The nation’s leading provider of live music in hospitals will offer MOC Bedside and Virtual programs to benefit local patients, families and caregivers
MIAMI, October 9, 2023 – Musicians On Call (MOC), a nonprofit that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments, is bringing the MOC Bedside and Virtual programs to South Florida to share the healing power of music in local facilities. Volunteers will begin visiting patients at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital on a regular basis, going room-to-room to perform directly at the bedsides of patients. The hospital will also be able to join MOC’s ongoing virtual programs and enjoy 30-minute, interactive live broadcasts of volunteer performances.
In celebration of this expansion, Musicians On Call welcomed local artist and Volunteer Musician Bryant Del Toro to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital to launch these new programs and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Representatives and leadership from the hospital and Musicians On Call were in attendance to mark the special occasion. MOC also presented the facility with a commemorative Epiphone guitar in celebration of the partnership. Following his public performance, Del Toro visited patient bedsides for one-on-one moments.
The expansion of MOC’s programs is possible thanks to a collaboration with HCA Healthcare that included a $1 million gift to fund the creation and launch of MOC’s proprietary program platform. This new platform streamlines MOC’s program delivery, making it more efficient and enabling the organization to reach more hospital patients and healthcare workers nationwide.
“By expanding our live music programs in South Florida, we are opening up access to music’s many healing qualities. Music has been proven to have a significant impact on the patient experience, and these programs will provide local patients, families, and caregivers with a powerful and uplifting source of comfort and strength,” said Musicians On Call President & CEO Pete Griffin. “We deeply appreciate the partnership with HCA Healthcare, whose support has been instrumental in making this expansion possible. And we are grateful to Bryant Del Toro and HCA Florida Aventura Hospital for joining us in our launch celebration. We look forward to welcoming new local volunteers to join us in delivering the healing power of music.”
“HCA Florida Aventura Hospital is delighted to be the first HCA Healthcare hospital to launch the expansion of Musician On Call programs,” shared David LeMonte, Chief Executive Officer. “We are delighted to enrich the patient experience further with live, bedside music programming at our Fortune/PINC AI ranked 100 Top Hospital. At HCA Florida Aventura Hospital we show up for our patients, and now through the healing power of music improving more lives in more ways.”
Musicians On Call is looking for musicians and music lovers to help share the joys of live music in the Miami area as certified MOC Volunteers. Volunteer Musicians are local, professional-caliber musicians who perform hopeful songs at the bedside or live during virtual programs. Volunteer Guides act as the “eyes and ears” of MOC, leading the musician through the experience of playing for patients and liaising between families and staff, both at the bedside and virtually. Anyone who is interested in volunteering can learn more at https://www.musiciansoncall.org/get-involved/.
For more than 20 years Musicians On Call has used music to promote and complement the healing process through bedside, virtual and digital streaming programs that are available across all 50 states. As the nation’s leading provider of live music in hospitals, MOC volunteers have performed for more than one million individuals in healthcare facilities nationwide.
About Musicians On Call (MOC)
Adding a dose of joy to the hospital experience for more than one million people since 1999, Musicians On Call (MOC) brings live and recorded music directly to the bedsides of patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments nationwide. Through its programs, MOC Volunteers perform live for children and adults facing any health challenge, including Veterans recovering in VA facilities, family members supporting loved ones in need and healthcare workers caring for patients. As the leading provider of live music in hospitals, MOC has a vision of a world filled with the healing power of music. To meet the increasing demand for its programs, MOC is developing a groundbreaking online platform that will revolutionize access to music in healthcare. MOC’s network includes Volunteer Guides, Volunteer Musicians and renowned artist supporters including Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Kelly Clarkson, Darius Rucker, Katy Perry, Jason Derulo, Ed Sheeran, Olivia Rodrigo, Reba McEntire, Camila Cabello, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Pharrell, Kelsea Ballerini, Amos Lee, Luis Fonsi, Peter Frampton, Luke Bryan, Charles Esten and many more. For more information on how Musicians On Call delivers the healing power of music, visit www.musiciansoncall.org.