Mural Arts Program Partners with the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services
As part of an exciting partnership with the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services, Cesar Viveros and Pedro Ospina's project at the Maria de los Santos Health Center addresses the influence of stigma on the treatment of mental illness and offers hope for support and healing.
Maria de los Santos Health Center
Through a series of five collaborative projects this year, the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services and the Mural Arts Program hope to draw attention to the availability of avenues of treatment within the local community while further encouraging dialogue exploring recovery and healing. By partnering with Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc., which operates the Maria de los Santos Health Center, Mural Arts specifically hopes to encourage neighborhood employment of the Behavioral Health programs available through the center.
Design for Maria de los Santos Health Center Project
Due to the stigma that mental illness holds within the Hispanic/Latino community, these Behavioral Health programs are not as frequently utilized as other services offered by the center. However, they are valuable resources which offer powerful methods of treatment and support. By encouraging a stronger relationship between these programs and others utilized by the local community, we hope to move beyond the barrier of stigma to the importance of recovery.
Already, such a relationship has been encouraged thanks to the creativity of writers and actors at Eskot Entertainment, who have aided in the stimulation of dialogue during several meetings held in partnership with Art-Reach with young adults at Fisher Lane, a residential treatment facility for those coping with mental health issues. As an improvisational group focused on cultural diversity and open communication, Eskot Entertainment has provided fresh perspectives on this project and the issues it raises, while encouraging all to interact and provide their unique contributions.
For additional information, please call the Mural Arts Program at 215.685.0750.
Past Featured Projects