Literature & medicine: humanities at the heart of health care: a hospital-based reading and discussion program developed by the maine humanities council.

Created by the Maine Humanities Council in 1997, Literature & Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Health Care is a hospital-based humanities reading and discussion program for practicing health care professionals. To date, a total of 25 (65%) of Maine's hospitals have implemented the six-month program at least once, reaching over 900 participants. At the monthly meetings, participants discuss assigned readings-works of fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction that illuminate issues central to caring for people.