When most people think about medicine, they’re focused on science, rather than art. But Amanda Whitworth, the current artist laureate for the state of New Hampshire and a professor at Plymouth State University, believes that the arts can help improve medicine.
Whitworth, along with fellow artist Robin Marcotte and Dr. Bobby Kelly, a family medicine practitioner at Core Physicians in Exeter, are the cofounders of Articine, a nonprofit that aims to use the arts to improve medical experiences for patients.
“We’ve been focusing on who a person is rather than the diagnosis,” Whitworth said. “It makes a difference when you know where that person came from, what they’re worried about, what the stressors are in their life, in order to make a better assessment of their physical pain and suffering.”
Articine’s offerings are mostly educational. The group uses actors and creative arts programming to help doctors understand their patients better, especially marginalized groups that they may not be experienced working with. An actor playing a role can help a doctor refine their care for transgender patients or patients of color, for example.
“We try to deliver opportunities for the telling of these stories. People can digest them and ask questions in a safe space. That’s been a really big deal,” Whitworth said. “It’s sort of like if you don’t know, you can’t fix it.”
In addition, Articine creates performing arts experiences, in order to help providers connect with a certain demographic or to raise awareness about a public health issue like addiction.
When the pandemic rocked healthcare organizations across the world, Articine pivoted to remote engagements. Whitworth was pleasantly surprised that the organization only lost one booking. However, as the pandemic carries on, she’s worried about bookings for next year.
“We weren’t freaked out about 2020, but we’re freaked out about 2021,” she said.
Some grant funding is less available right now. In addition, healthcare organizations are already maxed out on their financial and staffing resources. That can make untraditional educational spending a hard sell.
Still, Articine has had some luck.
“We’re thinking about how we communicate the value of what we bring to the healthcare sector in a way that makes them want to reach out and collaborate,” Whitworth said. The nonprofit has also been focusing on strengthening existing relationships, where their value proposition is already proven.
While the pandemic has been a challenge, the ongoing social justice reckoning has proven the importance of an organization like Articine, Whitworth said.
Right now, Whitworth and her cofounders are budgeting for 2021. They’re operating on a small budget, but they’re comfortable with that.
“At the heart, it’s an arts organization. That’s a beautiful thing. As artists we know what it means to be on a lean budget, Whitworth said. “We can do a lot with a little.”
With so much uncertainty about what next year will bring for the healthcare sector, the cofounders of Articine are focused on building flexibility into their schedule and budget. They hope that that will allow the organization to move forward on its mission despite the pandemic.
“We’re making sure we have the budget and bandwidth to make a change if we need,” Whitworth said. “I feel lucky that I can continue to do it during the pandemic.”
This story is part of the 50 Businesses, 50 Solutions series, shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative, that aims to highlight how business leaders across the state, from mom and pop shops to large corporations, have adapted to meet the challenges and disruptions of the pandemic.
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