Workers at Alliance Community Hospital are known for their non-traditional methods of healing. And they're hoping their newest program will strike a chord with patients.
"Playing the piano uses all 10 fingers. You create your own orchestra." Meet Thomas Solich, owner of Solich Piano and Music in Boardman.
"If I can help as many people per year as possible to understand and if I can transcend the joy that I feel when I sit down at a beautiful Grand Piano and play to them in whatever way that works for each individual, then I've done my job," shares Solich.
That's why Solich, whose been blind since birth, says he's happy to help Alliance Community Hospital.
In a partnership with Kawai America, customers can purchase pianos from him at a discount. That allows him to loan out player pianos to the hospital's new music therapy program.
"In terms of holistic care, pain management, just adding a soothing touch to the environment and hoping to speed up the healing process," explains Connie Poulton of Alliance Community Hospital.
The new program is in line with the hospital's "Planetree" philosophy, which focuses on patients' emotional and spiritual needs, not just the physical ones. They also offer pet therapy, aroma therapy and soft-tissue massage. And experts say there is science behind these non-traditional treatments.
"They had kept statistics on pain levels of patients prior to the therapy and after and were able to show us data that supported their music therapy program did reduce pain levels in patients," Poulton says.
"When you bring that into a situation where people are sick, people are sad, don't have the most rosy outlook on things when they're in the hospital in general, music, a happy tune, played by this Player Grand Piano. People are able to engage in that, even having little or no musical knowledge. Can't you see how that would just brighten up your day?" Solich adds.
Maybe music will be just what the doctor ordered.
