Community Jameel, National Center for Mental Health Promotion agree to integrate arts into healthcare system

Community Jameel Saudi Foundation announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Centre for Mental Health Promotion through the Jameel Arts & Health Lab to harness the power of the arts to improve the mental health and wellbeing of people in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Formalising the partnership between the three organisations, the MoU marks a key step towards embedding evidence-based arts strategies into mainstream mental health services in the Kingdom, directly supporting Saudi Vision 2030's Health Sector Transformation and Quality of Life programmes, which aim to improve health outcomes for the Saudi population.

Under the MoU, the partners will regularly organise mental health, culture and arts educational training courses for healthcare providers with the goal of improving quality of life for individuals, and enhancing awareness of the role of the arts in enhancing healthcare.

In December 2025, the Jameel Arts and Health Lab, in partnership with New York University (NYU), one of the founding partners of the lab, delivered ‘Introduction to Arts and Health’, the first arts-in-health training in Saudi Arabia, at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah that brought together 40 participants, including local and international stakeholders within the mental healthcare sector. The course helped participants explore new prospects of utilising the arts in healthcare to serve children, the elderly and healthcare staff within a Saudi context.

Stephen Stapleton, co-director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, said: “This MoU signifies a deep commitment to systemic change. By partnering with the NCMHP and Community Jameel Saudi Foundation, we are ensuring that evidence-based and culturally responsive skills are embedded directly within Saudi Arabia's healthcare sector, strengthening health systems and community resilience at scale.”

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