Join ASVA |
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Your membership and support are vital to keeping Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine a healthcare option for all Virginians.
Your active membership includes an active membership in the American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA).
Being an active member keeps you connected with an organization that has the resources and community to help make your professional goals obtainable while making a difference in your community.
We have membership options for acupuncture students, licensed practitioners, and business memberships for you and your whole clinic! |
Why is it important to join ASVA?
Simple: No members, no professional representation in Richmond. Your career depends on you!
Through the East Asian Medicine grapevine, we hope you're starting to understand, other healthcare practitioners and providers want to be like us and emulate East Asian Medicine philosophy and practices--person centered, individualized, non-pharmaceutical options, and holistic. This is why we are seeing scope creep, like Dry Needling, happen more frequently. And as "Integrative Medicine" continues to emerge in the healthcare system, clinics and hospitals will also want to incorporate what we already do. The thing is many of the other healthcare practitioners and settings don't really know how to do that. All they know are people are unhappy with all the gaps in healthcare, patients hate the costs, and trust is waning. In addition, patients and people want fewer pharmaceutical options. This is why the demand for East Asian Medicine is growing so rapidly and other practitioners and healthcare systems want what we have. Without representation and leadership of Licensed Acupuncturists at the state and nation level, other healthcare providers and systems are happy to "make it up," cherry-pick based on evidence-based research, and strip EAM to a more "sellable" modality. ASVA is here to support and uplift L.Ac.s in Virginia but also work closely at the national level. In short, ASVA makes your life easier. Without a professional organization, each and every one of us would need to do what ASVA does every week - work with regulating Boards, set up and attend meetings with Delegates and Senators, work with Stakeholders in the EAM community to ensure benefits and more savings, and meeting with National organizations. Of course, we can't do it alone. ASVA does a lot of that heavy lifting and forward driving momentum for its members. As a membership run organization, if there are no members, there is no organization. No organization, no greater representation and your to-do list for keeping your business open and running the way you want just got A LOT longer.
How do we put your membership to use?
Your membership fees go directly to running the state's only professional organization representing Licensed Acupuncturists in Virginia and nationally. Your fees cover all the administrative costs of operating a non-profit 501(c)6 in Virginia with an all volunteer (non-paid) Board of Directors. Your fees go directly to:
- Legislation & Advocacy: Scope creep and insurance reimbursement are major hurdles in Virginia. The volunteer Board of Directors has its pulse on all legal, regulatory, and proposed actions every week. We monitor and participate in state legislative and regulatory activities. This includes reviewing scope of practice, state licensing requirements, and the ongoing topic of the practice of dry needling outside the acupuncture profession. They meet with policy makers and the public promoting Acupuncture, standing up for equal reimbursement and insurance hurdles, meeting about the difference between Acupuncture and the type of Acupuncture known as Dry Needling, and rallying stakeholders to make their voice heard when there is scope creep.
- Public Education: awareness is key to promoting the availability and coverage of acupuncture and its benefits. We reach out to potential patients, lawmakers, insurance companies, etc. to spread the word!
- Practitioner Education: ASVA provides regular updates and Calls-for-Action via newsletters, e-blasts, and social medial posts alerting you to new information and urgent actions requests that are important to your practice. Information about upcoming events, continuing education, and training opportunities are always forthcoming.
- Opioid Treatment Strategies: our profession can directly impact the opioid epidemic in Virginia in addressing both pain management and addiction care. Acupuncture is the top non-pharmacological choice nation wide and we need to continue to advocate, educate, and inspire policy makers to make laws and regulations that allow us to make meaningful differences in our communities.
- Membership Benefits: growth and opportunity for your personal and professional life. ASVA offers a wide range of membership benefits that includes, leadership opportunities and training, membership to American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA), wholesale and retailer discounts, personal and professional discounts on insurance, member events, access to publications, discounts on continuing education events, up-to-date job bulletins, membership directory for easy referrals, and having a direct voice on how Acupuncture is practiced and protected in Virginia.
- We build community: We support other professional acupuncture associations like the ASA, ATCMA, and ANF. We also work with neighboring state associations and the local acupuncture schools to help strengthen our voice nationwide.
Ready to start making a difference?
Becoming and retaining your active membership with ASVA is vital to the growth of the profession in Virginia. It is the easiest way to be involved and make a difference. Your membership allows ASVA to continue its mission to help support and uplift new and seasoned Licensed Acupuncturists in practice, so that they can provide the type of medicine they know to be necessary, safe, and effective for their community.
Want to make a lasting impact?
If you are looking to get more involved, there are a lot of ways to stay connected and increase your activity within ASVA. For example, you can support the Board with just a few hours a month, come to community outreach events like Lobby Day, serve on the ASVA Board of Directors, and donate to support our legislative agendas.
Did you also know…
ASVA is frequently approached to help promote local educational events thereby bringing LIVE training seminars closer to you! Members receive discounts for all ASVA and affiliated state association events.
ASVA has Membership benefits to help increase practice success, provide educational information, and additional income resources such as teaching and job position postings.