February 19, 2012: Elise Rivers & Regular Meeting
on Saturday, January 14, 2012Speaker: Elise Rivers, M.Ac., Dipl.Ac., presenting on
“How to Build a Unique & Sustainable Community Acupuncture Practice”
1 PDA – Meeting to follow presentation.
This one hour presentation is an introduction to the basic elements of a community acupuncture practice uniquely crafted by its owner, Elise Rivers. Many community acupuncture practices are modeled after Working Class Acupuncture, the first business to offer this style of practice in Portland, OR. Elise built upon their basic model by modifying it to suit her vision for a health care business, as well as adapt it to the needs of the population she serves. The modifications and policies of practice she developed have led to steady growth as well as a sustainable, enjoyable environment for both her staff and patients. In this presentation you will learn what Elise feels are the critical elements to building a successful community acupuncture practice. While every community practice has its own style that reflects the owner, they all share one thing in common: to provide acupuncture to those who cannot afford the current market rate of a private practice in an on-going way. Elise built upon this basic to create a total healing experience that keeps patients coming back for more!
About Elise Rivers:
Elise Rivers, Esq., M.Ac., Dipl.Ac. is the owner of Community Acupuncture of Mt. Airy (CAMA), a sliding scale acupuncture center located in northwest Philadelphia. Now 7 years old, CAMA has a staff of 7 acupuncturists and other healing arts practitioners, administering thousands of acupuncture treatments every year. Begun as a walk-in clinic at a doctor’s office in 2005, CAMA has had steady growth, and two years ago expanded to its current store-front home on the main street in the neighborhood of Mt. Airy.
Elise is a graduate of the New England Center for Oriental Bodywork (shiatsu), the New England School of Acupuncture, with a Masters in both TCM and Japanese styles of treatment, and is a certified National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) specialist. Her commitment to affordable community health care began in acupuncture school where she completed internships at both the Dimock Community Health Center and the Wellness Center in Boston, MA. This was followed by a year long internship after graduation with a community style walk-in clinic in Northampton, MA. She has both visited and trained with the founders of Working Class Acupuncture in Oregon, the nation’s first community acupuncture practice. A former lawyer, she uses her legal background to grow and manage both the community acupuncture practice as well as her private practice, Moon River Acupuncture. Elise has taught Point Location & Energetics at the Won Institute in Glenside since they began their acupuncture studies program 6 years ago.
Elise lives with her husband Max and her large cat, Lily, in Mt. Airy. Both Elise and Max are committed to healing work outside the field of acupuncture. Max is the world’s first “Marriage Mediator,” helping couples learn novel communication skills to resolve the conflicts in their marriage. Elise is on the board of the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District, and devotes much time to developing programs that improve the safety and beauty of the business corridor in the neighborhood in which she lives and works.
Looks cool! I love Elise Rivers!