Image 1 of 1
Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities
What if healthcare providers could prescribe more than medication?
Imagine your doctor, counselor, or social worker writing you a prescription—not for pharmaceuticals, but for a music class, time in nature, museum visits, or a dance performance. This practice, called "arts on prescription," is transforming healthcare systems worldwide by formally integrating arts, culture, and nature resources into health and social care.
The WHO defines health as "complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing" — and “not merely the absence of disease.” Yet most healthcare systems are not set up to address this full spectrum of health.
Meanwhile, research shows that environments and social contexts - not just individual behaviors - drive a significant proportion of health outcomes. Clearly, advancing health is going to require us to expand providers’ toolkits, generate more whole-person health approaches, and work across sectors.
Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities offers the first comprehensive roadmap for creating programs that formally integrate arts, culture, and nature resources into local healthcare systems and social services.
Led by Dr. Tasha Golden in partnership with Mass Cultural Council and University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, this groundbreaking resource guides communities through every stage of program development—from initial planning and stakeholder engagement to implementation, evaluation, and growth.
This accessible, detailed guide includes:
Complete framework for understanding arts on prescription and its origins in social prescribing
Step-by-step guidance for program planning, partnership development, and implementation
Six real-world case studies from existing US programs, demonstrating diverse approaches
Extensive appendices with assessment tools, evaluation frameworks, and research resources
Practical considerations for equity, accessibility, and cultural responsiveness
Strategies for securing funding and ensuring program sustainability
Templates and worksheets for community needs assessment and program design
Written for diverse stakeholders: healthcare and social care providers seeking expanded tools for whole-person care; arts, culture, and nature organizations wanting to contribute to community health; community organizers and advocates working to improve social drivers of health; policymakers and funders exploring new models of care; and researchers studying health system innovation.
Grounded in the pioneering CultureRx program—the first statewide arts on prescription initiative in the US—and informed by ongoing research and international models, this Field Guide provides evidence-based strategies for communities that are ready to (1) expand their understanding of healthcare, and (2) make arts, culture, and nature resources more equitably accessible as pathways to health and wellbeing.
This resource represents a fundamental shift: from healthcare that focuses solely on treating disease to community care networks that actively cultivate complete wellbeing for all.
What if healthcare providers could prescribe more than medication?
Imagine your doctor, counselor, or social worker writing you a prescription—not for pharmaceuticals, but for a music class, time in nature, museum visits, or a dance performance. This practice, called "arts on prescription," is transforming healthcare systems worldwide by formally integrating arts, culture, and nature resources into health and social care.
The WHO defines health as "complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing" — and “not merely the absence of disease.” Yet most healthcare systems are not set up to address this full spectrum of health.
Meanwhile, research shows that environments and social contexts - not just individual behaviors - drive a significant proportion of health outcomes. Clearly, advancing health is going to require us to expand providers’ toolkits, generate more whole-person health approaches, and work across sectors.
Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities offers the first comprehensive roadmap for creating programs that formally integrate arts, culture, and nature resources into local healthcare systems and social services.
Led by Dr. Tasha Golden in partnership with Mass Cultural Council and University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, this groundbreaking resource guides communities through every stage of program development—from initial planning and stakeholder engagement to implementation, evaluation, and growth.
This accessible, detailed guide includes:
Complete framework for understanding arts on prescription and its origins in social prescribing
Step-by-step guidance for program planning, partnership development, and implementation
Six real-world case studies from existing US programs, demonstrating diverse approaches
Extensive appendices with assessment tools, evaluation frameworks, and research resources
Practical considerations for equity, accessibility, and cultural responsiveness
Strategies for securing funding and ensuring program sustainability
Templates and worksheets for community needs assessment and program design
Written for diverse stakeholders: healthcare and social care providers seeking expanded tools for whole-person care; arts, culture, and nature organizations wanting to contribute to community health; community organizers and advocates working to improve social drivers of health; policymakers and funders exploring new models of care; and researchers studying health system innovation.
Grounded in the pioneering CultureRx program—the first statewide arts on prescription initiative in the US—and informed by ongoing research and international models, this Field Guide provides evidence-based strategies for communities that are ready to (1) expand their understanding of healthcare, and (2) make arts, culture, and nature resources more equitably accessible as pathways to health and wellbeing.
This resource represents a fundamental shift: from healthcare that focuses solely on treating disease to community care networks that actively cultivate complete wellbeing for all.