“The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings
should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
Howard Zinn, from "You Can't Be Neutral On a Moving Train."
As promised last week, we’d like to say a couple things about our overly busy schedule, the opportunities this represents, and the ways our whole community of stakeholders in affordable healthcare can help.
1) We’re really busy. This is a good thing. Lots of people in RI are finding out about community acupuncture thanks to word of mouth from their friends, loved ones, and co-workers. People tell people when something makes them feel better and have better lives. Because coming for acupuncture makes people feel better and because most people are dead serious about healing (and because visits are affordable for most) lots of people are getting frequent and regular treatments because that's how it works. Of course we’re busy.2) We need to hire one or two punks, acupunks that is. And we need more clinics in Rhode Island. The demand for affordable, reliable, trustworthy, and noninvasive healthcare is, obviously, limitless. Talk about job creation.
3) It’s extremely hard to find licensed punks to hire that want a real job and know how to do what we’re doing. (This is a bizarre reality; but, we CAN change it with your help.) This crazy fact exists because, even though there are plenty of wonderful and caring people from within our local community who would love to become punks and work with us or open their own clinics, they cannot nearly afford the exorbitant cost of acupuncture school. And, even if they were independently wealthy or were willing to just be in deep debt for the remainder of their lives, the training that they’d receive at said schools, cash cows who cater to people who will treat upper middle class and wealthy patients, would not at all prepare them to communicate with, much less do acupuncture with, lots and lots of working people with normal incomes and busy busy lives.
4) Part of the solution is to create a new acupuncture school, one which working people or students from working families can afford, and which prepares its students for a real, full-time job as an acupuncturist. That way, with a steady influx of well trained and caring new punks, community clinics can continue to flourish. And, new ones can be born right in the communities that need them.
Next week, we'll say a little more about how that can happen, and how we're already on our way! About what you can do to help. And about a very exciting year for Providence Community Acupuncture
In the meantime, feel free to read more about the new school we're actually starting with your help.
