Lincoln Medical And Mental Health Center in the Bronx is cutting a deal with local artists: Your creativity for our care.
The new Lincoln Art Exchange program is “aimed at reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes among our artists,” said Lincoln Executive Director and Health and Hospitals Corp. Senior VP Iris Jimenez-Hernandez.
Lincoln Art Exchange will work on a barter system, rather than have artists pay out of pocket.
For every hour an artist plies his or her craft in the service of the hospital (painting a mural or performing music, for example), he or she gets 40 health credits” worth $40.00. Those credits can be used for doctor visits, prescriptions, hospitalizations and other treatments.
The art exchange is backed by Tony and Grammy award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda (author and star of “In The Heights”) and hip-hop celebrity Roxanne Shante.
“This is an exciting, potentially win-win venture for both New York City Health and Hospitals and the artistic community,” Miranda said.
