Nonprofit Newswire | INNOVATIVE! Volunteer Artists Get Health Care Covered in Trade

May 12, 2010; Source: NYFA | Artists have value, and Brooklyn’s Woodhull Medical Center recognizes that cultural producers often go without remuneration for their work. During times of economic crisis, artists are hit harder due to their precarious economic position, and being self-employed, they’re frequently without access to health care. Through the Artist Access Program, the hospital is hoping to put a dent in this issue. The artists accrue health care credits through performances or interactive programs for patients. Credits, worth about a dollar each, are awarded at a rate of 40 per hour, and can be exchanged to cover sliding scale fees in Woodhull’s HHC Options program. The flat fees in the program permit artists to spend about 20 credits for a regular medical check-up. Over 400 artists have been covered in this way so far.—James David Morgan