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The Associated Press / Sep. 8, 2005

NYC Artists Trade Talents for Health Care
 

Artists Exchange Talents for Health Care in NYC Bartering Program
By ELIZABETH LeSURE

Artist Betsy Kelleher had gotten by for a few years without health insurance until a sinus infection landed her in a doctor's office and she was told she had high blood pressure.

The visit prompted Kelleher to seek help from an unusual source: a bartering program allowing artists and performers to volunteer at a Brooklyn hospital in exchange for health care there.

Months later, Kelleher sat in a child-size chair at a table piled with colorful yarn, felt and other supplies to craft sock puppets with pediatric patients at Woodhull Hospital her payment for a recent doctor's visit there.

"There are no rules to this game," she told three girls, two dressed in hospital gowns. "You can do whatever you want."

The program's aims are to divert and comfort patients while reaching out to artists and performers, who often lack health insurance because of their freelance status and fluctuating incomes.

After watching Kelleher make a sample puppet, the youngest patient, 5-year-old Kaylani Salas, picked out a pink sock and chose pink buttons for eyes and pink felt for puppy-like ears. She watched intently as Kelleher used a hot glue gun to attach the puppet's features to the sock.

Kaylani, hospitalized with asthma problems, was joined by 14-year-old Prestina Cook, who had been undergoing tests to find the source of pain in her side, and 17-year-old Katie Rivera, who had gallstones.

"It's not a pretty feeling," Rivera said of her hospitalization. The activity, she said, "takes your mind off a lot of things."

Though performing artists' unions offer health insurance plans for their members, most require a minimum annual income that not all can meet. Visual artists must contend with the financial ups and downs that come with selling their work sporadically, said Kelleher, a teaching artist who once worked for Jim Henson Associates on Muppets productions.

"There was always this pressure you know, I better sell my paintings for a lot of money, I better be really successful, because I've got to get myself some health insurance if I'm going to continue being an artist," she said.

Not having insurance, Kelleher said, was "too risky."

"Artists do take a lot of risks in general, but the health thing is a little bit too risky," said Kelleher, who lives in Brooklyn's Williamsburg section, a neighborhood known for its strong arts community.

Woodhull a nearby public hospital run by the state-created Health and Hospitals Corp. wanted to target artists and performers "because they're our neighbors," said medical director Dr. Edward Fiskin, who got the idea for the bartering program while bicycling with a former dancer.

Kelleher's volunteer session was the first of several scheduled events that are part of a pilot program Woodhull hopes will expand to other city hospitals.

The exchange is just one aspect of the hospital's effort to promote a plan that provides care on a sliding scale to working people who don't have health insurance but make too much money to be eligible for Medicaid or other government programs.

Artists who sign up for the plan can pay out of pocket based on their income or offer their services.

For every hour an artist volunteers, the hospital puts 40 credits the equivalent of $40 into a health care account to be used for medical expenses.

About 150 people have signed up for the plan through a special hot line set up for artists and performers, and roughly 40 have expressed interest in the exchange part of the program.

Kelleher, whose paintings and drawings have been exhibited in Miami, Cleveland and Texas as well as New York City, now works at a nonprofit arts education organization that provides her with health insurance. But she was considering continuing with the program so she can use her money for other things including art supplies. Her first doctor's visit at Woodhull went well, she said.

"I think that just seeing the doctor has made me feel less stressed," she said. "Just knowing they're there, in case I need them. Kind of comforting, you know?"

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  • CERF: Craft Emergency Relief Fund

www.craftemergency.org
The mission of CERF is to strengthen and sustain the careers of craft artists across the United States. CERF accomplishes its mission through direct financial and educational assistance to craft artists, including emergency relief assistance, business development support, and resources and referrals on topics such as health, safety, and insurance.

CERF also advocates for the interests of craft artists.

CERF offers an extensive list of resources for artists here: www.craftemergency.org/resource.htm.

New resource in 2005!

CHANGE, INC. - Established in 1970 by Robert Rauschenberg to assist professional artists in all disciplines in need of emergency aid.

CHANGE, INC
PO Box 54
Captiva, Fla 33924
212-473-3742


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The max's kansas city project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the arts community.