Greenlawn’s Dolan Family Heath Center recently received 12 ceiling tiles painted by members of the Smithtown Senior Center.
The intent of art in this setting is to “help create a more comfortable environment,” said Joseph Volavka, the Dolan Family Health Center’s senior administrative director. Many of the tiles depict landscapes and wildlife. According to a 2010 study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (JRSM) and cited by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “Contrary to a view which may prevail among some contemporary artists, patients who are ill or stressed about their health may not always be comforted by abstract art, preferring the positive distraction and state of calm created by the blues and greens of landscape and nature scenes instead.”
The Dolan Family Health Center, affiliated with Huntington Hospital, provides primary health care to people medically under-served in Huntington. The Center has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a Patient Centered Medical Home. It has been certified by the Joint Commission and is also recognized for its distinction in Diabetes care.