Northern Montana Hospital resumes harp therapy

Press release

HAVRE - A soothing musical therapy that helped patients at Northern Montana Health Care that was canceled due to the pandemic is back.

As part of the public health emergency for COVID-19, Northern Montana Hospital discontinued allowing visitors into their facility. Unfortunately, this included many Northern Montana Hospital volunteers.

Mary Stevens, a local musician, was one of those volunteers.

But recently, volunteers have resumed their activities at Northern Montana Hospital, and the patients are once again rewarded with Stevens' musical talents.

Stevens of Havre is the owner and program director of "Harp for Healing," a therapeutic music training program with students throughout the U.S. and around the world. A life-long, mostly self-taught musician, she has been an influential presence in many aspects of music in the local community, helping with church services, plays and concerts. Her musical service to the community has been rewarded with awards from Havre High School and two statewide awards from the Montana Health Care Association.

Since 2010, Stevens has performed therapeutic music at Northern Montana Care Center, including vibroacoustic harp therapy, or VAHT, for patients experiencing pain. Therapeutic music is live music played in a manner to match the immediate needs of a patient. A trained therapeutic musician will adapt the style of music being played to help a person find a place of healing and peace. For VAHT, Stevens uses special pads that transmit the vibrations of her harp directly to the patient's body.

"I tailor the music style to provide the patient with a sense of peace which aids in their healing and comfort," Stevens said.

Studies have shown that music can decrease pain, lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, stabilize heart rate, and more. In addition to her therapeutic music at Northern Montana Care Center, utilizes a portable harp to provide music to the patients at Northern Montana Hospital, traveling to locations on the Medical/Surgical floor and in the ER waiting room.

"I play in the hall so that patients and their families can enjoy the music" Stevens added. "But quite often, I am invited into the room to share my music with them. I enjoy knowing that I have been a bright spot in a patient's day. I feel that it also brings comfort to the patient's family members and visitors as well."

"When I entered the hospital recently, I noticed an elderly lady sitting in the main waiting area, nervously manipulating a necklace and muttering to herself," Stevens said. "Rather than go to the patient floor, I decided to play in that waiting area for a few minutes.

"For the first several songs, the lady did not pay any attention to me, but after I played a couple old folk tunes, I noticed her watching me and mouthing the words to the songs," she said. "Eventually she spoke, asked me about my harp, smiled, and said I had made her day. Gone was the nervous tension that was so obvious just a few minutes before that. Her face was lit with happiness. It was a great way to begin the day."

April was Global Volunteer Month, and National Healthcare Volunteer Week is held every year during this month.

"Northern Montana HospitalC is so thankful for our Volunteers. Every day they help us to provide the extras in our organization for our patients, family members, residents, and employees." Northern Montana Hospital President/CEO Dave Henry said. "Mary is a vital part of that group and we're glad to see her back on our campus sharing her musical talents with all of us."