Circle of Care

Philadelphia, PA, 2004

Seriously ill patients and their family members frequently report dissatisfaction with communication in health care, suggesting a need for improvement in this fundamental aspect of medicine. Unfortunately, most physicians receive little training in how to communicate with patients and their families about chronic and terminal illness.

Through metaphor and symbol, the arts have the power to articulate and communicate feelings and meaning, providing a language for body, mind and spirit—the whole person. The relationship between medicine and the arts is hardly new, but efficiencies and technology have eclipsed that role. WHYY-TV Wider Horizons's goal was to use the arts to enhance communication and personalize the experience of health care by helping both professionals and the public to understand their value in the process of healing and coping with pain and suffering.

Television programming for this project included a series of 2-minute pieces, which were aired during the course of some months, then edited into a 30-minute documentary followed by a one-hour discussion with leading experts on the role of arts and humanities in medicine. The short segments were wrapped with resource and referral information, such as online resources for arts connections, bibliographies, and instructions and templates for families and professionals to use with patients.

The project also disseminated the video programming in specific patient care venues through the efforts of the 100-plus members of the community-based Caring Community Coalition and created accessible Web-based educational modules, an online toolkit and resource directories. Caring Community partners identified settings for showing the video to facilitate a dialogue among families, health care staff, medical students or community members. WHYY's Artist-in-Residence used a video segment in community health centers to encourage patients and professional staff to actively participate in a hands-on pastel drawing session focused on seeing, hearing and doing.

Awards:

WHYY Round Four

The Eastern Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society (EPGS) President's Award to Willo Carey
—for her major contribution to the lives of older residents of Philadelphia
This award was given only once in the past 15 years!

$2,000 to WHYY Wider Horizons for a Community Leadership Summit on healthcare
—National Center for Outreach

2005 National Friends of Public Broadcasting Community Development Award to WHYY Caring Community
— Public Broadcasting System

$20,000 matching funds
— College of Physicians of Philadelphia

$15,000 to WHYY Wider Horizons
— for outreach around the PBS series "Remaking American Medicine, Healthcare for the 21st Century"

2005 Second Annual Community Partnership Award
— National Center for Outreach

WHYY Round Three

Circle of Love: Living with Alzheimer's Awards
Best TV Documentary
— 2005 Regional (PA, NY, NJ) Edward R. Murrow Awards

Best Local TV Documentary
— 2005 Clarion Award
Best of Show Prize and Gold, Media/Television
— 2005 National Mature Media Award

Best Television Report on Health and Science, First Place
— 2005 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Greater Philadelphia Chapter

Finalist Certificate
— 2005 New York Festivals Television Programming and Promotion Health and Medical Issues

CINE Golden Eagle Award 2004/Science & Technology Fall 2004

Additional Funding

$20,000 in matching funds
—The Patricia Kind Family Foundation

$12,000 for Sound Partners project activities
—Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University

$10,000 for outreach for "The Forgetting"
—Twin Cities Public Television

$12,000 Challenge grant and phone bank assessment
—National Center for Outreach