When Licensed Acupuncturist Laurie Mecham came to Springfield Missouri in 2001, she had two clear goals; she wished to establish a successful acupuncture practice; and, she wished to provide her services to those who would otherwise be unable to afford it.  More specifically, she had the intention of developing a professional relationship with the Kitchen Clinic, a free health clinic for the uninsured in Springfield.

 

When Laurie met Cami Stanely (R.N.), she began to see the possibilities.  Cami,  Outpatient Health Education Coordinator at Cox Hospital, attended a Holistic Nursing Class that Laurie offered at Cox.  Part of Cami’s work included providing nursing education for patients and staff at the Kitchen Clinic.

 

Laurie and Cami decided to work together to bring acupuncture to the Kitchen Clinic.   They traveled to Dallas Texas and spent an intensive week training in acupuncture detoxification and community style acupuncture.  Cami left the training so enthusiastic that she made the decision to pursue licensing as an acupuncturist.  In October 2008 she began her training under the direction of Laurie and serves as Laurie’s apprentice at Wellness Concepts Clinic twice a week.  

 

In February 2009, Laurie and Cami established the Acupuncture Clinic at the Kitchen.  The Clinic is held every Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.  They see 15 – 20 patients a week.  They use primarily a community style of treatment which treats a wide variety of symptoms but it is specifically geared to addiction control.  Patients receive a special point protocol of five needles in each ear.  Cami performs most of the community style acupuncture.  Laurie is there once a month providing full body acupuncture.  She treats a wide range of symptoms such as pain, anxiety, depression, and insomnia .  Patients who come weekly for community style acupuncture are eligible for the once a month full body acupuncture.

 

Cami is carefully monitoring the program’s effectiveness, documenting patient responsiveness.  Patients report that they are feeling more relaxed and sleeping better.  Most importantly, those with addiction issues report that they are more successful in moving through withdrawal and recovery.  Growing awareness of the clinic’s success is resulting in an increased client base.  The Kitchen Clinic staff are enthusiastic supporters of the program and are working to institute permanent funding for the program.  All are in agreement that it would be very beneficial for the practice of community acupuncture to become a respected part of free clinics around the country.