DAYTONA BEACH – Cancer care took a new approach at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center last weekend. Art was showcased as a valued part of the healing process, and artists of all ages, mediums and skill levels were celebrated.

The hospital hosted its first Art in Therapy Festival on Sunday, October 23 in the parking lot of its Comprehensive Cancer Center. Fourteen local artists were on site to show and sell their work, along with representatives from the Museum of Arts & Sciences and the Ormond Memorial Art Museum.

Another section of the Art in Therapy Festival was a display of patient artwork from the hospital’s Art in Therapy program, which is held the third Friday every month and taught by a professional art instructor from the Ormond Memorial Art Museum. Patient and caregiver pieces included collages, watercolors and sketched portraits.

Kim Klancke, MD, a cardiologist affiliated with Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center and board member of the Museum of Arts & Sciences, said there is a method behind the movement of promoting art within hospitals.

“In addition to the technology and all the bells and whistles that you can provide with regard to evidence-based medicine, there’s an additional benefit in achieving an atmosphere that tries to turn stress into relaxation and fear into hope,” said Klancke.

The Festival also featured submissions from a Mission Statement Contest through Volusia County schools. The theme of the Contest was “hope, health and healing,” a testimony to the hospital’s mission statement. The winners, who received cash prizes from the hospital, were Brenna Miller, fifth grader at Cypress Creek Elementary; Rayn Bumstead, seventh grader at New Smyrna Beach Middle School; and Cassie Rosebook, twelfth grader at Seabreeze High School.

The contest also encouraged entries from Volusia County art teachers. Janet Stone from George Marks Elementary was named the winner in the teachers’ division. 

The event offered concessions, music from The Beach 92.7FM, a bounce house and face painting.

Sunday’s Art in Therapy Festival was one of several events that celebrated the one-year anniversary of the new Comprehensive Cancer Center. Since the opening in October 2010, the Center has brought on an additional physician, created four new jobs, added three new support groups to its growing roster and offered amenities such as free lunch and welcome bags for chemotherapy patients. Most recently, on September 12, the Center became an affiliate site to the Mayo Clinic of Florida.

“It’s so important to celebrate survivorship, being a survivor myself,” said Charlene Brady, a breast cancer nurse navigator at the Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Programs like the Art in Therapy class are one way that patients can get a little distraction from what they’re going through in their day-to-day process. We offer that for the patients and caregivers with the hopes that it will be part of their healing process.”

About Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center Comprehensive Cancer Center is a 30,000-square-foot outpatient facility and is home to the latest in cancer technology and treatment. The Center is designed to eliminate multiple trips to various locations by offering advanced technology, chemotherapy treatments, services and resources all under one roof and delivered with the healing ministry of Christ. For more information about the Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center Comprehensive Cancer Center, call (386) 231-4000 or visit www.FloridaHospitalMemorial.org/cancer.

Photo Caption:
Brenna Miller, fifth grader at Cypress Creek Elementary, won the Elementary Division of the Mission Statement Contest at the Art in Therapy Festival on Sunday, October 23. Her piece, shown, will be put on display at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, along with the winners in the Middle School, High School and Art Teacher divisions.