The COMMUNITY in Acupuncture
Posted December 6th, 2007 by Rebeka
For the past several years, Winter in Minnesota hasn't been what it used to be. I capitalize it because growing up, Winter was an event. Our snow was known nationwide -- so well that once I escaped, I often had questions about whether it ever rose above 40 degrees in the summer! But lately we've had to wait and wait and wait for snow. Last year, the biggest snow storm came in March!
But this year, winter is BACK.
With the snow falling every other day, roads are slippery and freeways are backed up.
A great reason to cancel your acupuncture appointment.
SO far, in my small startup CA clinic, at least half of my patients have come from areas where they need to travel through rush hour traffic to get to me.
Some of them come to me instead of a closer CA clinic because they like my energy, and just feel comfortable with me.
Well, that is wonderful for my ego, but it doesn't help anyone if getting to me becomes stressful, and ends up in more stress and less acupuncture.
Time to refocus. This is another reason why it is SO important for community acupuncture to be neighborhood acupuncture. I'm going to revive my fledgling connections in my neighborhood and hopefully I'll fill my chairs mostly with people who say -- oh, it's snowing. Good thing I've got acupuncture tonight -- it's just around the corner!
Hmm.
I have probably referred more patients than I have actually seen to CA clinics that are closer to them. It works out better for everyone that way. MN Community Acupuncture is going strong and it says a lot that I can give options to people.
Off to the coffee shop...
Re: The COMMUNITY in Acupuncture
It's been snowing a little bit this week in Philly, too. And yeah, its so sweet having a warm room full of neighbors relaxed in treatment with the snow blowing at the windows. Only a couple cancellations this week, and they were, indeed, folks who had to drive a ways.
This stuff is really interesting to me, especially right now. There are several people who attended the CA workshop at our clinic two weeks ago who are moving towards opening other clinics in different neighborhoods in Philly.
I'm thrilled about this, and about who's going to be doing it and about the neighborhoods they've chosen. It is SO nice to be liberated from our competitive training and into the logical behavior of cooperation and collaboration. Hopefully, at least one of these places will be, unlike us, on the first floor or have an elevator, so we can send our less mobile elders to them.
There's so many other ways we can support each other, in addition to it just being the case that there ought to be a CA clinic in every neighborhood.
Re: The COMMUNITY in Acupuncture
hi everyone-
this is my first post on here. i'm one of the post-a-phobes, and the newest akupunk at WCA in portland.
i just wanted to comment that the energy of "cooperation not competition" between CAN clinics is one of the most attractive characteristics of the whole deal in my opinion. it helps make sure the focus is on patient health, and that patients aren't hoarded. socialist theory at its best!