Power of Culture Blog
New Data Highlights Economic Benefits of Social Prescribing
Prescribing arts & culture experiences helps address social isolation amongst people with chronic illness - and reduces healthcare costs
Erik Holmgren, Manager of Advancement and Strategic Partnerships
Opioid Settlement Funds to Fuel Prevention, Harm Reduction, Treatment, and Recovery Efforts
The Town of Franklin recently became the first municipality in the United States to invest in a new, innovative tool to combat the ongoing impacts of the opioid crisis: Arts Prescriptions, the practice of referring patients to creative experiences such as music, visual arts, dance, and theater.
Funded through the Town’s opioid settlement funds, their Arts Prescriptions initiative is designed to support substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery efforts within the community.
Arts Prescription is a proven tool for improving mental health and fostering resilience, and since 2020 Mass Cultural Council has been investing in and developing cross-sector partnerships to establish Arts Prescriptions in the Commonwealth.
The arts have historically played a positive role in substance abuse recovery, helping to reduce withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and depression while increasing motivation, treatment eagerness, and enjoyment.
By integrating the arts into wellness strategies, the Town of Franklin aims to provide inventive, accessible support for those in need.
“In Franklin, the timing of incorporating Arts Prescriptions is especially crucial as we continue to navigate the challenges of the opioid crisis that has profoundly impacted our community,” said Cory Shea, Franklin’s Director of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy.
The impact of the opioid crisis cannot be overstated. According to the World Health Organization, millions of people around the globe have died from opioid overdoses. In the United States, between June 2021 and March 2024 more than 100,000 people died from opioid related overdoses and some reports indicate that Massachusetts experienced deaths at more than twice the national average.
People continue to die despite increasing investments in substance abuse treatment and recovery. Since August 2023 the death rate has been declining but the need for continued investment in recovery and rehabilitation persists.
“The opioid crisis has devastated communities across the country, and Franklin is committed to exploring innovative solutions that support both recovery and also prevention,” said Amy Frigulietti, Franklin Deputy Town Administrator.
As a result of legal settlements with more than a dozen companies that manufactured, sold, or distributed prescription opioid painkillers, experts estimate that state and local governments across the United States will receive more than $50 billion over the next two decades.
These funds are focused on supporting prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery programming and can be used at the discretion of states and municipalities. Governments distributed approximately $1.7 billion in 2023.
Under Frigulietti’s and Shea’s leadership, Franklin has strategically connected opioid settlement funds to Arts Prescriptions, ensuring that recovery and prevention efforts include arts-based interventions.
“Art has a deeply personal connection for each individual, whether through creating it or experiencing it as an audience member. It offers a powerful way to rebuild a sense of self, providing an opportunity for healing and expression that many are yearning for,” said Shea.
The Town of Franklin has partnered with Art Pharmacy, a health services company focused on providing Arts Prescriptions, to offer experiences in the arts and culture as part of the substance abuse and recovery plans for clients in the area.
“Through Art Pharmacy, we embrace the approach that connects healing and art, giving us a more comprehensive path to recovery. This program is a vital step in recognizing the arts as an indispensable tool for recovery, self-expression, and community well-being,” said Shea.
Communities already working with Art Pharmacy have seen sky high adherence rates – the percentage of patients who actually utilize the prescription. According to data from Art Pharmacy, 77% of patients who are prescribed experiences in the arts follow through and engage with the prescribed activity, as compared to just over 40% of patients who take their prescribed medication for anxiety and depression.
Recent research from Canada even suggests that utilizing social prescriptions, like those provided by Art Pharmacy, generates more than $4 of savings for every $1 invested.
“Unfortunately, society often teaches us to cut the arts first, undervaluing their profound impact because their benefits don’t always show up on a balance sheet. But when a trusted prescriber gives the ‘order’, it shifts the narrative,” said Shea. “To be ‘prescribed’ culture is to recognize the power of art as a vital part of healing. It’s a response to a system that has failed so many; a chance to make things right by supporting a healthier, more sustainable solution.”
The approach that the Town of Franklin is taking to address the opioid crisis through arts experiences is an effective, cost-efficient, and scalable solution for the state. Every municipality in Massachusetts is receiving opioid recovery funding in addition to funds being directed to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Franklin is a pioneer in what Mass Cultural Council hopes will be a broad adoption of Arts Prescriptions throughout the Commonwealth.
“As community organizers, we need to remain open to all forms of healing. There will never be just one answer for communities to heal. We must be willing to explore and embrace diverse, innovative approaches to recovery. Through creativity and expression, we empower our community to rebuild and move forward together,” said Shea.
