“Hands of Care” at ArtPrize Shows the Value of Independent Practice
Lindsay Knake
| 3 min read
In health care, hands are important. Health care providers use their hands to provide the essential services of preventive care and treatment.
That’s why you’ll see a collage of hands in the window of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan office in Grand Rapids at ArtPrize this year.
Called “The Hands of Care,” this piece is using hands as universal symbol of care, collaboration and healing to highlight the value of private medical practice, said Sarah Marilyn, senior marketing specialist at Answer Health. Answer Health is a West Michigan-based network of independent practices of more than 1,000 primary and specialty care physicians.
While Marilyn is the artist assembling the piece, Dr. Randy Lovell and other independent practitioners are the heart of the exhibit, she said.
“Forever, hands have been symbolic in health care. It’s how we engage people,” said Lovell, founder of Lovell Hand & Orthopedic Center in Grand Rapids. “It’s how we hug, handshake and pray. I love the symbolism of the project.”
“Hands of Care” started in December 2024. Marilyn started asking for patients and providers at the 250 clinics within Answer Health as a way to connect with the community and show what it means to be independent practices. They’ve received more than 300 decorated hands so far. The hands are decorated in many ways, from personal messages to physicians to suns and rainbows made by kids.
“Our doctors see a lot of patients and people. We wanted to engage doctors and patients. We left it up to them to be creative” she said. “We want to get the message out that we are empowering our doctors and patients.”
Marilyn and the Answer Health team will install the hands in a large heart on a canvas to showcase the health care journey, the power of community and the role of personal connection in healing.
Lovell is a member of Answer Health and an ambassador of independent medical practice. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he spent a few years in a hospital-owned practice before going out on his own.
“Fundamentally, being independent allows you to curate the culture in the office, which ultimately translates to putting your patients first, always,” he said. “We get to chart our own course. You have to be very good, otherwise you won’t succeed.”
Doctor-owned practices allow health care providers to focus primarily on their patients, which includes longer visits, after-hours phone calls and more personalized care, Lovell said. Independent practice also creates a culture of accountability in which everyone in the clinic feels responsible for the patient’s experience.
“When a patient has a bad experience, we all feel bad. We truly want patients to have the best possible outcome,” he said.
You can see “The Hands of Care” in the window at the Steketee’s Building, 86 Monroe Center St. NW, in downtown Grand Rapids.
ArtPrize is Sept. 18 to Oct. 4. More than 800,000 will visit Grand Rapids to see more than 1,000 art pieces and installations in parks, public spaces and businesses. Public voting and juries will offer more than $600,000 in grants and awards to the participating artists.
Image: Courtesy of Sarah Marilyn
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