From Pilot to Permanent: Arts on Prescription Becomes Part of Healthcare in Norrbotten

Creativity as Care: Norrbotten Makes Arts on Prescription Permanent

What if a paintbrush, a song or a shared creative moment could help reduce anxiety and loneliness? In Norrbotten, this idea has moved from experiment to established practice. After three years of piloting Arts on Prescription in Luleå and Boden, Region Norrbotten has decided to integrate the model permanently into primary care and outpatient psychiatry – with a county-wide roll-out beginning in autumn 2026!

A Complement to Traditional Treatment

The initiative was developed through the Interreg BSR project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region, co-funded by the European Union in cooperation with Sunderby Folkhögskola and Region Norrbotten. It targeted people with mild to moderate mental ill-health or long-term pain, many of them on sick leave. Over nine weeks, participants met twice weekly for group-based arts and cultural activities such as painting, music and movement – in a deliberately non-judgemental, non-performance-oriented setting.

The evaluation results from the pilot project were compelling. Participants reported improved well-being, reduced anxiety and depression, less loneliness and greater life satisfaction. More than 90% said they would recommend the programme to others.

These outcomes convinced regional decision-makers in Norrbotten. The Regional Development Committee unanimously supported mainstreaming the model, allocating regional funding to ensure its continuation and gradual expansion across Norrbotten through 2028.

Johannes Sundelin, Chair of the Regional Development Committee, summarised the rationale: participants appreciate the programme, return from sick leave in a better way, and demonstrate strong outcomes. On this basis, the region has allocated funding equivalent to a half-time position to ensure continuity.

The roll-out will occur in four phases:

• Autumn 2026: Primary care and outpatient psychiatry in Luleå and Boden.

• Spring 2027: Eastern Norrbotten (Kalix, Haparanda, Överkalix, Övertorneå).

• Autumn 2027: Southern Norrbotten (Piteå, Älvsbyn, Arjeplog, Arvidsjaur).

• Spring 2028: Northern Norrbotten (Gällivare, Kiruna, Jokkmokk, Pajala).

A Complement, Not a Replacement

Arts on Prescription does not replace therapy or medication. It complements them. Activities remain group-based, inclusive and non-performance-oriented. The emphasis lies on creative expression, social interaction and behavioural change in a safe environment.

Importantly, Norrbotten had already implemented Nature on Prescription and Physical Activity on Prescription. Arts and Culture now join this family of preventive and rehabilitative approaches.

A Model for Wider Adoption

The permanent adoption of Arts on Prescription demonstrates how EU-supported pilot initiatives can lead to systemic change. What started as a time-bound project has become an integrated service within regional healthcare.

The core insight may be simple yet powerful: art and creativity can help people reconnect – with themselves and with others. In a healthcare system facing rising mental health demands, such complementary pathways are no longer experimental. In Norrbotten, they are becoming standard practice.

Programme Manual Online

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