Our Mission
The Wellness Wagon partners with mobile community support services to eliminate barriers to wellness by providing free and reduced priced acupuncture and other coordinated social services in underserved communities in and around the Roanoke Valley.
We provide two types of acupuncture: traditional acupuncture based on East Asian Medical theory and the 5 Needle Protocol Acupuncture Treatment. The 5 Needle Protocol is a holistic treatment, non-verbal approach to healing that involves the placement of up to five small, sterilized disposable needles into specific sites on each ear. The recipients sit quietly in a group setting for 25 - 30 minutes. In addition to addiction recovery, auricular acupuncture is frequently used to support smoking cessation, PTSD, and generalized anxiety and stress.
Four Main Audiences/Services:
Corporate Wellness / 5 Needle Protocol Auricular Acupuncture
These sessions provide 5 Needle Protocol Auricular; 5 needles placed carefully in the outer ear, utilizing acupuncture points to heal the whole body. Acupuncture for treatments to 6 - 10 employees or students an hour. We can bring our mobile clinic to worksites or provide treatments in a group space at a facility. Great for stress, wellness, improved sleep and digestion. All these events fund the community opportunities.
Funding Source: paid for by business - $200/hr
Location: mobile
Frequency: As requested by local businesses/organizations
Staffing: Auricular Acupuncture Technicians (AAT)
Medically Underserved Communities / Full Acupuncture Treatment
In our Wellness Rodeos the Wellness Wagon coordinates with other nonprofits to provide mobile healthcare services in medically underserved communities. These treatments can address a broader array of issues including but not limited to anxiety, depression, digestive issues, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, complex PTSD, and side effects from chemotherapy.
Funding Source: grants and private donations
Location: routine mobile locations
Frequency: set routine for each location/population
Staffing: Licensed Acupuncturist
Recovery Communities /5 Needle Protocol Acupuncture
These sessions provide 5 Needle Protocol Auricular Acupuncture (5NP). This treatment is provided in recovery and treatment centers but is more difficult to access in long-term recovery. We can host treatments for 6 - 10 clients an hour. We can bring our mobile clinic to you or provide treatments in a group space at a facility. The 5 Needle Protocol has been found to improve patient outcomes in terms of program retention, reduction in cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance and need for pharmaceuticals. Over time it has been discovered that the 5NP is also effective in the adjunctive treatment of trauma and PTSD, chronic pain and depression.
Funding Source: grants
Location: routine mobile locations
Frequency: routine for each location (recovery meetings, methadone clinic, PEERs network, RV Collective Response)
Staffing: Auricular Acupuncture Technician
Education and Outreach
Auricular Acupuncture Trainings - Beginning 2024
We provide two types of training geared toward two different populations. Our Auricular Acupuncture Technician training is geared toward peer-to-peer support providers, community health workers, and certified peer support specialists so that they can provide the 5 Needle Protocol in the field. High school and college students can be trained in using auricular acupressure seeds instead of acupuncture needles. These empowering trainings will provide a solid foundation for self-care techniques teens and young adults can use on themselves and others.
Funding Source: Grant and attendee funded
Location: TBD
Frequency: Quarterly
Staffing: Auricular Acupuncture Technician Trainer