The Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center (CSHHC) has provided comprehensive and compassionate care to the Greater New Haven community for 55 years. Thanks to a new initiative, its healing centers are becoming canvases for local artists to inspire and encourage community health and

well-being.

The HeART of Healing, a public art initiative created by the health center, was launched to invite and showcase local artists. They were commissioned to create artwork that enhances the health and healing that happens in clinical spaces while celebrating the diversity of the surrounding communities.

With the help of Art Consultant Sheila McKoy, of SDM Art Solution Services, Branch Manager of Stetson Library, Diane Brown and local community partners like Artspace New Haven, the health center selected five local artists in 2021 to create artwork that is now featured throughout all locations.

The project has been so successful that a second set of nine artists have been chosen to create additional pieces that will further the mission to highlight the connection between art and healing throughout the health centers. This is the second phase of what is planned to be a long-term

initiative.

Michael Taylor, CEO of the federally qualified health center, said Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center has grown exponentially over the more than half of a century of it being open and done so with intention. Over the past several years Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center has opened multiple new facilities with more forthcoming. This spring, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the long-awaited and state-of-the-art facility at the Dixwell Community House (Q House) in the heart of what has been New Haven’s historic African American community.

“I hope that people understand that we don’t just build buildings for the sake of building buildings,” Taylor said. “We create new care sites and renovate existing sites because we want to increase our capacity to deliver extraordinary care and an extraordinary experience for both our staff and our patients.”

Taylor spoke about the meaning behind the health centers. “It’s not just a building,” Taylor added. “It’s a representation of our commitment to the community and the people who support this organization.”

Part of that commitment is making sure that patients and staff feel welcome and seen in clinical spaces, said Dr. Mark Silvestri, Chief Medical Officer for Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center’s Medical and Dental services.

“It’s as close to home as such a space can be and makes you feel valued,” Silvestri said of what the artwork brings to the center. “It’s not just walls with paint. Someone put thought into how the place looks and that signals to patients that they were important enough to make the investment

in a nice environment.”

Dr. Ece Tek, Chief Medical Officer for Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center’s Mental Health and Addiction Services, said often patients facing issues of severe mental illness and addiction, need reminders that they are worthy of beautiful environments and compassionate care.

“People dealing with addiction problems can feel like they are at the bottom of society and that nobody in society cares about them,” Tek said. “This is part of our way of showing them respect and that they deserve good things too.”

While the main emphasis of the HeART of Healing project is putting physical artwork from local artists on the walls of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center’s facilities, that is only the beginning of the project. A digital art gallery of selected pieces from the HeART of Healing Project is available at https://www.cornellscott.org/art-emerges-at-cshhc. It will serve as a digital home where patients, the general public, and patrons of the arts can learn more about each piece and its creator. There also will be opportunities to purchase artwork from these creators and interact with them through CSHHC-sponsored community events.

Adriane Jefferson, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven, hailed the HeART of Healing project as an exemplary model for how public institutions can work with their local artistic community to have an equitable impact. She said it matters when an important public institution makes an outside-the-box investment in the community it already serves.

“There really is no way to do community investment if it is not touchable,” Jefferson said. “To seek artwork, mostly by people of color from this community, and to pay artists for their work – this is a great model.”

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About Cornell Scott-Hill Health

Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center is a national leader in community healthcare, offering state-of-the-art and integrated care at over twenty care sites throughout New Haven County. Serving more than 55,000 patients annually, CSHHC stands as a passionate advocate for community healthcare and the needs of the underserved.

About the HeART of Healing Art Initiative

Providing community artwork as a vessel for health and well-being to the patient and staff community. Sheila McKoy of SDM Art Solution Services leads the project by commissioning local artists to create and provide works of art for their facilities.

Media Contact:

Carlah Esdaile-Bragg, Director, Marketing and Community Relations

cesdaile@cornellscott.org, 203-503-3276