Tag: community

Feel good for a good cause: 4th Friday Fundraiser for REJ Forum of Hyde Park

Community acupuncture treatments at Boston Acupuncture Project (74 Fairmount Ave, Hyde Park) are “by donation” on Friday, January 27, 2023 with 50% of proceeds benefiting Hyde Park’s Racial Equity and Justice (REJ) Forum.

Partner: Racial Equity & Justice Forum of Hyde Park

The REJ Forum is a “series of structured and inclusive conversations about racial equity and justice, intended to deepen the ongoing discourse, and spark and fortify impactful action that result in equity and justice for all residents; the priority is the Hyde Park community and the reach is all of Boston.” Learn more on their website: https://westfhcommunity.org/racial-equity

Why Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a natural, holistic treatment using sterile, single-use, hair-thin needles inserted into specific points on the body. Since acupuncture helps the body heal itself, it can be used for a wide variety of health challenges alongside conventional treatment, including pain relief, stress relief, and so much more. Most people find the treatments pleasant and relaxing.

Putting the “Community” in Community Acupuncture

Boston Acupuncture Project (BAP) provides individualized acupuncture treatments in a peaceful group setting, also known as “community acupuncture.”

BAP’s practitioners, all licensed by the Board of Registration in Medicine in Massachusetts, have provided acupuncture to over 950 individuals in the past 4 years. “By offering relief from pain, stress, and isolation, we aim to contribute to the well-being of individual people, and the strength of our community as a whole.”

In this spirit, BAP hosts monthly 4th Friday Fundraisers, partnering with local justice organizations, raising funds and awareness. (If you know an organization we shoulder partner with, please get in touch!)

Please join us!

Book your visit online at BostonAcupunctureProject.org or walk in from 4:00-6:00 PM on the 4th Friday of the month. Suggested donation: $20-$60.

Appointments are strongly recommended and face masks are required.

New Sliding Scale Guidelines

Our sliding scale has not changed. Boston Acupuncture Project builds community by providing widely accessible and affordable acupuncture. Boston Acupuncture Project is here for you – and thanks to you. But what does the sliding scale really mean?

We need to average $35 per visit.

We want to keep our sliding scale at $25-$55 for as long as possible. In order to continue to stay open and provide treatments, our clinic needs to average $35 per visit. (This assumes we’re averaging 40 visits per week.) This is a literal average – every dollar counts! But to keep it simple, let’s break it into 3 tiers:

Paying $45 or more helps us keep the low end of the sliding scale at $25, save for emergencies, and potentially even grow to have more open hours, more programs, and more staff.

Paying $35 helps sustain Boston Acupuncture Project financially. Thank you! This is the average payment we need to keep things running.

If you are only able to pay $25, thank you so much – please keep paying $25 per visit.

If you need to pay $25, we want you to pay $25.

No matter how much you pay, we want you to be able to get as much acupuncture as you need to see a real difference in your health concerns. Not only does your life improve, but then you can tell other people about how acupuncture helped you! And that helps us reach more new patients, and fulfill our mission.

So, if paying more than $25 would prevent you from getting as much acupuncture as you need, we do not want you to pay more than $25. We want you to get enough acupuncture. There are also plenty of ways you can help BAP keep our doors open that are not paying more on the sliding scale, if you’re interested!

If $25 puts acupuncture out of reach for you

If you are not able to pay $25 per visit, please talk to your acupuncturist! Generous community members who love getting acupuncture at BAP donate Pay It Forward treatments for neighbors unable to pay $25. (If you would like to donate a Pay It Forward treatment, please click here to visit our donation page.)

We want you to know that every dollar counts.

If you are able, paying above $25 makes a real difference for us.

We are counting on you to ask yourself the question. We can’t stay open if we can’t meet our financial obligations.

How do I know how much I can pay?

This is very personal. Below is one framework for thinking about where you might fall on our sliding scale. Thanks for being thoughtful!

3 bottles under a heading The Green Bottle - where you fall on the sliding scale. Vertical axis is labeled financial privilege - how full the bottles are. Horizontal axis is labeled Personal Financial Experience - what you experience inside each bottle. Bottle on left is full. It says: I am comfortably able to meet all of my basic needs; I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs; I own my home OR I rent a higher end property; I own or lease a car; I am employed OR do not need to work to meet my needs; I have regular access to health care and financial savings; I have expendable income; I can always buy new items; I can afford time off or a vacation. Middle bottle is half full. It says: I may stress about meeting my basic needs but still regularly achieve them; I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs; I own or lease a car; I am employed; I have access to health care; I might have access to financial savings; I have some expendable income; I am able to buy some new items and thrift others; I can take a vacation annually or every few years without financial burden. Bottle on the right has very little and says: I frequently stress about meeting my basic needs and don't always achieve them; I have debt and sometimes it prohibits me from meeting my basic needs; I rent lower-end properties or have unstable housing; I do not have a car and/or have limited access to a car but am not always able to afford gas; I am unemployed or underemployed; I qualify for government assistance including food stamps and health care; I have no or very limited expendable income; I rarely buy new items because I am unable to afford them; I cannot afford a vacation or have the ability to take time off without financial burden. Bottom says that Basic Needs include food, housing, and transportation. Expendable income means you are able to buy a coffee, go to the movies or a concert, buy a new book or clothing or similar items every month, etc. Designed by Alexis J. Cunningfolk at WortsAndCunning.com

Small Steps Healing Project making big waves

Group photo of (Left to Right) LaShyra "Lash" Nolen (founder of We Got Us Project), Golda and Cornelie Jean-Charles (Haitian-American sisters who have a business called I Love Me Reiki https://www.ilovemereiki.com/), Dr. Tolbert Small, Oren "Ren" Pilinger (lead acupuncturist at Boston Acupuncture Project), Geri Hughes (Blue Willow Acupuncture), and Eana Meng, founder and director of the Small Steps Healing Project.

In the past few months, over 150 community members received free holistic healing thanks to the Small Steps Healing Project, part of We Got Us. Boston Acupuncture Project had the opportunity to contribute to this work.

Community Empowerment

What is We Got Us? From their website: “The We Got Us Empowerment Project is a Boston-based collective of Black community members, health professional students, and allies dedicated to empowering our communities with education about medical racism, COVID-19, and the vaccine. We also seek to promote public health and to influence policy in order to help keep our communities safe and healthy.”

The Small Steps Healing Project, a community-based collaborative, aims to “increase access to acupuncture and holistic healing for the historically marginalized populations in Boston and beyond.” Harvard medical student Eana Meng named the project after Dr. Tolbert Small, physician to the Black Panthers and one of the first American doctors to practice acupuncture.

Eana and other Small Steps Healing Project volunteers organized eight pop up clinics around Boston, providing acupuncture, reiki, sound healing, and more – all free for the community.

Learning and Celebrating

This past Saturday, October 22, 2022, Eana arranged for Dr. Small to fly out and speak in Dorchester. We learned more about Dr. Small’s trail-blazing life and work as a Black physician and activist. It was wonderful to be there and an honor to meet Dr. Small.

Healers from around Boston

Check out the work of some of the other healers participating in the Small Steps Healing Project:

Click arrow to see more photos. Photos 1-5 courtesy of Elizabeth Ropp, L.Ac. Final group photo courtesy of the Small Steps Healing Project.

Short trailer video by Eana Meng about her research journey! More videos at https://www.wegotusproject.org/small-steps-project

October 2022 Special Discount for Co-op Members

Co-op Month October 2022 By The Community For The Community Co-ops banner by Shareable.net

October is Co-op Month! To celebrate, BAP offers 20% OFF up to 3 community acupuncture treatments* for co-op members this month.

First Visits for $28 (regularly $35-$65)
Return Visits for $20 (regularly $25-$55)


You can belong to any local co-op (let us know which one!) but we are highlighting our friends at Dorchester Food Co-op.

Dorchester Food Co-op is building a community- and worker-owned grocery store to challenge the traditional food system and instead create an asset that nourishes, employs, and reinvests in the local community.

Join Now

*treatments/visits being discounted for co-op members are regular community acupuncture treatments in October 2022; this special does not apply to Bubble Blocks and cannot be combined with any other special offers or discounts. Thanks for understanding!

Free Outdoor Yoga + Acupuncture

Image of Black woman doing yoga in park. text says: Community in Nature. Free yoga plus acupuncture. Sundays 10-11 AM. Mother's Rest Park on September 11. Reverend Loesch Family Park on September 18. 4 Corners Yoga and Wellness Logo.

Join 4 Corners Yoga + Wellness and Boston Acupuncture Project for outdoor yoga followed by relaxing group acupuncture!

Community In Nature Yoga Classes:
Sunday, Sept. 11 at Mother’s Rest Park, 10-11 AM
Sunday, Sept. 18 at Rev. Loesch Family Park, 10-11 AM

To see details and register:
1. Visit https://www.4cornersyogawellness.com/yoga
2. Select the date of the class on the scheduler at the top of the page
3. Click the green “book” button next to the class name.

(Drop-ins are also welcome!)

At the end of these classes, Boston Acupuncture Project provides free relaxation acupuncture.

Please bring your own yoga mat!

Yoga + Acupuncture at Mother’s Rest Park

Image of Black woman doing yoga in park. text says: Community in Nature. Free yoga plus acupuncture. Sundays 10-11 AM. Mother's Rest Park on September 11. Reverend Loesch Family Park on September 18. 4 Corners Yoga and Wellness Logo.

Join 4 Corners Yoga + Wellness for 2 free/donation-based outdoor classes!

Community In Nature Yoga Classes:
Sunday, Sept. 11 at Mother’s Rest Park, 10-11 AM
Sunday, Sept. 18 at Rev. Loesch Family Park, 10-11 AM

To see details and register:
1. Visit https://www.4cornersyogawellness.com/yoga
2. Select the date of the class on the scheduler at the top of the page
3. Click the green “book” button next to the class name.

(Drop-ins are also welcome!)

At the end of these classes, Boston Acupuncture Project provides free relaxation acupuncture. Please bring your own yoga mat!

Virtual Yard Sale

We are selling a few excess furniture items! Your entire purchase will fund things the clinic actually needs. Please feel free to share with local friends. Call the clinic at 617-506-3868 or email contact@bostonacupunctureproject.org if you would like to check out or purchase one of these recliners!

Brand New Recliner for $195

Comfy and brand new recliner purchased for $263.99 with 5 year protection by Allstate ($52.99 value). Discontinued item from Wayfair. Purchased for high weight rating of 660 lbs but length is too short for us. Reclined length is a little under five feet. Great for a shorter, heavier person or someone who sits down with a lot of force. Find this Oliviya 26.37” Wide Manual Standard Recliner By Latitude Run on OfferUp or just stop by the clinic. Asking for $195 OBO.

Zero Gravity Loveseat for $45

Comfy and unique porch or patio furniture. 3’9” wide from armrest to armrest, seating area is 3’1” wide. Reclines with body weight. Folds flat for easy storage. Lightly used. Find this Orange Zero Gravity Loveseat on OfferUp or just stop by the clinic.

Used Recliner for $55

Well-loved recliner in good working order. This is exactly like the smaller, fluffy recliners in the clinic. 38″ tall, 35″ deep, 32″ wide. Find this Recliner on OfferUp.

Supporting movements for reproductive rights

Cartoon people hold a banner that says Abortion Is Healthcare

In July, BAP shows our support for everyone working for reproductive justice and abortion access with a 20% discount on all community acupuncture treatments*.

We know this is an especially stressful time for everyone involved in repro movements, whether that’s in a paid or volunteer capacity. Acupuncture is one way to care for yourself and help you get through stressful times.

First Visits for $28 (regularly $35-$65)
Return Visits for $20 (regularly $25-$55)

How to use the special: when you come in for your treatment, just let us know you’re using the July special.

*treatments are regular community acupuncture treatments; this special does not apply to Bubble Blocks and cannot be combined with any other special offers. Thanks for understanding!

Acupuncture Outdoors in Summer 2022

Boston Acupuncture Project still offers Bubble Block appointments at the clinic during our regular clinic hours.

What is a “Bubble Block”?

Bubble Blocks reserve the clinic for one full hour, for up to 4 people. (Or just for yourself!)

The name comes from earlier in the pandemic, when many people were only interacting with others in their “bubble.”

Bubble Blocks cost $100 minimum – add $10 for each new (first-time) patient. Anyone new should fill out health history and consent forms before you arrive. 24 hours’ notice is required to cancel or reschedule a Bubble Block.

Book Now

Outdoor Appointments

This summer, Bubble Blocks head outdoors – to your back yard!

Interested in hosting a Bubble Block at your outdoor location?

Call or text us at 617-506-3868 or fill out the Outdoor Acupuncture Appointment Request Form online (click here).

Request Now
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