New Collaboration Between The Naples Players and NCH Uses Art to Heal
October 27, 2025
The Naples Players (TNP) and Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) are proud to announce the launch of ArtRX, a groundbreaking collaboration designed to promote healing, joy, and wellbeing through the transformative power of the arts.
Combining TNP’s mission of building community through exceptional access to the power of theatre with NCH’s mission to help everyone live a longer, happier, healthier life, this innovative collaboration will bring performing and visual arts into healthcare environments, enriching the lives of patients, clinicians, and volunteers alike.
The ArtRX initiative is built on a growing body of scientific research demonstrating the measurable benefits of arts in healthcare settings. Studies from the World Health Organization and leading medical journals show that engaging in the arts, whether through music, theatre, or visual expression, can reduce anxiety and pain, improve mood, enhance communication, and ower the need for certain medications. The arts are increasingly recognized as a powerful, evidence-based tool for improving both patient outcomes and staff wellbeing. By embedding this research into practice, ArtRX introduces a data-driven approach to compassionate care that helps transform the clinical environment into one that heals both body and spirit.
“ArtRX is built on a simple but powerful idea: that art can heal,” said Bryce Alexander, CEO and Executive Artistic Director of The Naples Players. “By integrating theatre, music, visual arts and storytelling into patient and staff experiences, we’re helping transform hospitals into spaces of empathy, expression, and connection.”
Healing Beyond the Hospital Walls
The rollout of ArtRX will bring arts-based programming to multiple NCH campuses, beginning with pilot projects in 2025 and 2026. Each year, the program will expand to include more departments, facilities, and initiatives. TNP’s involvement with the NCH Judith and Marvin Herb Family Simulation Center will be overseen by James Duggan, TNP’s Artistic Associate, who has been leading related efforts with NCH and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for the past several years. New staff and patient programs are being designed and directed by The Naples Players’ Director of Arts Access, Summer Pliskow, and NCH’s Chief Culture Officer, Jennifer Hart, who are working together with Duggan to create a sustainable model for long-term impact and national replication.
“The arts are an essential part of human expression, and when we bring them into healthcare, we remind people of their humanity,” said Summer Pliskow, TNP’s Director of Arts Access. “ArtRX isn’t just about performances; it’s about building meaningful connections that support healing for both patients and caregivers.”
“Our caregivers dedicate their lives to others,” said Jennifer Hart, NCH’s Chief Culture Officer. “ArtRX helps nurture their own wellbeing and reminds everyone on an NCH Campus that healing involves both science and humanity.”
Three Areas of Focus
The Patient Experience: From bedside concerts and hallway choruses to storytelling and art workshops, patients will engage with the arts as a source of comfort, agency, and emotional healing. These experiences reduce anxiety, ease pain, and help patients feel seen as people, not just patients.
Staff and Volunteer Wellbeing: Healthcare workers dedicate themselves to others’ wellbeing — making it essential that they also receive the support they need. Through creative workshops, pop-up performances, and collaborative art installations, ArtRX will offer moments of joy, reflection, and community that strengthen workplace culture and promote emotional resilience.
Training and Development: Using live actors and theatrical tools, The Naples Players will partner with NCH’s Simulation Center to enhance clinical communication, empathy, and teamwork through realistic roleplay and scenario-based training.
Art that Heals. Health that Lasts.
At its heart, ArtRX is a community movement that engages local artists, volunteers, and residents to give back through creativity. This initiative builds personal, social, and cultural wellbeing across Southwest Florida, serving as a model for how healthcare and the arts can unite to create healthier and happier lives.
Beyond Naples, both organizations anticipate this partnership will ignite a national movement, inspiring hospitals across the country to embrace the arts as an integral part of healing and healthcare. By combining data-driven impact with deeply human experiences, The Naples Players and NCH aim to show how creative collaboration can become a national prescription for wellness.
“There has never been a more important time to reconnect through creativity,” added Alexander. “We’re proving that art isn’t just entertainment; it’s medicine for the mind and heart.” Hart agreed. “ArtRx is a perfect demonstration of the power of community partnerships and our goal to provide a culture of wellness for our patients, caregivers, and team members.”
ABOUT TNP
The Naples Players (TNP) is one of the nation’s premier community theatres, building community through exceptional access to the power of theatre. Located in the heart of downtown Naples, TNP engages more than 700 volunteers and welcomes over 70,000 patrons and students annually through acclaimed productions, inclusive education programs, and innovative community partnerships. Featured nationally on America by Design, and recognized with both the Aurora Award for design excellence and the Collier Community Foundation’s inaugural ProVol Award for nonprofit innovation, TNP continues to serve as a cultural anchor and national model for how theatre can transform communities.
ABOUT NCH
NCH (Naples Comprehensive Health) is an Advanced Community Healthcare System™ serving Southwest Florida with premier routine, critical, and specialty care. NCH, a locally governed non-profit, is recognized as one of Healthgrades America’s Top 50 Hospitals which puts it in the top 1% in the nation for clinical excellence, in addition to being named a Top 50 Hospital for Surgical Care. The system is more than just two hospitals (referred to as the NCH Baker Hospital and NCH North Hospital) with a total of 713 beds – NCH is an alliance of over 750 physicians and medical facilities in dozens of locations throughout Southwest Florida and is the region’s only Joint Commission accredited Comprehensive Stroke Center. NCH cardiac care is ranked top three in the state by Healthgrades. NCH collaborates with the Hospital for Special Surgery for orthopedics, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for pediatrics, and ProScan Imaging for radiology services, ensuring top-tier medical care is available in Southwest Florida. With the largest provider network, urgent/immediate care centers, diagnostic facilities, and two hospitals, NCH is always advancing the quality of care near you. For more information, visit www.NCHmd.org.
