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Supporters urge registry, rules for five‑needle auricular protocol outside licensed acupuncture
Summary
Witnesses told the Senate Health Care Committee that Senate Bill 2,143 (also cited as House Bill 2,143 in testimony) would establish a registry and rulemaking to allow trained non‑acupuncturists to deliver the five‑needle protocol used for addiction and trauma support.
The Senate Committee on Health Care heard testimony April 22 on legislation to recognize and regulate the five‑needle auricular acupuncture protocol (often called 5NP or NADA protocol) and to require the Oregon Medical Board to create a registry of qualified providers.
Witnesses said the five‑needle protocol is a low‑cost, easy‑to‑learn intervention used internationally in addiction recovery, behavioral‑health settings and disaster responses. Winona Vidakunis, a graduate of Polka Tech Acupuncture School and a member of the Oregon Association of Acupuncturists, told the committee the five‑needle protocol “can improve patient outcomes in terms of program retention, reductions in cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and need for pharmaceuticals.”
Susan Williams, former chair of the Arizona Acupuncture Board of Examiners, described Arizona’s legislative approach and told the committee that after the state enacted a certification program for acupuncture detoxification specialists, “there have been absolutely no complaints filed” and a reported 45.7% increase in certified addiction‑treatment specialists in Arizona. Williams testified that Oregon’s bill is substantially similar and would expand access while maintaining public safety.
Miranda Miller, coalition manager for the Oregon Heals Coalition, told the committee the protocol is especially useful for communities of color, people with trauma histories and people with substance‑use disorders because it is accessible and has few contraindications. Licensed acupuncturist Moses Cooper said community acupuncture and ear‑protocol approaches “calm minds and relax bodies” and argued the treatment should be widely available to trained providers.
Under the measure described by staff, the Oregon Medical Board would be required to establish rules and a registry of individuals qualified to provide the protocol; the bill’s text would take effect on the 90th day following adjournment sine die, per the staff overview. Testimony noted that about 28 states allow non‑acupuncturists to provide the protocol under various certification or exemption frameworks.
Committee members asked whether licensed acupuncturists are already allowed to provide the protocol in Oregon; witnesses confirmed licensed acupuncturists may provide 5NP, and the bill creates a pathway for trained non‑licensed providers to offer it under rules and a registry maintained by the Oregon Medical Board.
The public hearing was opened and later closed on the bill; no committee vote was recorded during the hearing.
Witnesses urged committee support, saying the proposal would expand access to a low‑cost tool used for addiction, trauma and mental‑health support while relying on the Medical Board to set qualifications and patient‑safety rules.
