The ears of patients at Evanston Hospital are treated to more than just intercom calls and snippets of nurses' conversations.
For a year and a half, the hospital has been incorporating the Music and Medicine Program into its existing services, said Elizabeth Espinoza, coordinator of the program.
Though the hospital has had a sparse music therapy program for 10 years, an anonymous donor allowed hospital officials to expand music offerings to more patients and their families.
Therapists commonly work with hospice patients and those referred to the program for emotional expression, pain management and coping skills.
"We use music to achieve non-musical goals," Espinoza said. "We serve as an adjunct to other rehab as something familiar and non-threatening to patients. They know that we're not trying to get any information out of them; we're just there to talk. Sometimes they don't even realize that they're in therapy."
In one-on-one sessions, patients may listen to music to help deal with their emotions or use songs as an escape from pain and other factors leading to stress.
The service is also a source of joy in a hectic hospital, Espinoza said. She recalled one stroke patient who would sing along to the tunes during her visits.
"The hospital is such a busy environment and the people are so sick, so they are often so surprised to find something pleasant," she said.
Friends and family of patients have also benefitted from the music. Since November, musicians have volunteered to play in waiting rooms, lobbies and nursing stations as a part of the Live Music Program.
"There are a lot of people that want to give back," Espinoza said.
As more people began to request the treatments, Espinoza said, Evanston Hospital's program expanded its services to Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview by hiring music therapist Regan Thompson in September.
Thompson began her musical career at the age of five, but said she chose music therapy to meld two of her passions: music and philanthropy.
2008 Woodie Awards
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