Message from the President:
Website is Live, Dry Needling &
Strategic Partnerships
Kimberley Benjamin
Happy Fall, everyone!
Your volunteer board is working diligently on your behalf and continues to meet regularly at CSTCM in Denver, with board members that travel from as far as Fort Collins and Colorado Springs. We could use more help and welcome member participation, so if you would like to join us, please check our Facebook page for meeting event announcements or contact board Secretary Robin Schiesser at secretary@acucol.com or 720-432-5373.
NEW WEBSITE IS LIVE!
The new AAC website is up and running! We would like it to be a useful resource for you, and it is still a work in progress. If there is something you would like to see that is missing, please let us know. After we transferred the member data to the new site you may have received a notice to renew your membership before it was due. Thank you for your patience as we iron out the kinks in the system.
If you have have not had a chance to log in to the new site yet, please do so at your earliest convenience to make sure your directory profile appears as you would like it to and that your information is correct. The public can search this directory by type of treatment, technique, specialty or keyword under Find an Acupuncturist. On the new site you can make changes to your profile immediately without waiting for them to go through the AAC office manager. If you have any questions or difficulties please contact Charissa at info@acucol.com or 303-572-8744 for assistance.
DRY NEEDLING
We would like to thank everyone who donated and made pledges to our legal fund at our annual conference last April. Our attorney is making great strides in his research of the best options to address dry needling in Colorado. We appreciate your support in helping us with the attorney fees, which are adding up in spite of his generously providing us with a substantial discount. If you still need to pay your pledge or would like to donate, every dollar helps. If you are paying a pledge, please note that in the comment box provided.
Click Here to Donate
On the national level, the American Society of Acupuncture (ASA) of which you are a member by virtue of your AAC membership, recently adopted a policy regarding dry needling. Read the policy here.This policy joins a growing list released by organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. These policies are helpful in educating our patients and the public about safe needling.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Last month Past President Scott Richardson and I presented along with other AAC board members to Charlie Sheffield, executive director of the Colorado Association of Health Plans and five major health insurance carriers. Our presentation included our extensive training as acupuncturists and the clinical and cost effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of various conditions such as migraines, chronic pain, substance abuse and depression. We are planning further meetings with individual insurance companies to continue to promote acupuncture as a viable and reimbursable benefit for their customers. Scott is also continuing to develop our relationship with Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar to pursue expansion of coverage for acupuncture services.
ASA UPDATE
The American Society of Acupuncture Board of Directors will be present at Pacific Symposium in San Diego October 25 - 30, 2016 to build professional community relationships as it is one of the largest national events for our community. If you are attending the symposium, feel free to introduce yourself to ASA board members as an AAC member (and therefore an ASA member) and let them know your priorities for our profession.
The ASA website is in beta. We will announce the site when it is live so you can stay in touch with the activities of this vital national organization and the benefits it provides us as members. See the announcement below about reading the Meridians Journal on the new AAC website.
The 2017 Annual Meeting for the ASA is scheduled for March 17 & 18, 2017 in Philadelphia, PA. The AAC will send two delegates to represent Colorado in the business conducted at the meeting.
ELECTION 2016
No matter who you support in this critical election year it is important to exercise your right to vote. Make sure that you are registered! Please see the article below and consider volunteering for candidates who support acupuncture in these last few crucial weeks before the election. Our combined efforts are necessary to successfully represent and further our profession. Thank you for your time and energy.
Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
President, AAC Board of Directors
President@acucol.com
(970) 214-6683
Colorado State Elections:
2016 Voter and Volunteer Guide
George Graf
The fall 2016 general election is less than a month away, but it is not too late to connect and volunteer for state senate and state house representative candidates.
There are many tight legislative races in Colorado this general election and the AAC is doing all we can for state legislative candidates who advocate for acupuncturists. We are asking you, AAC members, to contact campaigns in your districts and give your time by phone banking, giving a personal money contribution or canvassing neighborhoods. This would be great exposure for us professionally and can really make a difference for these legislative campaigns that operate on shoestring budgets. Representative Pete Lee in House District 18 shared with me that the best contribution a volunteer can make is walking the district and knocking on doors.
An election is not the best time to bend our candidates’ ears about the issues we are facing. Our best approach is to introduce ourselves as acupuncturists who are supporting them, expressing an interest in learning more about their platform. They will remember us and our efforts when they are in office, and be more open to hearing from us when they are in a position to help.
Though we have had bipartisan support for certain legislative bills, the AAC generally supports the Democratic candidates as historically they have overwhelmingly been the proponents of issues surrounding the acupuncture profession.
Below are the candidates in key races that you can contact. To determine what is your senate and house district go to www.ballotpedia.org.
Senate District 19 features a candidate rematch in a closely divided district. Incumbent state Sen. Laura Woods (R) is running for re-election. She faces former state Sen. Rachel Zenzinger (D) in November. Rachel Zenzinger is a proponent of acupuncture. The AAC supports Rachel Zenzinger. You can contact Rachel at 7725 Marshall St., Arvada, CO 80003, (303) 748-0770, RachelforColorado@Gmail.com, http://www.rachelforcolorado.com
Senate District 25 features an open seat in a swing district. Incumbent state Sen. Mary Hodge (D) is not running for re-election due to term limits. Former state Rep. Kevin Priola (R) faces former state Rep. Jenise May (D) in November. Denise has served on the Finance Committee and Public Health Care and Human Services. The AAC supports Jenise May and she can be contacted going to http://jenisemay.com
State House District 30 the Republican incumbent is running for re-election in a swing district. Incumbent state Rep. JoAnn Windholz (R) is running for re-election. She faces Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D) in November. In 2014, Windholz narrowly defeated Jenise May (D), the former incumbent, by a margin of 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent.
According to the Colorado Independent, the district is one of two races that could determine which party controls the state House (District 31 is the other notable race).
The AAC supports Dafna Michaelson Jenet. Dafna can be contacted by going to http://dafnaforcolorado.com
State House District 31The Democratic incumbent is running for re-election in a swing district. Incumbent state Rep. Joe Salazar (D) is running for re-election. He faces Jessica Sandgren (R) in November.In 2014, Salazar narrowly defeated his Republican opponent by a margin of 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent. The AAC supports Joe Salazar and Joe can be contacted by going to www.salazarforhd31.com
Other races are not as tight but they still need our help, below is the list of retiring incumbents with seats up for grabs:
Senate Partisan Breakdown: Democratic Party (17) Republican Party (18)
Incumbent state senators that are NOT running for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents are:
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Incumbent not running
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|
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AAC General Election Candidate
|
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Mark Scheffel
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Republican
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Senate District 4
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Christina Riegel
|
|
Rollie Heath
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Democrat
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Senate District 18
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Stephen Fenberg
|
|
Jessie Ulibarri
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Democrat
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Senate District 21
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Dominick Moreno
|
|
Linda Newell
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Democrat
|
Senate District 26
|
Daniel Kagan
|
|
Morgan Carroll
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Democrat
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Senate District 29
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Rhonda Fields
|
|
Pat Steadman
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Democrat
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Senate District 31
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Lois Court
|
|
Michael Johnston
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Democrat
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Senate District 33
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Angela Williams
|
Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2016
House Partisan Breakdown: Democratic Party (34) Republican Party (31)
Incumbent representatives that are NOT running for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents are:
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Incumbent not running
|
|
|
AAC General Election Candidate
|
|
Daniel Kagan
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Democrat
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House District 3
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Jeff Bridges
|
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Beth McCann
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Democrat
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House District 8
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Leslie Herod
|
|
Max Tyler
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Democrat
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House District 23
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Christopher Louis Kennedy
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|
Dominick Moreno
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Democrat
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House District 32
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Adrienne Benavidez
|
|
Dianne Primavera
|
Democrat
|
House District 33
|
Matt Gray
|
|
Su Ryden
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Democrat
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House District 36
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Mike Weissman
|
|
Kathleen Conti
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Republican
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House District 38
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Robert Bowen
|
|
Rhonda Fields
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Democrat
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House District 42
|
Dominique Jackson
|
|
Brian DelGrosso
|
Republican
|
House District 51
|
Jody Shadduck-McNall
|
|
Kevin Priola
|
Republican
|
House District 56
|
Matthew Snider
|
|
Edward Vigil
|
Democrat
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House District 62
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Donald Valdez
|
Source: www.ballotpedia.org
If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. No matter who you support, please get out and vote—your voice matters!! Thank you for your time and efforts.
George Graf, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
Legislative Committee Chair
LegislativeComm@acucol.com
Reminder: Kiiko Matsumoto at the
34th Annual AAC Conference
Stephanie Shober Kiiko Matsumoto
We’d like to remind you that Kiiko Matsumoto will be joining us for our 34th annual conference, which will be held April 22-23, 2017, once again at the beautiful Marriott Westminster. Watch for our announcement when registration opens in early 2017.
Kiiko Matsumoto is the founder of Kiiko Style Acupuncture and is considered to be a "living Master of Acupuncture". She is well known for her ability to integrate the work of some of the most famous Japanese masters into her practice for the last three decades. Her style of acupuncture focuses on treating the root cause with emphasis on the entire body rather than a single symptom. As a result, patients find Kiiko's treatments to be effective and long lasting.
Her dedication to researching and understanding the Chinese medical classics makes her one of the foremost authorities on the subject of acupuncture. Kiiko's passion for sharing her research makes her a popular and sought after teacher. Her students find her seminars to be practical, fun and dynamic.
Conference attendees were so pleased with this year’s presenter, Lonny Jarrett, that we are bringing him back April 28-29, 2018. Mark your calendars!
Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
Conference Committee Chair
ConferenceComm@acucol.com
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