Atlanta-based organization prescribes art for students struggling with mental health

ATLANTA - An Atlanta-based healthcare and technology company has partnered with Stanford University to improve students' mental health using art.

"Especially those who are interested in art and feel like, 'If I can just get connected to something that I know I'm going to enjoy, it automatically will boost my energy,'" said Latia Stokes, a care navigator for Art Pharmacy.

Stanford is one of the first institutions to have a program like this. The school partnered with the Atlanta-based organization Art Pharmacy to use technology to match patients with the best arts engagement for them. The patients are then monitored for progress like they would be with other healthcare treatments.

"It takes into consideration what someone's arts interests are and what their curiosities are," said Adrienne Hundley, the head of Service Development and Delivery for Art Pharmacy.

"And then, we're able to share that back with the referring provider. That way, we're kind of a part of that care team. It might be, you know, someone who is in the student health center. We have referring partners in Residents Life, in community centers," she added.

The organization currently works with patients of all ages, partnering with organizations like the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to connect patients to the arts. Each patient works with a care navigator throughout the process.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

"Care navigation serves as a direct way to keep people motivated [and] keep people accountable," Stokes said. "One of the things I like to send patients to is called a ‘Bring Your Own Juice’ paint class where students get a chance to paint and sip juice while talking to their peers."

Mental health is a growing concern among college-age students, with the number of them experiencing a mental health crisis growing by 50% since 2013, based on the latest National Healthy Minds study.