When Stacey (Murray) Park ’00, was a student at Missouri Western, Dr. Jim Buglewicz, her psychology professor, talked about how the arts could be used to help people, and she even attended a conference of the National Association of Drama Therapy in New York.
Those lessons, she says, played a part in her current passion: promoting a Healing HeARTS program at Heartland Health in St. Joseph.
“I knew when I found out about using arts to help people, it was the right fit,” she said.
In October of 2010, Stacey was volunteering at Heartland Health when she found out the hospital wanted to start an arts program for its patients. Stacey immediately agreed to take on the project. She named the arts program Healing HeARTS, and two months later, she launched the Art Cart, which is packed with arts and crafts supplies, music, magazines, photographs, bubbles, clown noses, and “Smile Bags.”
Thanks to volunteers, the Art Cart regularly makes it rounds not only to patients’ rooms at Heartland, but to waiting areas around the hospital, too. Stacey has found that the Art Cart uplifts both patients and staff, and nurses often call to request a visit from the Art Cart for their patients.
Although she started Healing HeARTS with the Art Cart, she has a lot of ideas to expand the program. She wants to start an initiative where patients can select artwork to hang in their rooms, especially those in the Long Term Acute Care Hospital, and she hopes to begin offering free concerts at Heartland. Another idea includes having local musicians and music students provide music for patients in their rooms.
In April, she was hired as the Healing HeARTs coordinator for Heartland Health and Hands of Hope Hospice. “I want to bring an uplift to staff, patients and visitors and provide a positive distraction to the hospital experience,” Stacey says.
As a student, the St. Joseph native was involved in the theatre productions at Missouri Western and was active in the forensics organization, even competing in the national tournament two years. Her forensics duet partner when she was in high school, Jason, also competed in forensics with Stacey in college. They were married in 2000 and have three children.
She received a bachelor of interdisciplinary studies degree in theatre and psychology from Missouri Western and went on to earn a master’s degree in theatre with a drama therapy concentration from Kansas State University in 2002. Two years later, she earned a master of social work degree from the University of Kansas.
Stacey has remained connected to Missouri Western. She was an adjunct professor from 2004 to 2006, and since 2009, she has been the host of Missouri Western Television’s “Art Beat,” where she interviews artists and performers throughout the area.
She is currently developing opportunities for volunteers; if anyone wants to learn more about it, they can call her at 816-262-7023 or Stacey.Park@heartland-health.com.
“I have my dream job,” Stacey said. “I get the privilege to witness the power of the arts transform another person’s day.”
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