BY: RHODA WEISS
Ms. Weiss is a Santa Monica, CA–based health care consultant and speaker.
The stories of people suffering from severe brain and spinal cord injuries
can be extremely compelling. To showcase their abilities rather than their disabilities,
the world-renowned Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey,
CA, created a communications program to spotlight the uplifting stories of patients
who have overcome their disabling conditions through art. Many "graduates" of
Rancho's rehabilitation services — those who are paralyzed or battle the effects
of polio, multiple sclerosis, or strokes — have become talented artists.
The Art of Rancho program was built around the facility's annual art show,
where Rancho artists display their painting, ceramics, and crafts. The target
audiences for the program include health care executives, clinicians, case managers,
and leaders in the health care industry.
The centerpiece of the program is an 84-page "Art of Rancho" book that tells
the stories of the Rancho artists and includes a photograph of their work as
well as a portrait of each artist drawn by Rancho "graduate" Steve Clay. A Rancho
calendar and appointment book are also available, and limited-edition posters
and a documentary video are in the works.
"Our artists are outstanding examples of the courage and commitment that are
the hallmarks of Rancho patients and the Rancho Los Amigos team," says Rancho
Chief Executive Officer Consuelo Diaz. "The Art of Rancho program shines a bright
light on these incredible individuals and gives many of our other patients hope
that they, too, can build a strong bridge to independence at Rancho."
The Art of Rancho marketing pieces were created by Waskul World Wide Communications
of Glendale, CA, a marketing consultant to the hospital. The materials are part
of a broader marketing program that has helped steadily increase Rancho's census.
These gains are the result of strategies and communications vehicles and help
to maintain Rancho's status as the only medical rehabilitation facility in California
ranked in the top 10 of the U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals"
survey.
"We have had an unprecedented response to the program since it was created
in the fall of 2000," says Diaz. "We now get calls each week from individuals
and organizations asking to become involved. Media coverage has included major
newspaper, magazine, radio, and television news stories. We've had so many requests
for information that we placed links for the calendar and art book on the home
page of our website (rancho.org). And we're also exploring appropriate venues
to have our artists' work shown outside the Rancho campus."
Success in that area is growing — beginning June 15, "The Art of Rancho" will
be exhibited for a month by Art Core, an avant-garde arts organization whose
gallery in Los Angeles is near the center of California's largest artist colony.
The Transamerica Center in downtown Los Angeles will host the exhibit for three
months beginning July 15.
"To have major organizations such as Transamerica provide free gallery space
for our artists is simply amazing," says Debbie Tomlinson, Rancho's director
of volunteer services. "The stature of our artists within the arts community
has greatly increased because of this program. Our artists are all very excited
about the opportunity to exhibit their work in the same forum as other outstanding
artists from around the world."
Success Stories
Robert Thome suffered a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the neck
down. Since coming to Rancho, he has become a noted artist. "When you have a
catastrophic disabling injury, you search for a door or window so that you can
express yourself," he says. "That's where art came in for me. After they showed
me at Rancho how to use a mouthstick to paint, it was like learning a different
language. Once you get it, there's no limit to what you can do. You can be free,
you can fly, you can be anybody you want to be."
Esvin Rodriguez was just 15 years old when he was paralyzed from the neck
down after a gunshot wound. He learned to paint at Rancho, beginning with a
paint-by-number set. "When I paint, I forget my past and only concentrate on
what I am doing at this moment. I believe my art expresses and praises the beauty
in the world around me," he says.
Other artists' stories are just as compelling. Bonnie Dodge was unable to
move her hands because of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. After a series of joint
replacement surgeries, she paints and has resumed her career as a concert cellist.
Steve Clay's painting hand was incapacitated by a stroke. Rancho taught him
to paint with his other hand while he underwent years of therapy that eventually
restored much of his ability.
Ann Ruth was paralyzed below the neck by an gymnastics accident. Yet today,
despite not being able to move her arms and legs, she has become a noted painter
and also parasails and skydives.
"The Art of Rancho program has been a very important part of our marketing
effort. But most importantly, it has captured the hearts of our patients, our
staff, and our colleagues throughout the world," says Diaz. "It has helped us
show, in a way that everyone can understand, how the Rancho team works with
our patients to help them realize the power of their dreams."
For further information, contact Rhoda
Weiss at 310-393-5183.
Copyright © 2002 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby or call (314) 253-3477.