. Facilitated by certified expressive arts therapists and partners in the community, the Artists Program uses music, dance, drama and the expressive arts to address the unique physical and emotional challenges faced by hospitalized infants, children, teens and young adults. The grant brings the HFPA’s total commitment to the Artists Program to $50,000.
“The result of two industries coming together for one cause is powerful, moving and inspiring. The HFPA is in awe of the hospital’s staff and the great lengths they go to every day to put a smile on a child’s face.”
In partnership with the hospital’s Hollywood Cares for Kids™ program, the Artists Program will utilize the grant to integrate professionals and artists in the entertainment industry into the program, drawing upon their distinct skillset to inspire, encourage and help patients through their medical journey. For example:
- professional animators can teach young patients about communicating through the limitless world of cartoons;
- filmmakers can introduce young people to the power of narrative storytelling;
- writers and composers can help the shyest of patients find their inner voice through one-on-one song writing sessions with their music therapist;
- musical artists can provide private music performances and engage in art and music workshops.
“CHLA is committed to treating the whole child, recognizing the critical role that a child’s spirit plays in the course of healing,” said Alex Field, manager, Mark Taper-Johnny Mercer Artists Program. “Through drama, music, dance, and the visual and expressive arts, we help children find ways to convey their emotions, ask questions they have not found the words to ask and feel a bit more in control of their lives. Young people can also discover a new talent, develop a new interest, or enjoy a form of art they have never experienced before, creating a budding life-long appreciation for the arts.”
CHLA was one of the many non-profits that benefited from the nearly $2.4 million dollars gifted on Aug. 4, 2016 by the HFPA, the organization widely known for hosting the Golden Globe Awards. The group annually donates grants to causes and efforts that the HFPA is committed to supporting, including entertainment-related non-profits, foundations and schools.
“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association unreservedly gives this grant to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to help nurture the relationship they have with the entertainment industry,” said HFPA President Lorenzo Soria. “The result of two industries coming together for one cause is powerful, moving and inspiring. The HFPA is in awe of the hospital’s staff and the great lengths they go to every day to put a smile on a child’s face.”
“The entertainment community has the capacity in many unique ways to positively impact the children we serve,” said Lyndsay Hutchison, director, Hollywood Cares for Kids program. “Whether the child is an aspiring artist or just facing a very tough road ahead, having the chance to work with an industry professional brings a level of encouragement and renewed excitement. From writers to animators to musicians and actors, the entertainment community offers a wide array of expertise in their respective fields, providing a tremendous asset in helping children find their voice.”
In addition to their emotional impact, the Artists Program has a physiological effect on children that contributes to healing. Research has shown that heart rates slow, blood pressure decreases, and the perception of pain declines when patients pick up a musical instrument, sing a song or see a live performance up close. In the hospital’s Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit, staff members have reported the slowing of heart and pulse rates in premature infants upon the first musical note they hear, and mothers have found a new way to bond with babies they cannot yet hold by simply singing to them. At CHLA, the arts are indispensable to the therapeutic process, facilitating recovery and rehabilitation.
Established in 1901 as Southern California’s first hospital dedicated to the care of children, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has grown alongside the Hollywood community for more than a century. In fact, CHLA moved to its current main campus on Sunset and Vermont in 1913, the same year the very first movie was filmed right down the street in Hollywood.
Today, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is a leading nonprofit hospital for kids, ranked seventh in the nation and serving more than 111,000 patients annually from Los Angeles county and around the globe. CHLA provides specialized, compassionate care and services for everything that can affect a child or adolescent, from broken bones to the rarest diseases; from homelessness to gender non-conformity. CHLA is also a premier teaching and research hospital with more than 150 physician scientists hard at work to end the most devastating childhood disorders.
In the last fiscal year, our Artists Program impacted the lives of over 33,000 patients and family members. The program runs year-round, seven days per week, and can be found in individual patient rooms, group play areas and lounges, lobbies and even hallways of every floor. With a commitment to family-centered care, CHLA engages parents and caregivers in every stage of treatment. Parents can roll up their sleeves and cut-and-paste with their children, pick up an instrument, or simply sit back and enjoy a performance.
Members of the entertainment industry can learn more about artist program volunteer opportunities by emailing Lyndsay Hutchison at lhutchison@chla.usc.edu or call 323.361.4121.
Visit CHLA.org/ARTISTPROGRAM and CHLA.org/HOLLYWOODCARES for more information.
About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children’s hospital in California and among the top 10 in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Children’s Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children’s Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog: WeAreChildrens.org.
About the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Founded in the 1940s during World War II, the HFPA was originally comprised of a handful of L.A.-based overseas journalists who sought to bridge the international community with Hollywood, and to provide distraction from the hardships of war through film. Seventy years later, members of the HFPA represent 56 countries with a combined readership of 250 million in some of the world’s most respected publications. Each year, the organization holds the third most watched awards show on television, the Golden Globe® Awards, which has enabled the organization to donate more than $25 million to entertainment-related charities and scholarship programs. For more information, please visit www.GoldenGlobes.com and follow us on Twitter (@GoldenGlobes) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/GoldenGlobes).
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