It was 10 years ago that Baylor Scott & White Health University Medical Center (BUMC) undertook a program for the betterment of its patients and staff members. The program was called Arts In Medicine (AIM), with visual and performing arts complementing clinical treatment in healthcare. On Thursday, March 26, nearly 100 supporters including Laurie-Jo and Steve Straty, Guy Braggerman, Lynn Rushton, Diane Brierley, Kimber Hartmann, Krista Weinstein, Krista Sharp, Machelle Davenport, Kristi Sherrill Hoyl, Susan Sayles, Bonnie Pittman and Christina Goodman came together at Mickie and Jeff Bragalone‘s East Dallas home to celebrate the differences that art has made. Here’s a report from the field:
Nearly 100 supporters gathered Thursday, March 26, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Baylor Scott & White Health Dallas Foundation’s Arts in Medicine program — a decade defined not only by growth, but by moments that cannot be measured in numbers alone. Hosted at the home of Mickie and Jeff Bragalone, the intimate reception honored a program built entirely through philanthropy and sustained by a shared belief that care extends beyond clinical treatment.
That belief was evident from the moment guests arrived. An artist painted in real time. Musicians filled the home with gentle, restorative sound. Caregivers, donors and program leaders connected over stories that illustrated a simple but powerful truth: the arts create space for humanity in healthcare.
Opening the evening, Mickie reflected on the couple’s deep connection to both BUMC and the arts. Their gratitude, shaped by personal experiences with lifesaving care, has grown into a commitment to supporting programs that treat the whole person. Arts in Medicine, she noted, represents that mission in its most meaningful form — offering comfort not only in moments of recovery, but also during life’s most vulnerable chapters…