Final Conference - Acting on Health Conference Highlights the Growing Role of Arts in Public Health

The Acting on Health conference, organised by the NDPHS Secretariat as a Side Event of the NDPHS 17th Partnership Annual Conference,  brought together nearly 100 participants from across Europe to explore how arts-based approaches can strengthen public health systems. The event gathered experts, policymakers, and partners from the Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region (AoP) project for a day of dialogue, creative engagement, and exchange.

Through expert presentations, policy discussions, hands-on artistic experiences, and extensive networking opportunities, the conference marked an important step forward in embedding arts and social prescribing into health and wellbeing strategies across the region.

A Strong Opening Message on Health and Creativity

The conference opened with a keynote address by Marija Jakubauskienė, Minister of Health of Lithuania, who underlined the importance of innovative approaches to public health. She emphasised that Arts on Prescription and social prescribing play a vital role in fostering healthier and more resilient communities, setting an ambitious and inspiring tone for the day.

Moderated by Nils Fietje from the WHO Regional Office for Europe and hosted by the Estonian improv theatre Ruutu10, the programme intentionally combined policy dialogue with artistic expression. This balance reflected a core message of the event: participation in arts and culture is a meaningful health behaviour, with positive effects on mental wellbeing comparable to physical activity.

A Conference in Five Acts

The programme unfolded in five thematic acts, guiding participants from personal experiences to policy-level reflections and future-oriented solutions.

Act I: Voices from Arts on Prescription

The opening session focused on real-life experiences from the field.

• The Link Worker Perspective: Millie Kealy Jensen (Odense Kommune) described the essential role of link workers in listening, building trust, and helping participants reconnect socially and emotionally.
• Facilitating Creativity: Artist Karsten Auerbach (Psychiatric Hospital Odense) reflected on two decades of facilitating art in mental health contexts, highlighting the importance of safe creative spaces and shared artistic language.
• Participant Voice: From Bremen, Sven Grewe shared a personal story illustrating how routine, poetry, and group belonging positively influenced his wellbeing.

Act II: Learning from Pilot Projects

Partners from Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Poland, and Sweden presented insights from three years of AoP pilot programmes across the Baltic Sea Region. Examples included Latvia’s use of cultural heritage sites to reduce anxiety, Sweden’s focus on long-term sick individuals, Poland’s co-designed approach for young adults, Germany’s inclusive model integrating participants into existing cultural courses, and Denmark’s efforts to build bridges between the health and cultural sectors through national networking.

Act III: Evidence, Evaluation, and Professional Support

This session focused on what is needed to scale Arts on Prescription sustainably.
Dr. Ernests Pūliņš-Cinis addressed mental health support for facilitators, including burnout prevention and referral pathways.

University partners of the Arts on Prescription project shared evaluation results:

• Quantitative & Economic: Carsten Hinrichsen & Isabelle Mairey (University of Southern Denmark) demonstrated measurable outcomes and cost-benefit insights essential for policymakers.
• Qualitative: Liisa Laitinen (Turku University of Applied Sciences) highlighted strengthened self-esteem, reduced loneliness, and a fostered sense of social cohesion among participants from a qualitative evaluation.

Act IV: From Projects to Sustainable Funding

Discussions then turned to long-term financing. Nils Fietje challenged the traditional view of funding, framing AoP as a strategic investment in community health rather than an expense. The session explored the “economic ripple effects” – how funds invested in AoP stay in the local economy by employing facilitators and activating community venues.

Policy & Co-Financing

• European Perspective: Lina Papartyte (EuroHealthNet) discussed the European financial outlook, encouraging organizations to explore “Smart Capacitating Investment” models.
• National Strategy: Eglė Saudargaitė (Ministry of Culture, Lithuania) provided a crucial policymaker perspective on embedding social prescribing into long-term strategic documents, while acknowledging current barriers such as fragmented financing rules and lack of collaboration between ministries.

Act V: Looking Ahead – A Shared Vision

The final panel explored future directions for arts-based health interventions.
Bea Walker (National Academy for Social Prescribing, UK) discussed expanding arts within broader social prescribing frameworks.
Anna Enemark (Danish Cultural Institute) introduced the concept of a “Cultural First Aid Kit” as a tool for resilience in times of crisis.
Municipal and national perspectives were provided by representatives from Cēsis and Lithuania’s Ministry of Health, reinforcing the need for political commitment and cross-sector collaboration.

In the closing address, Dr. Ülla-Karin Nurm (NDPHS Secretariat) presented key policy recommendations, calling for a transition from pilot initiatives to permanent integration of arts-based approaches in mental health care. She emphasised the triple return on investment: improved wellbeing, stronger social cohesion, and economic benefits for local communities.

By incorporating AoP into mental health strategies, we can achieve a triple return on investment—boosting wellbeing and social connectedness, increasing productivity, and supporting local economies. This is not just about culture or creativity. It is about designing smart, sustainable public health policy that recognises the social determinants of health and invests in prevention rather than cure. Across the Baltic Sea Region, we have the evidence, the partners, and the infrastructure. What we need now is the political will to embed this approach within national frameworks, concluded Dr. Nurm.

Experiencing the Power of Art First-Hand

Throughout the day, participants took part in guided artistic activities, including music, movement, drawing, and poetry. These sessions – led by artists from Latvia, Denmark, and Ireland – demonstrated how inclusive and well-facilitated cultural experiences can create safe spaces, spark creativity, and support mental wellbeing, even for those without prior artistic experience: moving and playing instruments with Latvian musician Helēna Kozlova; traveling through human emotions and expressing them in drawings facilitated by Karsten Auerbach from Denmark; and even becoming the source of a poem written by Irish/Danish artist Madeleine Kate McGowan as a reflection of the day.

The Acting on Health conference showcased not only the growing evidence behind Arts on Prescription, but also its human impact – making a compelling case for arts and culture as an essential component of modern public health policy.

All Photos: Lelde Goba; Vygaudas Juozaitis

Video: Mārtiņš Kreilis

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