You might be surprised to find children, teens, parents and grandparents gathering at the Moses Campus Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division (COPD) to learn, teach and collaborate in the heritage art of crochet.
The crafting is happening through the Montefiore Einstein Community Crochet project, part of Montefiore Einstein’s Arts and Integrative Medicine (AIM) program. AIM promotes the inclusion of art and integrative medicine to engage patients and the community in equity-focused, collaborative healthcare programming.

Piloted last summer, the crochet project grew out of an idea by Attending Psychologist Gifty Ampadu, PhD, who thought the calm, soothing activity she enjoyed, might translate to the patients at the COPD. “I brought the idea to AIM,” said Ampadu, “a program that just seems to make dreams come true.” It’s been so successful that pop-up crochet experiences are planned for other locations at the hospital. The final piece—a banner made of 250 crocheted squares—will weave together stories of transformation from community participants.