Readout for Second Lady Karen Pence's Visit to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC

Today, Second Lady Karen Pence, joined by members of the Congressional Club, visited the Tracy's Kids Art Therapy Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC.

Upon arrival, Mrs. Pence was greeted by Dr. Lou Weiner, Director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Jeff Toretsky, Division Chief, Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Dr. Mike Donnelly, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and Jo Ellen Carpenter, Vice President of Nursing.

Then, Mrs. Pence proceeded to the art therapy studio where she and the Congressional spouses observed an art therapy session with art therapists and pediatric patients. Afterwards, Mrs. Pence participated in a roundtable discussion with art therapists and members of the hospital staff. The spouses also attended the discussion to listen and learn more about the art therapy profession.

Since 2011, Mrs. Pence has served as a board member of Tracy's Kids. In February 2017, Tracy's Kids honored Mrs. Pence with the Courage Award for her support of art therapy programs across the United States and world.

To stay updated on the Second Lady's art therapy program visits, follow the Second Lady's Blog Page. To stay updated on her events, follow her on Twitter at, @SecondLady.

Photos attached. Photo credit: Official White House Photo by Amy Rossetti

About Art Therapy

Second Lady Karen Pence champions art therapy and calls the initiative, Art Therapy: Healing with the HeART. Art therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship. Professional art therapists who are experts in human development, psychological, and counseling theories and techniques facilitate art therapy. For more information about the art therapy profession, visit https://arttherapy.org/.

About Tracy's Kids Art Therapy Program

Tracy's Kids uses art therapy to help young cancer patients and their families cope with the emotional stress and trauma of cancer and its treatment. Their service is provided at no cost to the children and families they serve at seven separate clinics: Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Children's National Health System, Children's Hospital/Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, Inova Children's Hospital, Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio, New York Presbyterian Hospital and Children's Hospital at Sinai, Baltimore. To learn more about Tracy's Kids, visit http://www.tracyskids.org/.