“A million tiny daggers,” by Joshua Wheeler

Crossroads Acupuncture (DBA Barefoot Acupuncture Movement) celebrated its newly renovated clinic space in Oct 2018 inside Families and Youth, INC with an Open House, a ribbon-cutting ceremony provided by the Green Chamber of Commerce of Las Cruces, and a book reading and book signing by Joshua Wheeler.  Refreshments will also be provided.

Wheeler’s book about Southern New Mexico, Acid West, which was included on Oprah’s Summer Reading List, includes a chapter “A Million Tiny Daggers” that features the Barefoot Acupuncture Movement’s work providing acupuncture for underserved communities in the border region.  Wheeler will offer a book reading, and also be available to discuss his writing of this book.

Wheeler followed Crossroads’ Barefoot volunteers around for 3 years prior to publishing this new book, which has received praise, in addition to oprah.com, from the  Los Angeles Times,  The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Santa Fe New Mexican, and Spectrum Culture. 

An interview with Wheeler describing his time with Crossroads in Cd Juarez, Mexico can be seen on PBS.

Crossroads moved its community acupuncture clinic into Families and Youth, INC (FYI) in 2017.  With FYI expanding its current mental health services, Crossroads is renovating its current clinic space within FYI’s main building on Solano to make a permanent home, which will include a direct entrance from the main FYI lobby.

Crossroads is a proud member of the Green Chamber of Commerce and remains committed to the Green Chamber’s Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet and Profit.

“Acupuncture as a healthcare modality has a relatively low environmental impact on the planet,” says Ryan Bemis, Executive Director of the non-profit organization, Crossroads Acupuncture.  “The tiny hair-thin needles that are used in acupuncture practice are the main waste product.  With the more than 75,000 treatments our project has provided, the needles have been disposed of in a total of x4, 10-gallon bins.  In addition, acupuncture needles are extremely affordable.  It costs about 50 cents in clinic materials to provide one treatment.  We also offer acupuncture at an affordable rate, which is an important aspect of our Triple Bottom Line.  Of all of these 75k treatments, each patient pays out of pocket on average of $10 per person.”

Crossroads has been offering affordable acupuncture care in Las Cruces since 2012, and maintained a downtown clinic location off of the farmer’s market for several years before moving into the FYI building.  In addition to their community acupuncture clinic at FYI, they have established a network of free ear acupuncture clinics throughout the border region.  In addition, they support a Barefoot Acupuncture School for health promoters assisting people affected by violence in Juarez, Mexico.   Crossroads’ mission is to make healthcare accessible and affordable to people of all income levels through the support of local communities.  Crossroads does do this by providing low-cost services, training health providers in cost-effective techniques, and helping underserved groups establish and sustain their own community-supported health projects.

To donate to Crossroads’ Barefoot Acupuncture project in Cd Juarez, Mexico serving refugees, please visit this link.