In 2011 Madrid Salud, the public body of the Madrid City Council that is responsible for the prevention and promotion of health in the city, signed an agreement with the Complutense University of Madrid, in anticipation of possible benefits from the collaboration of art with prevention and health promotion. Madrid Salud has a network of 16 community health centres at its disposal and 5 dedicated specialist centres, Youth’s or Prevention of Cognitive’s ones, distributed over the city. Around 400 professionals work in interdisciplinary teams (including nurses, doctors, specialists in gynaecology, psychiatry, paediatrics and psychology, social workers, health auxiliaries and administrative staff).

After several years of collaboration and evidence of very positive results, both institutions are convinced that this partnership offers great opportunities and potential, and this cross- sectoral collaboration (university-health service) has been enabling the benefits of Arts in prevention and health promotion programmes in Madrid city. Since 2011, students and Early Career Researcher in Arts and Health, have joined in Madrid Salud’s teams and art professionals have been recruited also, for some specific programmes about isolation or grief. Madrid Salud is working on ensuring sustainability in these Arts and Health approach, supporting Early Career Researchers in Arts and Health and providing scholarships for researchers in Arts and Health every year, since 2017.

Photography, performance, drawing, sculpture, textile art, painting, water colours, calligraphy, visual poetry, haiku, sculpture, vertical gardens, urban allotments, graffiti, among other techniques and artistics workshops, have been developing in collaboration with students and researchers in different community health centres in collaboration with the health professionals. This arts and health approach has been incorporated in programs as healthy diet, physical activity, sexual and reproductive health, active ageing, or mental health.

The evidence of this cross-sectoral collaboration has been compiled in conferences, papers, and doctoral thesis, co-creating meaningful knowledge about the rol of the arts in Prevention and Promotion.