Texas Children's Hospital hosts the Global Alliance for Arts & Health's 2014 Annual International Conference, "Enhancing Lives Through Arts & Health: 25th Anniversary Conference & Celebration." The conference will provide a forum for hundreds of leaders in arts and health, including arts directors, health care providers, artists, therapists, architects, designers, administrators, educators and researchers, bringing people together to present and discuss cutting-edge arts and health topics and exciting developments from around the world.

In additional to the breakout sessions that include five focus areas — caring for the caregiver, community well-being, education, healing environments and patient care — tours of the medical center, as well as cultural and museum tours featuring the best of Houston, will be offered.

Artists working in health care will have an opportunity to sit for the pilot of the Artist in Healthcare Certification Examination. This exam's purpose is to determine if the artist has the minimal level of competency to safely and effectively work in the health care environment.

Arts and health is a diverse, multidisciplinary field dedicated to transforming health and healing though the arts. The field integrates literary, performing and visual arts and design into a variety of health care and community settings for therapeutic, educational and expressive purposes. In health care settings, where a patient's sense of control is often lost or minimized, the arts serve as therapeutic and healing tools. By reducing stress, loneliness and the perception of pain, the arts improve the patient experience and have a positive impact on health outcomes. These benefits further lead to shorter hospital stays, less need for pain medication and enhanced patient adherence to treatment, resulting in substantial financial savings for both patients and health organizations.