Ease and accessibility are our core values. They drive us to deliver acupuncture services that are as easy to access as they are to understand. Paving the path to ease, one needle at a time, by offering:

  • flexible financial options
  • convenient locations
  • full insurance billing team
  • extended hours
  • same-day appointments
  • empowering DIY tools and education
  • group practice model that offers choice to a diverse patient base

Increasing Accessibility

We continuously explore ways to increase accessibility to care. Mend is a VA Choice Program provider which allows us to provide no-cost care to U.S. Veterans enrolled in the VA Choice Program. Over the years, we have also had a number of community partnerships including multiple cancer centers, Baltimore City government, and the Baltimore City Corrections center. Additionally, our leadership is engaging at the legislative level to expand Medicaid and Medicare coverage for acupuncture services in the state and federally.

Formation of DEIB Committee

Mend, like so many businesses and individuals, was fundamentally changed in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic and racial uprisings. We closed our doors for eight weeks, downsized our staff, and consolidated our offerings. Upon re-opening, we adapted over and over again to be able to provide services and, frankly, stay afloat. In addition to adjusting our day-to-day operations, we also engaged in some quiet, deep, internal organizational work to reorient around our values.

In 2022, we started an internal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) workgroup. We contracted with Axle Impact Studios who engaged in both internal/staff and external/client surveys, as well as focus groups, to create a “customized, foundational curriculum on implicit bias applying human-centered and reparative design principles.” Axle created an Implicit Bias training and offered other recommendations to operationalize an on-going commitment to DEIB principles which align with Mend’s values.

Over the past two years, much of this work has been inward facing and we hope it has bolstered our client care. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide an update on the work that we have done.

2022-2023 DEIB Training and Initiatives

“Uncovering Implicit Bias for Wellness” Training

In-service training led by Axle Impact Studios. Attended by all staff (practitioners and administrators) and recorded for new staff on-boarding. Held June 2022.

Post-”Implicit Bias” Training Initiatives

Mend’s DEIB committee reviewed and prioritized the recommendations from Axle’s deep work with clients and staff. We are in the process of operationalizing them in a slow and steady fashion and are committed to on-going learning and unlearning around individual and systemic biases. This includes:

  • Internal “Shared Agreements” which are guidelines and norms that define how our team works, communicates with one another, and supports each other.
  • Shared vocabulary of DEIB terms and language so the whole team has a common vocabulary
  • Updating hiring processes and internal HR procedures with DEIB competencies incorporated.

Trauma-Informed Care Training

In-service training led by Alaine Duncan, L.Ac., esteemed trauma-informed care acupuncturist, Somatic Experiencing practitioner and researcher. Attended by all practitioners (acupuncturists and massage therapists) and recorded for new practitioner on-boarding. Held June 2023.

LGBTQIA+ Competency in Integrative Clinical Practice

In-service training led by Aurora Raiten, L.Ac, Mend Acupuncturist and experienced trainer. Attended by all practitioners and recorded for new practitioner on-boarding and administrative staff. Held October 2023.

As we enter 2024, our DEIB committee continues to meet regularly and identify areas for development. Our goals for 2024 include:

  • Building an internal shared referral library so the Mend team can refer clients to trusted community partners
  • Creating on-going opportunities for client feedback about their experiences at Mend
  • Continued development of Trauma-Informed Care best practices training

We are sharing this because we are committed to making Mend a safer space for our clients, team, and community. We acknowledge that individually and organizationally we have blind-spots, biases, and growth edges. We encourage our clients and team to hold each other accountable to cultivating a space where more of us can feel more ease, access, and wholeness.