Being at St. Ann's.

Well, since May 4th, I have been working as acupuncturist at St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction (SACHR). For those not familiar with the term, "harm reduction," it's a way of dealing with drug addicts that doesn't necessarily try to get them to stop drugs, but minimize the harm they do to themselves and others. SACHR started in the trunk of the director's car, as a needle exchange. Joyce Rivera's goal was to lower the prevalence of HIV in the Bronx. She succeeded. Joyce and her staff were able to reduce the prevalence from 69% to 11%.
Since then, SACHR has outgrown her car's trunk. Now located at 310 Walton Avenue, SACHR gives counseling, provides food, and offers some training for people that a lot of New Yorker's hipster crowd would rather not be near.
Treating such a population is challenging. SACHR does provide the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) ear acupuncture protocol, and a meditative "sanctuary" for the patients to rest in during treatment. I was brought on board to provide full treatment, as needed (as were two other acupuncturists). Not everyone understands that there's a difference between the NADA protocol and regular acupuncture, and I have to explain a lot to people who've never been exposed to it. One thing is certain: these people really need it. My very first patient saw me for shoulder pain, but had a laundry list of injuries and ailments; bullets still lodged close to the spine, hep C, on top of his addiction. While taking his pulse, I noticed that his Lung pulse (right cun position) was very depressed, and I asked if he had any respiratory problems. He answered that he was missing a lung, as a result of gunfire.
If anyone is interested in St. Ann's, either to make a donation or to volunteer, please look it up at www.sachr.org.

-Rob