Mercy Health – Lorain Hospital has launched its first music therapy program to create an improved health environment for its patients.

Clinical music therapy is the only professional, research-based discipline that actively applies supportive science to the creative, emotional, and energizing experiences of music for health treatment and educational goals. As a result, it’s a fast-growing field that helps hospitalized patients manage pain, reduce anxiety, rehabilitate speech and motor function, and cope with the hospital experience.

“Using singing, instrument play, songwriting and lyric discussions, music is often able to reach the parts of a person that no other intervention can touch, and I am honored to be bringing this work to the people of my hometown, through Mercy,” said Jaclyn Bradley, who will be facilitating the music therapy program at Mercy Health – Lorain Hospital.

Bradley is a board-certified music therapist as well as an international singer/songwriter. She trained at Indiana University, the Cleveland Consortium, and Colorado State University. Bradley has also previously practiced at University Hospitals and the St. John of God Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

“We are so excited to begin to offer music therapy to our patients here at Mercy Health – Lorain,” said Nursing Director Shawna Kobelka. “This program comes at the perfect time for us. Caring for patients with excellence and compassion is what we do best. Jaclyn’s talents are welcomed, and we look forward to building this program to a provide new experience and an improved healing process.”

The new Mercy music therapy program will be available with a referral from the medical team, or it can also be requested by patients and families.