Sticking Together, November 2020
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Big Changes Coming to the Co-op
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In 2009, POCA was conceived and organized as a reaction to a burgeoning movement of people dedicated to providing affordable individualized acupuncture within a community setting. It has, in many ways, since served the movement much like a big, rambling many-roomed house. Working together, over the following 10 years, POCA members have helped to create:- An accredited school of secondary education, POCA Tech,
- Ongoing self-contained educational programs and events,
- Opportunities for ongoing and various collegial communications & camaraderie,
- What is most likely the largest community acupuncture knowledge commons in the world,
- A member Micro-lending program,
- An auricular Acupuncture Training Program and,
- The establishment of the first Adverse Events Reporting Database for Acupuncture.
POCA’s multi stakeholder co-op structure was built to expand when demands arose, as accomplishments above show. Years later, certain trends have developed, such as the preference for online engagement within groups like POCA Chat on Facebook instead of POCA Forums, ongoing membership decline and the arrival of COVID which has drastically affected both the potential for in-person gatherings (like POCAfest) but also many clinics both in revenue and the ability to keep their doors open and membership active. Meanwhile, the bills for that same big, beautiful many-roomed, rambling house keep coming.
In response to this reality, the General Circle which guides the co-op has begun to investigate the best way forward for POCA in both the short and long-term, with an eye specifically on sustainability and, one day, future growth.
What is likely to occur over the next few months is a movement toward simplicity and away from complexity, which will require not only a re-envisioning but also a deep commitment to preserving our shared legacy. For example, specific services will likely come to an end or be offered via POCA Tech while POCA’s outward appearance will be updated via a simplified website.
Above all, it remains the primary intention of the organization to continue providing a reliable and vital gathering place for all supporters of affordable acupuncture; this is fundamental. There will always be a cozy POCA front porch to find one another. Stay tuned. (There are meeting minutes in the Forums.)
from POCA’s General Circle
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Dope is Death: It’s a blog post, a podcast and a film
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Learn more about Mia Donovan's new movie “Dope is Death” by reading this blog post, listening to this podcast and/or watching the film. POCA has known about Lincoln Detox’s history for some time, even if we didn't know all the details. The online screening is from Nov 11 - 19, 2020. Here’s a description of the film:
“With blight ravaging New York City in the 1970s, the Young Lords and Black Panthers fought for radical change in their communities. Through the leadership of Dr. Mutulu Shakur—Tupac Shakur’s stepfather—these activists created the first acupuncture detoxification program in the United States. While the legacy of the program has long been maintained by the residents of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, the individuals responsible for its creation have suffered from decades of state-sanctioned persecution. Included with the screening ticket is an exclusive pre-recorded filmmaker Q&A, immediately following the film.”
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POCA Chart: Friendly, rapid, electronic charting for your clinic!
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POCA Chart features include simple and customizable chart notes:- Herb Notes
- Private Notes
- Rapid Repeat
- Powerful Patient Search
- Simplified PDF Chart Export
- Simplified Patient Import
- Document Maintenance
All plans provide access to all POCA Chart features. Sliding scale monthly and discounted annual payment plans are available. POCA Members are eligible for discounted pricing. POCA Members plans start at $25 / month. More information is available at: https://ehr.pocacoop.com/
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Ancestors of Liberation Acupuncture Art Show
| There is a showing of the Ancestors of Liberation Acupuncture original paintings done by Kate Kampmann and James Shelton in a new gallery in the front of a Rhode Island recovery non-profit called RICARES in Providence, RI.
The show will also feature a new edit of the video work of Eana Meng, who is about to start medical school at Harvard. The show, called People’s Medicine: Acupuncture, Liberation and Recovery, runs from November 13th through the 22nd.
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Revolutionary Healing: An Art Show Lecture
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In conjunction with the “Ancestors of Liberation Acupuncture” art show at RICARES, there will be a Zoom talk called “Revolutionary Healing: The History, Theory and Practice of People’s Acupuncture”. The talk on Wednesday 11/18/20 at Noon EST is free, but you need to register.
The speakers are Eana Meng, Lisa Rohleder, Dr. Tyler Phan and James Shelton; it will be moderated by Ana Bess Moyer Bell.
About this Event : Acupuncture has been used by community activists for recovery from addiction, traumatic stress and other ailments since the 1970’s. This talk will explore topics such as: What are the barriers to widespread use of acupuncture in underserved communities? And, what does liberation acupuncture look like going forward?
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POCA clinic gets CARES grant |
Phoenix Community Acupuncture in Phoenix, AZ recently received a Maricopa County Small Business/Nonprofit Relief grant. Funding for this grant was provided by the CARES Act and applications were submitted through the Arizona Community Foundation. The grant will help cover things like payroll and other day-to-day expenses during these tumultuous times. Mayo opened the clinic in 2011.
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Since May of 2020 when the murder of George Floyd sparked movements nationwide, Portland’s community of protesters have stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and organized against police brutality. Their marches and events have routinely been met with police brutality and chemical weapons. POCA Tech’s pop up clinic is a capstone project created by third year students as an act of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the protester community.
Since the end of July, students Rachel Shusterman, Jenny Flanigan, and Felicia Desrosiers have treated over 250 protesters, activists, and community organizers at the student clinic, which operates on Fridays from 12:30-3:50 p.m. at Working Class Acupuncture in Portland’s Cully neighborhood. The pop up clinic was inspired by POCA’s mission to treat as many people as possible, and by the organization’s revolutionary mission to use acupuncture to serve people from all backgrounds. The founders of AcuProject PDX believe that we can create monumental change through consistent, collective community action, and that acupuncture can be a powerfully supportive tool as we work to create these changes.
This was a written collaboration from the three of us working on this project (Rachel, Jenny, and Felicia)
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James Shelton, a POCA Tech Cohort 1 graduate, has started his own practice. It’s called Ancora Acupuncture and is located in Providence, RI.
I’d love to update the co-op on what other POCA Tech grads are doing. Send an email to newsletter@pocacoop.com and I’ll run it in a future issue.
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NADA goes to Harvard, Take two. |
This was sent by Roppy: If you read September's newsletter, you might have noticed that the link to Eana Meng's video series on Harvard Asia Center's website lead to an error message. This shows us that even the most prestigious of institutions can make mistakes. For me, this was a crash course in press release failures. (Don't put out press releases with broken web links.) In true POCA DIY spirit, I self-published the press release as a news story and embedded each video into the article. Please share on your clinic's social media.
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This was also shared by Roppy: Dr. Tenisha
Dandridge wrote this wonderful article about Racial Battle Fatigue from
an acupuncturist’s perspective. I think that POCA members would gain a
lot by reading it.
Have you read an article that you think fellow
members would enjoy? Send info to newsletter@pocacoop.com and I’ll run
it in a future issue.
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