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Practitioners describe growing use of acupuncture in county mental-health programs and student training partnerships
Summary
Presenters from Santa Cruz and 5 Branches University described community programs that integrate acupuncture into mental-health care, cited referral trends, and highlighted externships and revenue models used by Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Acupuncturists and educators presented examples of how acupuncture and Asian medicine are being used to treat mental and emotional health disorders in county clinics and federally qualified health centers, and described student-training partnerships that expand clinical capacity.
Nicholas Hancock, a licensed practitioner and educator, and Jacqueline Byrd (also identified as Jacqueline Vandus and Bird), a DAOM-level practitioner who manages the acupuncture program at the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency, presented program descriptions, local referral trends and clinical results from their community clinics. Hancock and Byrd said they are seeing an increase in referrals for mental-health conditions — anxiety, depression, PTSD and co-occurring substance-use disorders — and an expansion of services at county clinics. Byrd described a memorandum of understanding with 5 Branches University that supports student externships at county clinics and provides clinical capacity without additional county outlay.
Presenters and other speakers noted populations served include low-income Latino communities, people experiencing homelessness and veterans. They described partnerships with local organizations such as Santa Cruz Community Health Clinic, Janus (a substance-use treatment center), mental-health peer-run groups, and FQHCs that bill Medicaid or other payors for services. Board members asked about reimbursement: presenters said Medi-Cal billing currently focuses primarily on pain-related codes in many plans but that programs have used multiple diagnosis codes and referral systems to secure reimbursement for broader treatment packages; presenters also noted advocacy efforts to sustain and expand coverage.
Board members and public commenters praised the programs and urged replication in other counties. Presenters emphasized coordination with primary-care teams, psychiatry and counseling to avoid herb–drug interactions and to ensure integrated care. The board did not take regulatory action; the presentations were received for information and the board thanked presenters for demonstrating models of clinic integration and student training.
