NYC Health + Hospitals and Juilliard Extension Launch Harmonizing for Health Program to Address Health Care Provider Burnout – NYC Health + Hospitals

Report on the ‘Harmonizing for Health’ Initiative: Aligning Arts and Healthcare with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Strategic Alignment with Global Goals

On October 23, 2025, a strategic partnership was announced between NYC Health + Hospitals’ Arts in Medicine department and Juilliard Extension to launch “Harmonizing for Health.” This pilot program is designed to address the critical issue of burnout and compassion fatigue among healthcare providers. By integrating music, dialogue, and reflection into the workday, the initiative directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The program will initially be implemented at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, involving approximately fifty employees, with its efficacy assessed by researchers from the Yale School of Public Health.

Contribution to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The core objective of Harmonizing for Health is to advance SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. The program specifically targets the mental health and well-being of the healthcare workforce, a demographic identified by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as facing a burgeoning mental health crisis. By creating a supportive environment, the initiative seeks to mitigate stress and enhance emotional resilience, which are essential for a sustainable public health system.

The intervention is grounded in scientific evidence demonstrating the therapeutic benefits of music, which include:

• Reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Support for pain management and healing from trauma.
• Decreased blood pressure and improved sleep quality.
• Enhanced mental alertness, memory, and overall well-being.

Fostering SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

This initiative represents a significant investment in SDG 8 by promoting a safe, secure, and healthy working environment for healthcare professionals. Addressing burnout is critical to protecting labor rights and fostering decent work. By improving staff wellness, the program aims to enhance psychological safety, boost morale, and contribute to workforce retention, ensuring a resilient and sustainable healthcare labor force. This effort complements other systemic investments by NYC Health + Hospitals to support its employees.

Other key workforce wellness initiatives include:

1. The Helping Healers Heal (H3) program, providing access to licensed mental health practitioners.
2. The establishment of 20 Wellness Rooms across the health system for staff decompression.
3. The Employee Assistance Program for external professional mental health services.
4. The HHArt of Medicine program, which uses art observation to address burnout and deepen empathy.

Exemplifying SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Harmonizing for Health is a model for SDG 17, showcasing a multi-stakeholder partnership that leverages the unique strengths of public, private, and academic institutions to achieve a common goal. The collaboration combines expertise in healthcare, the arts, philanthropy, and academic research to create a comprehensive, evidence-based program.

The key partners and their roles are:

• NYC Health + Hospitals: The nation’s largest public health system, providing the implementation framework and access to healthcare staff.
• Juilliard Extension: A world-renowned performing arts institution, providing artistic expertise, faculty, and musicians to lead the workshops.
• The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund: A philanthropic foundation providing the necessary funding and visionary support for integrating arts into health.
• Yale School of Public Health: An academic institution providing rigorous, data-driven evaluation of the program’s impact on staff burnout and retention.

This partnership ensures the program is not only innovative but also measurable and scalable, contributing valuable insights to the global intersection of arts and well-being.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article’s primary focus is on addressing the mental health crisis among healthcare workers, specifically “staff burnout and compassion fatigue.” The “Harmonizing for Health” program is designed to improve the mental and emotional well-being of hospital employees, which directly aligns with promoting health for all.
2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The initiative aims to create a more sustainable and compassionate healthcare environment. By tackling burnout, the program contributes to a safer and more secure working environment for healthcare professionals. The article also notes that the program’s effectiveness in contributing to staff “retention” will be assessed, linking directly to the principles of decent work.
3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article highlights a multi-sectoral collaboration to achieve the program’s goals. It is a partnership between a public healthcare system (NYC Health + Hospitals), an arts and educational institution (Juilliard Extension), a research university (Yale School of Public Health), and a philanthropic foundation (the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund). This collaboration exemplifies the spirit of SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Target 3.4: “By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.” The program directly addresses the “promote mental health and well-being” aspect of this target. It is an intervention designed to “combat staff burnout,” “decrease anxiety,” and nurture the “mental and emotional well-being of those who provide care.”
   • Target 3.c: “Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce…” While the context is not a developing country, the principle of ensuring the “retention of the health workforce” is a key goal. The article explicitly states that researchers will “assess whether the intervention effectively addresses staff burnout and could contribute to retention.”
2. Under SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • Target 8.8: “Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers…” The article describes a “burgeoning mental health crisis for healthcare workers,” indicating an unsafe psychological work environment. The program, along with other initiatives like “Wellness Rooms” and the “Helping Healers Heal (H3) program,” aims to foster a “more sustainable, compassionate healthcare environment,” thereby promoting a safer workplace.
3. Under SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…” The entire initiative is a model of this target. The article details the collaboration between NYC Health + Hospitals (public), Juilliard Extension (private education), the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (civil society/philanthropy), and the Yale School of Public Health (private research) to address a common goal.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 3.4 (Promote mental health and well-being)
   • Indicator: Rate of burnout among healthcare staff. The article mentions that “nearly half of health workers said they felt burned out.” The program’s success will be measured by its ability to “effectively address staff burnout,” implying that a reduction in this rate among the fifty participating employees is a key performance indicator.
   • Indicator: Measures of mental well-being. The article states that music “reduces symptoms of depression” and “decreases anxiety.” The evaluation by the Yale School of Public Health will likely use psychological assessment tools to measure changes in these areas for program participants.
2. For Target 3.c (Retention of the health workforce)
   • Indicator: Staff retention rate. The article explicitly states that researchers will assess if the program “could contribute to retention.” Therefore, tracking the retention rate of employees who participate in the program compared to a control group would be a direct indicator of progress.
3. For Target 8.8 (Promote safe and secure working environments)
   • Indicator: Number and scope of workforce wellness initiatives. The article describes the “Harmonizing for Health” program as one of several initiatives, including the “HHArt of Medicine program,” “Helping Healers Heal (H3) program,” and “20 Wellness Rooms.” The existence and expansion of these programs serve as an indicator of the organization’s commitment to creating a psychologically safer work environment.
4. For Target 17.17 (Effective partnerships)
   • Indicator: Establishment of multi-stakeholder partnerships. The article itself documents the formation of a partnership involving public, private, academic, and philanthropic sectors. The successful launch and implementation of the “Harmonizing for Health” program is a direct indicator of this effective partnership in action.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article. In this table, list the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article.

Source: nychealthandhospitals.org