Created at the national level in 1999 by the ministries responsible for Culture and Health, the “Culture and Health” policy was relaunched and strengthened at the regional level with the signing of a new agreement of objectives 2025-2028 between the DRAC, the Region and the ARS.
Its objective is to provide access to culture for patients, their loved ones and nursing staff by integrating cultural actions into medical or medico-social structures. To do this, it supports the establishment of artist residencies, encourages cooperation between health structures and cultural structures, as well as initiatives co-constructed over several months, integrated into establishment projects. HAS
The 2025 and 2026 calls for projects illustrate the attractiveness of the program as well as the involvement of regional cultural and health stakeholders, with 43 projects selected in 2025 and 39 projects selected in 2026, spread across all 6 departments of the region. Among them, 7 AP-HM projects were selected in 2025 and 6 in 2026.
In total, more than 10,000 beneficiaries are concerned: patients, residents, families, caregivers and professionals.
For each of the two years, €410,000 was mobilized jointly by the partners, i.e. €160,000 by the DRAC, €90,000 by the Region and €160,000 by the ARS.
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« In large cities or more isolated areas, artistic residencies in healthy environments illustrate a strong conviction: to create is also to take care; art therefore has its place where we provide care » indicate the DRAC.Â
“With this system, the Southern Region is choosing a culture accessible to all, including in places of care and support. By supporting artistic projects as close as possible to patients, residents and caregivers, we affirm that culture is an essential lever of social cohesion and territorial equality.” indicates the Southern Region.
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“Through this program, everyone was able to realize the richness of the dialogue between culture and health. By making people vibrate, dream, and think differently, the works have enlivened the places of care. The ARS Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur was particularly keen to support this policy of well-being and access to culture for all.” supports Yann Bubien, general director of the ARS.
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“The AP-HM has been fully participating, for many years, in the national and regional public policy “Culture and Health” relayed in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region by the DRAC, ARS and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region.
It implements the Hospitality Journey program which offers unique cultural and artistic actions in the heart of the hospital, co-constructed with artists, cultural partners and hospital staff. These contribute in particular to improving reception, living and working conditions for hospital residents (patients, visitors, staff), to experimenting with new forms of relationships, sharing and transmission between art, creation, the hospital and society. In 2025, the AP-HM collaborated with around thirty cultural partners in the region and around forty services and care units in its various establishments. She also set up a “culture” group with the 13 establishments of the Groupement Hospitalier de Territoire Hôpitaux de Provence” indicates the AP-HM.
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