UF&Shands is set to receive two grants from the LIVESTRONG Foundation after participating in a voting competition that included applicants from across the country.
The Shands Arts in Medicine program will receive funding to participate in The Creative Center at University Settlement Outpatient Arts Program, while the Shands Jacksonville Medical Center will receive grant money to participate in the Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification Program for Palliative Care model program, according to a news release.
Although the total amount each campus will receive has not been released, the foundation has set aside more than $1 million to be distributed among 72 hospitals, cancer centers, universities and community-based organizations
The Arts in Medicine program plans to use the funding to expand its Mobile Inspiration Station, a program that provides weekly writing and visual workshops for cancer patients and survivors, according to Tina Mullen, the director of the Arts in Medicine program.
Shands’ Jacksonville campus will assist the Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification Program for Palliative Care to provide tools and training to 20 hospitals and cancer centers across the country to help them qualify for certification.
Founded in 1997 by cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LIVESTRONG Foundation provides free cancer support services to help patients and their families cope with the financial, emotional and practical challenges that come with cancer treatments.