Puerto Montt Hospital Joins "Recetas Culturales," the Program That Connects Health and Art in the Los Lagos Region

The Teatro del Lago Foundation and Puerto Montt Hospital signed an agreement that will expand the scope of “Recetas Culturales,” an initiative that connects the worlds of healthcare and the arts to bring cultural experiences to people undergoing complex treatments.

Until now, the program has been run in partnership with Frutillar Hospital. With this addition, it aims to expand its coverage in the Los Lagos Region and move toward a model that can be replicated in other parts of the country.

Through a referral from healthcare professionals, cancer patients, people with chronic pain, and individuals undergoing treatment for problematic alcohol and drug use receive a “Cultural Prescription” that allows them to attend a performance at Teatro del Lago free of charge, accompanied by one guest.

“When we launched Recetas Culturales, we wanted to show that access to the arts can also be part of a holistic approach to well-being. Today, this program continues to grow and allows us to move toward a model that can be replicated in other parts of Chile,” said Gonzalo Larenas, executive director of the Teatro del Lago Foundation.

 

Chile Joins an International Trend

Similar initiatives are already underway in countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Canada, where doctors and healthcare teams refer patients to cultural activities as a complement to their treatments, integrating the arts into strategies for well-being and community health.

The inclusion of Puerto Montt Hospital marks a new step forward for an initiative that began in the Los Lagos Region and aims to expand access to cultural experiences as part of a holistic approach to well-being, with plans to extend this model to other regions of the country.