While California recognizes its artists as essential second responders, what is needed to place artists and culture bearers at the center of our state’s health efforts? This panel gathers leaders at the intersection of arts and health to reimagine wellness in the US and to examine the systems change needed to sustain and grow a creative workforce that can deliver health outcomes. Practitioners, researchers and advocates will discuss program models and evidence-based impacts along with infrastructure change we should be considering, including funding, cross-sector connections, policies and adaptations to health insurance such as social prescribing. What can advocacy and activism look like in this space and what policies could we promote to ensure that “The Arts Work” to help our state recover and thrive?