Several of the nation's leading acupuncture and Oriental medicine organizations have partnered together to have October 24 declared "Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day." The effort is part of a nationwide campaign to educate the public about the benefits of acupuncture and other forms of Asian healing.

The partnership includes member associations, research organizations and educational institutions. Among the groups supporting AOM Day:

• Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance
• Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM)
• American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA)
• American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM)
• American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA)
• Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM)
• National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA)
• National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)
• Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR)

The partnership will use various brands of media to help achieve their goal. A website (www.aomday.org) has already been created, which includes background information on acupuncture and Oriental medicine; a listing of supporting organizations; and tips on how practitioners and associations can participate in the campaign. Many acupuncture colleges have planned to give free clinic demonstrations or lectures to the public on the 24th. Other plans include the commissioning of a national survey regarding the public's use and opinions of AOM (the results of which will be highlighted in a press conference October 23); placing an advertisement about acupuncture and Oriental medicine in the October 24 issue of USA Today; and requesting a presidential proclamation that officially recognizes AOM Day.

AOM Day is the result of discussions between members of the North American Council of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (formerly known as the NAFTA Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Commision). The commission consists of acupuncture and Oriental medicine organizations from the U.S. Canada and Mexico, and was created to improve dialogue between practitioners and associations in all three countries.

CSOMA Plays Host to National Visioning Task Force

At the California State Oriental Medical Association's recent annual conference in San Francisco, representatives from the AAOM, NCCAOM, ACAOM, CCAOM and the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance gathered for the first meeting of the National Visioning Task Force. The impetus of the meeting was to launch a 30-month long organizational process called "visioning," which was developed and coordinated by William Prensky, OMD, director of the acupuncture and Oriental medicine program at Mercy College in New York.

According to an article in the CSOMA Source, the goals of the Visioning Task Force are to "attempt to develop a consensual and mutually agreeable vision for the future of our profession with which all participants can live and work." Once developed, this vision can be used to help improve communication between organizations; develop strategies for planning; and find the most appropriate ways of working together for the good of the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession.

Look for a full review of CSOMA's 2002 annual meeting in the November issue of Acupuncture Today.

Acupuncture Part of Integrative Medicine Center in San Francisco

The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco has officially added two licensed acupuncturists to its staff. Joseph S. Acquah, OMD, LAc and Beverly Burns, LAc were hired by the center in July, joining a network of health care providers that already included Western-trained physicians, massage therapists, nutritional counselors and psychotherapists.

Dr. Acquah is the former clinical director and internship coordinator for the California Acupuncture College. He began practicing acupuncture in 1981 and has taught at several colleges, most recently the New England School of Acupuncture. He is an acclaimed expert in tai chi chuan and has a master's degree in clinical psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute. Ms. Burns received her license to practice acupuncture in 1991. She previously served as president of the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic, a clinic for low-income women with cancer and the first acupuncture clinic established as a primary care facility in the state of California.

The Osher Center was formed in 1998 with a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation. It provides services for people interested in receiving a multidisciplinary, integrative approach to health care. In addition to individual treatments, the center offers group programs in tai chi, therapeutic yoga and herbs.

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