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Healing ‘arts’: How stories become medicine in Atlanta
Several local groups are using music, comedy, and other art forms to inform, comfort, and heal.
Rebecca Grapevine, Healthbeat
April 02, 2026 • Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Hi, Atlanta!
Atlanta is rich in both arts and public health expertise — and these two communities are working together to find new ways to talk about health.
One project, as I learned when conducting interviews about the upcoming “Mama Stories” performance at Spelman College, aims to reach broader audiences with information about maternal health and build trust among communities that may have been excluded from health research in the past.
The performance, which tells of near-fatal birth experiences in the women’s own words, is just one among many similar efforts in Atlanta, including:
Out of Hand Theater: This group uses theater — often performed in private homes for small groups — to educate and provoke conversation about topics like vaccines and racism in health care. Its current production, “Prisontown,” focuses on an ICE detention center in a small town.
Arts + Health Laboratory: Georgia’s NeuroArts Coalition: This partnership between Emory University, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Performance Hypothesis examines how the arts can improve well-being for people with cognitive impairment and their caregivers.
The state House: State representatives this year unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the key role the arts play in improving mental health.
ArtPharmacy: Atlanta-based startup SocialRx works with health systems and insurers to prescribe arts and community experiences to people dealing with loneliness or mental health struggles.
Dad’s Garage: The quirky theater uses improvisational comedy techniques to help caregivers meet the challenges of taking care of people with dementia.
This list just scratches the surface of the vibrant connections between arts and health in Atlanta. I was excited to learn recently that Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed health policy journal, also wants to include more art in its work. It’s asking artists to submit visual art, poetry, and essays that address how public health changes are impacting communities. The deadline to submit is May 11.
What connections do you see between art and health? Reply to this email, or post a comment, to let me know.
Actors portray the stories of Black women who nearly died in pregnancy in "Mama Stories," which will be performed in Atlanta on April 12. (Jonathan Snorten)
ICYMI
Here’s a recap of the latest reporting from Healthbeat:
Health + art: ‘Mama Stories’ turns maternal health research into live performance in Atlanta
CDC: Leadership disruptions at the CDC endanger Americans’ health
State public health: Four states, four strategies: Lessons for Georgia’s public health review
Measles: A pause in measles cases brings hope — and new questions - in S.C. outbreak
Q&A: Trust for America’s Health CEO: ‘Public health is at an inflection point’
Medical shipping: How the Iran war is disrupting the world’s medicine supplies
🌏 Sign up here for the Global Health Checkup, a weekly report that explains how global health matters to all.
The Grapevine 🍇
Well, this is exciting. I am a finalist in three categories for the Atlanta Press Club’s Awards of Excellence. 🎉 Here are the three stories:
Breaking news: Inside a crisis at the CDC: Shooting adds to trauma as workers describe projects, careers in limbo, with Andy Miller
Digital enterprise: Metro Atlanta measles outbreak contained by ‘all hands on deck’ response, but low vaccination rates keep Georgia vulnerable
Tech & business: Emory researcher explains how ‘frugal’ AI could reshape global public health
Congrats to my fellow finalists. Winners will be announced May 6. 🤞
What I’m hearing from readers:
Great reporting and such a critical issue that needs more advocacy ... thank you for bringing more light on this issue.
Hear from Healthbeat on other platforms:
Fox 5: I talk about what lessons other states’ public health reform efforts could hold for Georgia. Watch here.
Upcoming Events
April 6-12: National Public Health Week. Details here.
April 11-15: Black Maternal Health Week. A variety of events focused on resilience and education, including a performance of “Mama Stories." Details and registration here.
April 13, noon to 1 p.m.: “Measles in Georgia: Prevention, Policy, and Public Health Response,” a webinar sponsored by ARCHI. Details here.
April 16, 6 p.m.: Screening of documentary “Me Period” with accompanying distribution of menstrual products. Register here.
April 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The State of Everything - Volume 2, sponsored by Neighborhood Nexus. Details here.
April 29, 9 a.m. to noon: Georgia Public Health Association virtual annual conference. Details here.
What Do You Know?
Test your knowledge of public health topics. Today’s question:
About what percentage of births in Georgia are covered by Medicaid, the state’s low-income insurance plan? |
Tell Me More
What questions do you have about public health in Atlanta? You can reach me at [email protected], post a comment, or reply to this email.
In health,
Rebecca
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