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Acu-Whuuut? Acu-Whuuut? How Acupuncture Can How Acupuncture Can

Change the WorldChange the World

Acupuncturists Without Borders 2006

Diana Fried, Executive Director

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AWB Vision and Mission

• to see stable, peaceful, global communities

• to offer free acupuncture after traumatic events to interrupt the cycle of pain and chaos and relieve suffering

• to partner with local organizations and treat with community style acupuncture in group settings to support the healing of the whole community

• to provide services and training in local communities that will have long-range benefits after we leave

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• Possibly the largest hurricane of its strength ever recorded.

• Area of disaster is almost the size of the United Kingdom.

• The most destructive and costliest natural disaster in US history

• Number of people needing mental Number of people needing mental health services in the aftermath of health services in the aftermath of Katrina: 500,000 Katrina: 500,000 (U.S.gov./Newsweek)(U.S.gov./Newsweek)

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Stay Out I Have a Gun

This is How I Feel

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Photos from October 2006

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Post-Traumatic StressPost-Traumatic Stress

Suicide rate doubledSuicide rate doubled Almost everyone experiencing Almost everyone experiencing

PTSDPTSD Pills won’t workPills won’t work

-- -- HenriHenri Roca III, MD, assistant professor of Roca III, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Louisiana State University, medicine at Louisiana State University, New Orleans, and chief of LSU's New Orleans, and chief of LSU's Integrative Medicine programIntegrative Medicine program

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PTSDPTSD

Changes how brain worksChanges how brain works Keyed up for stress hormone cascadeKeyed up for stress hormone cascade Affects language processingAffects language processing Talk therapy alone can’t healTalk therapy alone can’t heal Need to tap non verbal parts of brainNeed to tap non verbal parts of brain

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Five ear needles and other accessible body points

• SIMPLE AND SAFE

• PORTABLE

• COST-EFFECTIVE

• PROVEN RELIEF FOR STRESS AND STRESS RELATED SYMPTOMS

• GENTLE

• DOESN’T REQUIRE “TALK THERAPY”

• BRINGS PEOPLE INTO THEIR CALM CENTER – pulls the fragmented pieces together

Why Use Community Style Acupuncture?

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Acupuncturists Without Acupuncturists Without BordersBorders

September, 2005 September, 2005 AWB sprung into AWB sprung into actionaction

Volunteers offered Volunteers offered services from all services from all over countryover country

Preparations beganPreparations began Arrived in New Arrived in New

Orleans in OctoberOrleans in October

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72 volunteers have gone to NOLA

24 teams in total so far

Volunteers stay generally for 10 days on the ground. Were housed in FEMA tent cities, now in a hotel.

12 volunteers came more than once, and 4 went three times

174 days on the ground, close to 6000 volunteer hours

About 7,000 free acupuncture treatments

Delivered in dozens of separate venues from Lafayette (Cajun Dome) to Baton Rouge (Vietnamese Community) to New Orleans.

Numbers

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AWB Free Acupuncture in AWB Free Acupuncture in LouisianaLouisiana

FOR:FOR: evacueesevacuees displaced residents displaced residents relief workers relief workers emergency respondersemergency responders Black, Latino, White and Vietnamese communities.Black, Latino, White and Vietnamese communities.AT:AT: community health clinics community health clinics food distribution centersfood distribution centers Red Cross shelters Red Cross shelters mobile units mobile units churcheschurches workplaces workplaces public librariespublic libraries street cornersstreet corners tent cities and hotels housing relief workers tent cities and hotels housing relief workers

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Café Toute de Suite, Algiers

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Community Based Treatment keeps people from feeling

isolated

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Cruise ships in the MississippiCruise ships in the Mississippi

We found that AWB was a perfect therapeutic/medical bridgearound which First Responders could begin the work of establishing a personal health/wellness plan.

Sandra W. Ortega, PH.D. ConsultantSubstance Abuse Mental Health Services (SAMHSA)Health and Human Services Administration

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“This is the future of medicine!Mo O’Brien, Common Ground Health Clinic

Integrative Medicine – We treated many docs and nurses, And worked side by side with them…

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Under tent with Red Cross in 9th Ward

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- Algiers Neighborhood -

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Vietnamese Community

St. Bernard’s Parish

9th Ward

Tent CityCommon Ground

EOC

Honduran Community

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Meetings in the tent or the mess hall

Having a Moment!

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Common Ground: • holistic, integrative free clinic • serving primarily poor, Black, medically-underserved population • was run on donations and volunteers, now getting grants

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Common Ground set up mobile clinics in 9th Ward, St. Bernard and other areas

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"Please continue to offer this work. All members of our community need this support. Thank you so so so much!!!!" People’s Hurricane Relief Fund, NOLA resident

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“My only wish is that you were at the clinic full time.Every day people come in looking for acupuncture.” Baruch Zeichner Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Common Ground Clinic

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Jefferson ParishCare Center

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Emergency Communities: Feeding over 1300 meals/ day in St. Bernard Parish,one of the most devastated areas

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• Most of the Vietnamese community in New Orleans came to the U.S.in the 70’s and 80’s. • Many were “boat people, who had lost everything.• Many have lost everything again, except for their community, which has stayed very close.

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Father Luke and Graham

Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic ChurchAfter receiving an acupuncture treatment myself, I felt an amazing release of tension.

At this time in our lives that is one of the best things we can ask for.Parochial Vicar

Reverend, Mary Queen of VietnamLuke Nguyen Hungdung

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St Anthony’s Catholic Church, Vietnamese community Shelter

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Châm cứu §Ó ch©m cøu cã hiÖu qu¶, xin anh, chÞ vui lßng:

- gÜ im lÆng - nh¾m m¾t nhÑ nhµng

- vµ hÝt thë ®Òu.Châm cứu rất hữu hiệu cho những bệnh:

-Đau lưng , nhức mỏi,viêm khớp-Nhức đầu, viªm xoang-Nãng gan, lì miÖng

-Suyễn, dị ứng và bệnh hô hấp-Tiêu chảy, táo bón, đau bao tử, trÜ …

-Lo âu, căng thẳng, stressNgoài ra châm cứu giúp hỗ trợ các bệnh phụ khoa, thống kinh, vô sinh; mệt mỏi, mất ngủ, huyết áp cao, bÐo ph×, huyết áp thấp, tai biến, ù tai, các loại nghiện rượu, ma túy, thuốc lá …

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Acupuncturists Without Borders(AWB)Thank you for filling this out. This is how we will be able to get funding for community acupuncture services.Acupuncture Evaluation Form

1. Please circle all that apply:Responder Injured Evacuee Lost a loved oneDisplaced worker Displaced resident Volunteer Relief Worker Paid Relief Worker Other: 2. Is this the first time you’ve experienced acupuncture? Yes No

3.Was this session effective in reducing your stress level?1 2 3 4 5

Not at all effective Somewhat effective Effective Very effective Extremely effective

4. Would you do this again? Yes No

5. Would you recommend this to others? Yes No

6. What could we do to make this session more effective?

7. Comments/ Suggestions:

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Bodhe Buddhist TempleVietnamese New Year

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I went, as many, a skeptic, but after 20 I went, as many, a skeptic, but after 20 minutes, was completely convinced. I minutes, was completely convinced. I haven’t felt so good in years…the haven’t felt so good in years…the acupuncture I received was amazing acupuncture I received was amazing and went far beyond a pleasant and went far beyond a pleasant experience; I believe it was a necessity. experience; I believe it was a necessity.

– – Red Cross workerRed Cross worker

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Treating U.S. Health Services/ Surgeon General Staff

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Treating firefightersTreating firefightersTreating FEMA staffTreating FEMA staff

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Audubon Zoo Health FairAudubon Zoo Health Fair13,000 attendees, 6 hour waits13,000 attendees, 6 hour waitsHundreds treated with Hundreds treated with acupunctureacupuncture

I thought it was great, and for a brief moment the world subsided and I could reflect on me for a second.-- Acupuncture client

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Treating Habitat for Humanity Volunteers and Staff

On behalf of the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity, I wish to convey our heartfelt gratitude for the services you extended to us. The experience was unique and mind soothing. Our staff enjoyed every bit of the relaxation that your services provided and they really needed it too…

Ali Hussein,Special Projects,New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

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“You have helped more than anyone or anything else here. Thank you so much.” Client evaluation after being treated

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Preliminary data from our demographic and evaluation project in Louisiana – based on 250 responses: 

 

Effective at reducing your stress level 1: 0.8% Not at all effective        2: 6.4% Somewhat effective3: 32.8% Effective4: 36.8% Very effective5: 20.8% Extremely effective

  

68.4% first time experiencing acupuncture30.8% this is not the first time they had experienced acupuncture  

 

Would you do this again?  Yes: 98.4%         No: 0.8% Would you recommend it to others?Yes:  98% 

 

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The Return Home

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The Disaster is ongoing

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FEMA Closes Office in New Orleans

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSPublished: May 2, 2006Filed at 11:30 p.m. ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency is closing its long-term recovery office in New Orleans, claiming local officials failed to meet their planning obligations after Hurricane Katrina.

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August 2, 2006, The Times-Picayune states: 

“In a grim assessment of mental health in post-Katrina New Orleans, two New Orleans psychiatrists say the condition is critical and warn that it probably won't get better anytime soon. Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are common complaints, but most mental health professionals have left the city…they write in today's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.”

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•Donations www.acuwithoutborders.org

• Via check or on the web via Paypal

• Volunteer in the field or at home

• Vets Project, administrative, fundraising, graphics, web help, media, etc.

• Join our community acupuncture events

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YES! Online:  Post Katrina Acupuncturists help ease post-Katrina stressby Richard Muhammad Ancient art of healing helps calm stress of life after the storm from Katrina Information Network A New Orleans resident is given acupuncture treatment at the Common Ground clinic in the city's  Ninth Ward. Photo Courtesy of Katrina Information Network The idea that pins and needles could help people may be a revelation for many, but Acupuncturists Without Borders has used the ancient healing art to soothe the stress, aches, pains, tired minds and muscles of residents, relief workers and National Guardsmen struggling under the weight of surviving and rebuilding a city and region still feeling the effects of  Hurricanes Katrina and  Rita. Acupuncturists Without Borders, founded after Katrina hit New Orleans, has been working in New Orleans since October 2005. The name is based on the more familiar group of social service doctors who provide medical needs in areas of crisis.   Rotating teams of volunteer acupuncturists from across the country come to offer their free services  community style. They work at health clinics, food distribution centers, Red Cross shelters, mobile units, churches, and the tent cities and hotels housing relief workers. Acupuncturists Without Borders volunteers travel in teams throughout the city and nearby towns. “We see people of every color, different cultures, and enjoy doing our small part to help make the city whole,” said Diana Fried, the group's executive director.  'Put a pin in it' “New Orleans remains a very difficult place to live and work. "People are under tremendous pressure to keep things together and we are doing what we can to help, Fried says.  The practitioners with her nonprofit organization are experienced, licensed, and follow recognized treatment guidelines. "We also bring a different understanding to what ‘put a pin in it’ means,” Fried added. Treatments last from 30-60 minutes with fully clothed patients sitting in chairs. The protocol AWB uses involves needles on the ears and other accessible body points. Done in groups, community-style acupuncture can help break the isolation often felt after traumatic events. Even those who resist traditional treatment for Acute Stress Disorder are often willing to receive acupuncture. “The treatments support rebuilding strength and resiliency that is essential for the recovery process. Acupuncture treatments have a calming effect and help those struggling with anger, hostility and frustration,” Fried says. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the state's governor  issued an executive order to allow out-of-state doctors and other licensed medical professionals to provide emergency services to patients.  Questions remain about  the future of Acupuncturists Without Borders and other out-of-state medical professionals. “There is so much devastation, so much to clean up, so much homelessness,” said Geralynn “Gigi” Felicetta, an acupuncturist from San Diego, who performs her work in the Ninth Ward. At the corner of Claiborne and Pauline, Felicetta could observe food lines, ice coolers provided in the absence of  refrigeration, makeshift shelters, sleeping bags, and rubbish, along with abandoned and condemned buildings. These sights have made a distinct impression on her. “It is like a war zone in America,” she said. "but there is so much spirit, the spirit cannot be broken.”

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We really want to We really want to see this growsee this grow

We really want to We really want to hear your ideashear your ideas

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Other AWB Successes and Challenges

Fundraising ProjectsOrganizational systems set upVolunteer applications, management, feedbackField Work Orientations, documents, forms, handouts in 3 languagesDonor list maintenance and cultivationWebsite, logo, photos, flyers, brochure, PowerPoints, branded products for saleCommunity Acu Events concept, kitsNews mediaEmail listserve developmentNational presenceVet project developmentDeveloping Board of DirectorsEvaluations project and data compilation and analysisBookkeeping systemsPresentations around the country, including at college graduation at Rainstar UniversityWorked with volunteers around country to help promote AWB and their own practices, and spread the word about acupunctureNumerous volunteer community presentations and fundraisersSeeds planted for future international projectsSuccessfully worked with Louisiana Medical Board and Dept. of Health and Hospitals

to allow out-of-state acupuncturists for disaster relief

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