Mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression have continued to rise in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to what is increasingly described as a global mental health permacrisis. At the same time, healthcare systems across the Baltic Sea Region face growing pressure from ageing populations and rising demand in multiple areas of care. Traditional clinical pathways alone are often insufficient to meet these challenges, highlighting the need for preventive, community-based and non-medical approaches that complement existing services.

Arts on Prescription (AoP) addresses this need by enabling health and social care professionals, as well as other referral pathways, to prescribe structured participation in arts and cultural activities as a form of social prescribing.
While the concept has demonstrated positive effects on mental well-being internationally (WHO, 2025), practical knowledge on how to implement, finance and integrate AoP into public health systems has been limited. The Interreg BSR project addressed this gap and, after project closure, continues to generate tangible impact across the region.

Supporting stakeholders in implementing and piloting AoP across the Baltic Sea Region

Through the project, a generic and evidence-based AoP programme concept was co-created and successfully piloted during 24 pilot programme cycles across five countries (Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia and Sweden). By spring 2025, 255 participants had taken part in evaluated pilots implemented in diverse urban and rural settings. These pilots demonstrated consistent improvements in mental well-being, reduced loneliness and increased self-confidence among participants, providing a strong foundation for continuation and upscaling (see evaluation results here).

After project closure, several regions and municipalities have committed to sustaining and expanding AoP locally, including new initiatives targeting young people, rural communities and vulnerable groups.

Advancing cross-border cooperation through comprehensive training and guidance

A core achievement of the project is the creation of a comprehensive Arts on Prescription Guide, offering step-by-step guidance on organising, facilitating, evaluating and financing AoP programmes. The guide is complemented by an animation video, practical tools, audiovisual materials and an evaluation framework.

In addition, a train-the-trainer programme equipped facilitators, link workers and project managers with practical skills, while transnational conferences, knowledge-transfer workshops and peer-learning formats strengthened cooperation between health, culture and policy actors across borders. This shared learning continues beyond the project through mentoring offers and international collaboration platforms.

Strengthening capacities to act locally

The project significantly strengthened local and regional capacities by connecting health services, cultural institutions, municipalities and NGOs. New structures established after project closure, such as, competence centres, new AoP programmes, NGOs, micro-grant schemes and professional networks, enabling stakeholders to act independently while remaining connected to a wider transnational community. For more reading on spin-off, future initiatives and networks, see the news article here.

Capacity-building has empowered regions to adapt AoP to local health systems, funding mechanisms and target groups, ensuring relevance and ownership at local level while maintaining quality standards.

Scalable solutions – a solid foundation for wider replication

Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region has moved the concept from isolated pilots to a scalable and policy-relevant model. Building on the project’s results, the Baltic Sea Mental Health Platform consolidates knowledge from Arts on Prescription and other EU-funded initiatives into actionable policy recommendations, supporting wider political recognition of community-based, non-medical mental health interventions.

Through the International Arts on Prescription Collaborative (IAPC) and the project’s find-a-mentor offer, AoP continues to inspire regions beyond the Baltic Sea Region. Together, these achievements ensure that Arts on Prescription is not only sustained, but ready for replication at regional, national and international level – demonstrating the lasting added value of Interreg cooperation.