On Oct 25, 2022, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and NYC Health + Hospitals celebrated the publication of Healing Walls at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. Healing Walls commemorates the three-year Community Mural Project, a flagship of the NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine program. From 2019 through 2021, artists selected from hundreds of applicants collaborated with staff and the surrounding communities to create 26 murals— one in all eleven of the system’s hospitals, all five rehab and long-term care facilities, nine neighborhood clinics that are a part of NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health community health centers and the health system’s new headquarters at 50 Water Street in Manhattan.
All 26 murals are documented in Healing Walls. The book is published by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund as a gift to the healthcare system in thanks for their bravery and dedication to the health of all New Yorkers, regardless of their circumstances. Healing Walls is being offered free to NYC Health + Hospitals staff and more than 1,500 employees and community members who participated in the project. It will be available for purchase on Amazon later this year, with all proceeds going to the NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine program.
The event will include the artists, NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz, Illumination Fund President Laurie M. Tisch, and hospital CEOs and members of the Community Advisory Boards from across the city.
“We are proud to have underwritten this extraordinary program and to present this book to all of the people who work tirelessly every day and night to ensure the health of all New Yorkers,” said Laurie Tisch, founder and president of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. “Our mission is to increase access and opportunity for all New Yorkers and to foster healthy and vibrant communities. This program epitomizes our values and illustrates how art can improve lives and promote healing. Creating Healing Walls was a labor of love.”
“I am particularly proud of the courage, competence, and resilience of the staff at NYC Health + Hospitals,” said Mitchell Katz, MD, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. “Under the best circumstances healthcare work is demanding and stressful, so finding ways to heal ourselves as we heal others is vital. Our Arts in Medicine program serves as a model for hospitals across the country. The Community Murals bring joy and beauty into our facilities and serve as a reminder that we are stronger when we come together across all sectors of the system.”
