“Life is Complicated. Community Acupuncture Isn’t. We are a POCA clinic.”
- I’ve loved checking Mary Margaret’s daily tally of the May 2014 POCA Membership Drive. So much so that some folks are wondering how our clinic got so involved in this year’s membership drive. Let me tell you the story…. My wife & I moved down to Florida from Massachusetts last year to be closer to my parents. (Mom had a stroke the year before and I could see the trajectory we were getting ready to go down.) As part of our transition, we opened Seminole Heights Community Acupuncture (SHCA) in November 2013 in Tampa, Florida. SHCA is my second community acupuncture clinic. My first CA clinic, MetroWest Whole Health in Medway, Mass., opened in 2007 and from the start was a member of the Community Acupuncture Network (CAN) and then POCA. Much of the time I’ve stayed on the sidelines, admiring all you active volunteers. It’s true to say that many of you know me only because I’ve been around so long! But I’ve spent time reading the forums, and trying out various things we talk about there, and watching, figuring out what might really be going on and where it’s headed. And in the last seven years I’ve come to know a few things:
- 1 – A sense of mission is important to me.
- 2 – I don’t want to run a discount acupuncture clinic that focuses on sales.
- 3 – I want to spend my days with folks whole enjoy their work dare I say even have a passion.
- At SHCA we were looking for ways to connect with our neighbors and introduce ourselves. The POCA Membership Drive has been great helping us do that! Talking about POCA is the most effective way of conveying who we are and why acupuncture at the clinic is so effective and healing. Our patients want value and they want to feel better. The majority of our patients have never had acupuncture before, or if they have, have not been able to complete a course of treatment because of the expense. When they hear us talk about the micro-loans POCA offers, and the opportunity to help make acupuncture available and accessible in areas where there is no acupuncture, they all stop and listen, because it resonates; it’s familiar. When we mention POCA Tech, affordable education, and providing safe, effective care, they nod. Other than getting acupuncture, I have found no better way to demonstrate our mission, our value, or our service than by talking about POCA. And what we offer is not just acupuncture. It’s a place to be, to be yourself, and by caring for yourself and being part of the community, we make a difference together.
- SHCA has evolved into a committed team. We’re a big clinic with 2600 sq ft of oddly configured space with 17 chairs and room for 25. Since we’ve just opened, our numbers are not near our capacity, but they’re growing: we see 60+ patient visits a week. On May Day we treated 53 patients and had a chance to test out our systems and see our capacity. Following our May Day event with the POCA Membership Drive has been an effective way to reach out to people we’ d not previously connected with.
- We have one front desk volunteer. She’s dependable and amazing. Nicole is drawn to the clinic because of POCA and our mission; she’d never had acupuncture before coming to SHCA and honestly I don’t think it’s the acupuncture alone that keeps her with us. Her commitment and excitement are palpable. In addition to Nicole and my partner at the front, we have one other acupuncturist who is treats patients 2 days a week (I treat on the other 4 days). The second punk is an awesome co-worker. He promotes the clinic. He fills in at a moment’s notice. He extends and challenges himself. And I love getting acupuncture from him!
- We’re getting ready to do a last push for our May POCA membership, and, like WCA, will be offering free acupuncture days for POCA members at various days throughout the year. In addition to the free days for POCA members, SHCA will offer $10 acupuncture for POCA members through the months of May and October.
- The Membership Drive has been great for helping us reach our neighbors and community. It has helped us articulate our own sense of what we’re doing and improved our ability to talk about that. POCA helps make us more than affordable: it brings the community to our doors. As it says on our front door, “Life is Complicated. Community Acupuncture Isn't. We are a POCA clinic.”
Thank you. That is a very good way of putting it. And nice for me to hear that it is possible to make the connections again quickly when we have to move. Good luck with your mom.
Having Gururas move here to Florida has been a welcome addition to the Fantastic Florida Community Acupuncture Family that is growing down here. WE are starting to help each other which is crucial in Florida which is such a big state physically. So let’s continue to tell each other how we can help.
I definitely let people know about the Seminole Heights clinic at Lambright and North Central Avenue in Tampa. Need some cards though.
Love this.