Cultural Center and Medical Center to offer music and wellness program
JOSHUA TREE, CA – The Hi-Desert Cultural Center is creating strategic coalitions with the YAMAHA Music and Wellness Institute, Copper Mountain College, and the Hi-Desert Medical Center to develop empirically-based, scientifically-validated programs that use arts to promote whole-being wellness. The Desert Music for Wellness Foundation, a new subsidiary of the Hi-Desert Cultural Center, is the recent recipient of a grant from the Community Foundation to provide patients at the Hi-Desert Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Center with stress management through the innovative use of rhythmic music-making.
Specifically, this grant offers a chance for quality of life improvement leading to well-being on psychosocial and biological levels through the use of the HealthRHYTHMS® protocol that was developed from peer-reviewed published scientific research that shows the health benefits of recreational music making– including stress reduction, mood improvement and a boost to the immune system. HealthRHYTHMS® was developed after leading neurologist and mind-body researcher and CEO of the YAMAHA Music and Wellness Institute, Barry Bittman, MD (who has pledged his in-kind expertise and resources to assist with this program) led a renowned research team in the first biological study on the effects of group drumming. Subsequent published research supports the program. Each session will be facilitated by 2 individuals who have received the extensive HealthRHYTHMS® training led by Dr. Bittman. The CDC Guideline for cleaning environmental surfaces in patient care areas (Part I, Section E-1) will also be followed. This will be a new, innovative program for both this region and most of the health-care districts in the United States.