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News

Title: National Rural Health Alliance Arts and Health Project

Link: http://nrha.ruralhealth.org.au/projects/?IntContId=14974&IntCatId=5

Description:

To our colleagues the CEOs of Member Bodies

The National Rural Health Alliance has embarked on an ambitious project in partnership with the Arts and Health Foundation and Regional Arts Australia

to win support for a national arts and health policy for Australia.  Over many years the Alliance has advocated close collaboration between arts and health practitioners as a key element in building wellbeing and health among all Australians.  The Alliance's outlook reflects the key functions that art can play in the life of a community:

• art in its various forms is used as a means of communication on health and health-related issues;
• art is itself therapeutic and is widely used to complement treatment and management; and
• art is widely used as a force for community development, to sustain communities and develop their capacity to deliver health-promoting lifestyles.

As a first step, we have advocated our position in a recent submission in response to the National Cultural Policy discussion document released by

Minister for the Arts, The Hon Simon Crean MP, in September 2011.

In early 2012, the project will arrange a national forum on arts and health as a precursor to the publication of  a draft national policy on arts and health. 

A crucial element of the project is to map current arts and health stories across Australia.  The project has established a website on the innovative Place Stories website to allow anyone involved in an arts and health project to record its details.  In this way we will build up a comprehensive map of the extent of contemporary arts and health practice.  Participants will also be able to view and comment on a draft national arts and health policy which will be developed for presentation to Commonwealth and State and Territory governments in 2012.

To help us promote the arts and health agenda the Alliance would like Member Bodies to publicise the project among their own members and supporters by:

• linking your website to the Alliance arts and health project webpage; and 
• publishing the attached item in your newsletter.

Many thanks.

Gordon Gregory

Executive Director

NRHA

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