JBER included in military 'healing art' program

Updated: November 5, 2016 Published: November 5, 2016

Masks made by troops as part of the art therapy program at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Medical Center. (Photo by Sally Gifford)

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence, part of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, has provided what they call a "military healing arts partnership" with National Endowment for the Arts and the Department of Defense since 2011. The program supports creative arts therapies for service members with traumatic brain injury and associated health issues at Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

Late last month, the NEA announced that the program will be expanded to include five new clinical sites in the coming year. One of those locations will be Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The program funds art and music therapists and creative writing instructors who work with members of the military, veterans and their families.

In addition to JBER, the new program sites include: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California; Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina; Fort Hood, Texas; and Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington.

Mike Dunham

Mike Dunham was a longtime ADN reporter, mainly writing about culture, arts and Alaska history. He worked in radio for 20 years before switching to print. He retired from the ADN in 2017.