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Danielle Giles focused her attention on painting a picture of a sandy beach while participating in the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center's "Heart Cart" outreach program. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Art cart makes healing rounds at St. Joseph Medical Center

December 11, 2022
By George P. Matysek Jr.
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Feature, Health Care, Local News, News

TOWSON – One day before she was scheduled to have coronary bypass surgery at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center after suffering a heart attack at 52, Danielle Giles focused her attention on painting a picture of a sandy beach.

Beginning in Summer 2021, University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson, has offered patients the chance to relax and express themselves creatively through the hospital’s “Heart Cart” outreach. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Watching an instructional video that played in her hospital room in early August, the parishioner of Church of the Nativity in Timonium carefully applied bright colors to her paper canvas.

“It’s not very beautiful or anything,” Giles said with a laugh, “but just the act of touching the brush to paper is the relaxing part. It’s a good way to be distracted when you have heavy stuff going on.”

Beginning in Summer 2021, University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson, has offered patients such as Giles the chance to relax and express themselves creatively through the hospital’s “Heart Cart” outreach. Volunteers roll the “Heart Cart” filled with art supplies from room to room and invite patients to create a variety of images with the help of a step-by-step video instruction session.

The program is not art therapy, but a means of helping patients cope as they face life-changing health challenges.

“It really does give them a reprieve from all the stress and anxiety and the unknown they are facing, said Victoria Chahanovich, patient experience program manager at the hospital. “It also allows another kind of personal connection between the staff and patient to kind of deepen that trust and that connection.”
Patients have the option of keeping their art or donating to the program to help inspire other patient artists.

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George P. Matysek Jr.

George Matysek, a member of the Catholic Review staff since 1997, has served as managing editor since September 2021. He previously served as a writer, senior correspondent, assistant managing editor and digital editor of the Catholic Review and the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

In his current role, he oversees news coverage of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and is a host of Catholic Review Radio.

George has won more than 100 national and regional journalism and broadcasting awards from the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, the Catholic Press Association, the Associated Church Press and National Right to Life. He has reported from Guyana, Guatemala, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

A native Baltimorean, George is a proud graduate of Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School in Essex. He holds a bachelor's degree from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore and a master's degree from UMBC.

George, his wife and five children live in Rodgers Forge. He is a parishioner of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland.

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