A Message from the IMA President

I initially joined the IMA because of the caliber of the people associated with it – mature, caring, competent practitioners of every sort, all interested in the quality and integration of health care.

I agreed to serve on the Board of the IMA because of its goals. Deepening the quality of the human experience in healthcare, bridging complementary and conventional practices, spreading the word about integrative medicine concepts, practices and events around New England, and providing free complementary and alternative experiences to conventional medical students and practitioners as well as to others seeking to expand their healthcare options.

The IMA is passionate about the development of integrated medical practice in New England as a model of healthcare in which all appropriate tools and treatment options are available to all individuals. Under this model the personal experiences of those receiving and giving care are valued as highly as the tools.

If you believe that healthcare can best be served by using and integrating all appropriate practices, conventional and complementary, and that the quality of the human experience in healthcare is important, then we need your support.

Join the IMA either as an individual or as a business partner. Donate your tax-deductible support to helping make positive change in healthcare for everyone in New England. Make a connection to a growing network of individuals, businesses and organizations sharing expertise, opinions and support. Be part of a referral network of caring practitioners believing in integrated healthcare.

Join today! We need your financial support to carry on our work. We need your voice and your energy to make integrated healthcare providing high quality human experiences to all a reality.

Join now at www.IntegrativeMedAlliance.org

Harvey Zarren, M.D.

President, Board of Directors

THE IMA NEEDS YOU!

If you have had an encounter with the conventional medical system, a hospital, physician’s office, physician or other conventional healthcare provider, ask yourself 2 questions:

1. Did the encounter demonstrate technical expertise that enabled me to resolve my healthcare problem in a satisfactory way?

2. Did the encounter demonstrate human caring that enabled me to resolve my healthcare problem in a satisfactory way?

Many people get adequate technical help while encountering inadequate “caring skills” and end up becoming frustrated, angry, depressed, or fearful. These erosive emotions can lead to a decreased level of function of people’s self-healing abilities.

Much of the poor level of human caring is being attributed to lack of time and other conditions of stress placed on caregivers. If you have had poor quality encounters with the medical system, then enter the discussion on “Deepening the quality of the human experience in healthcare.”

Join or contribute to the Integrative Medicine Alliance (IMA), (integrativemedalliance.org). The IMA is committed to deepening the quality of the human experience in healthcare. Help us make this mission a reality. To quote a Hopi Native American saying, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for!”

If you believe that healthcare can be carried out in a more caring manner, in a way that can optimize people’s own healing abilities to work in concert with the very powerful conventional medical tools of surgery, pharmaceuticals and the like, join the IMA or contribute whatever you can to help us in making change.

We at the IMA seek a healthcare system that is more than just access to technology. We want to help transition to a healthcare system that is truly supportive of each person in need, supportive in a holistic way that seeks to foster wellness rather than eroding it. We need your help!

SOME SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP THE IMA

Become a member of the IMA. One of the most important things you can do to help. For as little as $25 a year ($20 for students) you can help the IMA bring together caregivers of all healing traditions and provide a voice for the New England’s integrative healthcare community. Visit http://www.integrativemedalliance.org/helping_becomeamember.asp and become a member today!

Would you like to volunteer your professional caregiving skills? If you’re a complementary/alternative caregiver, sign up to volunteer for our Mobile Clinics by e-mailing admin@integrativemedalliance.org.

Would you like to be our “eyes and ears”? If you know of a worthwhile upcoming integrative medical event in New England, (large or small!) send date, time and place info to our Calendar of Events Coordinator Theresa Ochenkoski at IMA_Calendar@yahoo.com

Do you like to write? Send in your news story ideas, commentary, and other writings to our IMA Newsletter Editor Judy Copp, at editor@integrativemedalliance.org

Do you like parties? If you’d like to host a social or networking gathering of caregivers from many healing traditions at your home or at a public location, we’d be happy to sponsor it and advertise it on our calendar, but please give us 2 month’s advance notice. E-mail the details to IMA Coordinator Karl Berger at IMA_Karl@yahoo.com.

Would you like to spread the word about us? We want to invite all concerned citizens and caregivers to get our free IMA newsletter. Send their e-mail addresses (or postal addresses if they have no e-mail) to us at admin@integrativemedalliance.org and we’ll invite them to subscribe. If you’d like to distribute our brochures, we’ll send you some!

If you’d like to make a bigger volunteer commitment: We’re looking for assistance in administration, newsletter production, event planning, fundraising, grant writing, outreach, project management, and public relations. We are also looking for a volunteer knowledgeable in the "tech" side of web sites. For more information, visit our Website at www.IntegrativeMedAlliance.org, and under “Helping” click on “Volunteer”.

If you offer free or discounted services and wish to list them on our website, or if you would like us to update your current listing, please email the IMA's Administrator, Joan Strauss, at Admin@integrativemedalliance.org