Corona is the Virus, Capitalism is the Crisis

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As part of POCA, the international co-operative of community acupuncture clinics, Providence Community Acupuncture helped write the following statement.

Corona is the Virus- Capitalism is the Crisis

As so many have said before us, we are living in unprecedented times.  COVID-19 is ravaging so many communities, disproportionately impacting the most marginalized among us.  Many POCA clinics are closed right now, some remain open.  We are living in a global pandemic during a time of extreme inequality and a system that continues to prioritize the profit of the few over the health and wellbeing of the many: this affects all of us and some of us are feeling it more than ever.  We know the difficult decisions our clinics are making about whether to be open or closed right now are rooted in the dilemmas that capitalism creates for us, the lack of social safety nets, and the terror we all have about supporting ourselves and our families during this new normal.

We want to acknowledge the differential impact this crisis is having on marginalized communities, especially Black, Indigenous and People Of Color communities, houseless folks, people locked up in prisons, jails, and detention centers, people facing violence in their homes, frontline workers who are already underpaid, underprotected, undervalued (i.e. janitors, grocery store workers, postal workers, warehouse workers, nursing home workers, etc). The disparity and oppression we see right now has been going on for centuries but is spotlighted in grim detail in this moment.

Read the full statement on POCA's website here

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July Outdoor Clinics!!!

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We're Excited to Be Welcoming Back Community for Affordable Acupuncture Treatments.

Get All The Details Here

We've Missed You.

Along with feeling excited to be back, we are also feeling cautious, sad, and angry about what lies ahead, the colossal government mismanagement and neglect of the COVID crisis, and the many lives that have been lost. The pandemic has changed how we do a lot of things around the clinic. Like so many small businesses, we are hopeful that in meeting that challenge we can weather this time and continue to do what we love and serve our community.  

 Differences in health outcomes and health-care access have been directly correlated with race and economic status in the United States. In other words if your poor and/or Black and/or brown, you’re more likely to die from a medical condition (including COVID-19) than if you are white and have access to disproportionate resources. We aren’t going to fix the underlying and foundational racism and culture of white supremacy that this nation is founded on with acupuncture needles and cotton balls. So we must  address this inequality, and the violence it perpetrates by being in solidarity with  Movement for Black Lives, by examining our own biases, by dismantling the framework of anti-Blackness and racism that has plagued our country for several hundred years longer than the Corona Virus. We hope that community acupuncture, and PCA, can play a supportive role for all of those who have been advocating for and fighting this fight for so long. We thank you! 

 

 “No one is free, until we are all free…” Dr. MLK once said.

 

For the month of July we will have appointments Sundays and Tuesdays 9a.m. to 12p.m. and Mondays 4p.m. to 7p.m.

We realize that many of our patients are not ready to come back yet, whether due to more vulnerable health status, loss of job, illness, and increased responsibilities that have emerged because of the pandemic (e.g.. no child care, limited public transportation, needing to take extra steps to address basic needs like food shopping, etc.) 

Because we have limited appointment times, we are asking that people cancel with at least 24 hours notice and arrive on time. We want everyone who wants to get a treatment to be able to. We also really want to be able to smoothly treat all of you who come to the outdoor clinics. 

So as a reminder of the new steps and policies that we’re following, please click on the button below to read in detail about our outdoor clinic systems. 

 

Read More About July's Outdoor Clinics
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Black Lives Matter, Today and Every Day.

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We wanted to share this statement that we helped write with our co-op, the People's Organization of Community Acupuncture, in support of the Movement for Black Lives.

POCA stands with all those impacted by white supremacy, anti-Blackness, and police brutality. Today and every day, Black lives matter. We recognize systemic racism and police violence as a public health crisis. We commit to doing the vital and necessary work as a cooperative so that we can unlearn and combat anti-Blackness and white supremacy in our structure, systems, and clinics, as well as with our members and staff. We commit to create safer spaces and aim to improve the health and lives of those most affected by racism.

All acupuncturists are taught to address the root cause of any illness, to “seek the root” to understand any imbalance in an individual person. Liberation Acupuncture demands us to address social conditions – particularly injustice, inequality, and the pervasive influence of traumatic stress – as a root cause of disease in individuals and communities. This includes anti-Blackness and white supremacy.

We offer support with group acupuncture to front line communities and movements as much as we have enthusiastic consent to do so. We share knowledge and tools as much as we are able. We redistribute resources to other people and organizations doing this work. We investigate ourselves and our co-op. We know there is more work to do.

We hope to see you in the streets and supporting the struggle in whatever ways are possible for you. We invite you to continue to hold us accountable to our own anti-racist values.

The best hope for all of our future is aligning ourselves with movements for change that center on the needs and the perspectives of the oppressed, the exploited, and the excluded. When Black lives, Black dreams, and Black futures matter, the world will be a better place for everyone.

You can also read this on POCA’s website here

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Love from PCA

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To our dear community,
 
We are 1 month into facing the COVID-19 pandemic locally and what a strange and difficult time it is.  We hope that you and yours are taking care as best you can, getting fresh air, deep breaths, and staying healthy and safe.  We are dreaming and scheming our garden for this year, staying home, and thinking of you all often.  
 
Several of you have asked how you can support the clinic right now.  We have started selling gift cards online that you can redeem for yourself, as a gift, or as way to support PCA’s re-opening when it is safe to do so.  We know that so many of you are financially struggling right now and that there are so many critical ways to support the most marginalized and vulnerable in our communities during this time, so buy a giftcard if you are able and we understand if now is a time when you are directing your resources elsewhere.  
 
We wanted to share a few helpful resources to help you during this time:
 
We’ve been working with our friend’s at POCA clinics across the U.S. and Canada to create this ever expanding library of DIY acupressure videos that we hope will be helpful while you aren’t able to access regular acupuncture.  
 
The AMOR Network has created a very comprehensive (and frequently updated) local Rhode Island resource list that you can check out here. 
 
We miss you all and are looking forward to the day when we can see you snoozing in a recliner again.  Stay home, stay connected, stay in touch. 
 
With care,
the folks at PCA