AACMA update / 美国中医公会呼吁同学们的参与

February 16, 2025, we were honored to invite Mr. Sam Huang, Senior Honorary President of the American Association of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture (AACMA), joined us on Zoom for a special session on “How to Become a Successful Acupuncturist.” He encouraged students to join the association early to take advantage of numerous benefits:

With an annual membership fee of only $50, members can participate in eight lectures and two networking events each year, as well as access video lecture archives in the AACMA online library. Among the eight annual lectures, at least two are free, focusing on essential topics such as business startup guidance and insurance operations for new practitioners, providing detailed and valuable information.

 Event Video & PPT:
Watch Here (Starts at 17:30)

As a key participant in the documentary “Acupuncture Fever,” President Huang will also provide an overview of the history, current state, and future development of acupuncture in California, as well as an introduction to AACMA. A Q&A session followed.

Meanwhile, the AACMA Political Action Committee has been closely monitoring legislative developments at both the state and federal levels. Recently, AACMA and a few other professional organizations have jointly signed a contract with the lobbying firm Niccolo, tasking them with actively advocating for the protection of Traditional Chinese Medicine legislation and practitioners’ rights over the next six months.

 For more details, please refer to the briefing below：

美国中医公会政治行动委员会简报

经过一个多月的反复磋商和协调,加州针灸联盟(CAC)和游说公司Townsend public affairs于二月初签署了六个月(2月-7月)的试用合同。费用为每月$4000（兼职）, 主要由三个公会承担: 美国中医公会（AACMA），韩裔公会AKAMAC, 和 英语公会CSOMA。其中美国中医公会（AACMA）,韩裔公会AKAMAC,各出1/3, 英语公会CSOMA出了1/6。美国中医公会的荣誉会长黄宪生,薛初龙和政治行动委员会主席杨琳，在获悉资金短缺的第一时间内，积极联系其他的公会和学校，以取得他们在经费上的支持。在短短的一周之内，南北加州的五所学校给予了大力支持，补足了资金。他们是加州五系中医药大学(FBU)，加州硅谷大学（CUSV），美洲中国文化医药大学（ACCHS），白水大学和南加的仁爱大学 Alhambra Medical University。
我们衷心感谢五系中医药大学(FBU)的赵振平校长，加州硅谷大学（CUSV）的杨磊校长，美洲中国文化医药大学（ACCHS）的赵荣远副校长，白水大学的黄彦豪校长，和南加的仁爱大学 (Alhambra Medical University)的蒋见元主任的大力支持和协作。
这些学校在资金上的大力支持，使得这一次的合同得以顺利的签署。
目前游说公司Niccolo 团队已经开始工作。加州针灸联盟(CAC)于2月6号已经发出电邮给一百多位州议员立法者办公室，并得到良好的信息回馈。联盟计划每两周发一次不同主题的电邮，旨在增加立法者对针灸更深入更全面的了解。
加州针灸联盟于2月11号晚进行例会。会上Niccolo汇报了最新的进展。目前州政府预算里没有影响MediCal针灸福利的条款。2月21日为各种法案呈交的最后期限，我们密切关注与针灸有关法案的出现。会上讨论了针灸联盟计划在州政府的游说活动。详情确定后，会及时向大家汇报。
本次会议由加州针灸联盟主席杨琳主持，并与薛初龙荣誉会长一起代表公会参加了这次例会。本次参会的有lobbyist Niccolo, 韩裔公会AKAMAC, 和 英语公会CSOMA,日裔公会JAAC。公会政治行动委员会委员廖浚杰医生作为志愿者参会，帮助做会议记录。
加州针灸联盟（California Acupuncture Coalition)是加州几个较大针灸公会组成的在立法方面的合作平台，主要目的是维护行业权益，推动行业的发展。目前主要由美国中医公会（AACMA), 韩裔公会(AKAMAC),和英语公会(CSOMA)三个公会组成，并得到了以上五所学校和日裔针灸公会（JAAC)的大力支持。
美国中医公会政治行动委员会衷心感谢美国中医公会会员们和各学校的大力支持！
我们呼吁针灸师和在校学生积极加入美国中医公会，壮大公会的力量，发出更强的声音！！！

美国中医公会
政治行动委员会
02/11/2025

Briefing from the AACMA Political Action Committee

After more than a month of negotiations and coordination, the California Acupuncture Coalition (CAC) signed a six-month trial contract (February–July) with the lobbying firm Townsend Public Affairs in early February. The part-time contract costs $4,000 per month and is primarily funded by three organizations: the American Association of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture (AACMA), the Korean Acupuncture Association (AKAMAC), and the California State Oriental Medical Association (CSOMA). AACMA and AKAMAC each contributed one-third of the funding, while CSOMA provided one-sixth.

Upon learning about the funding shortage, AACMA Honorary Presidents Dr. Sam Huang and Dr. Chulong Xue, along with Political Action Committee Chair Dr. Lin Yang, promptly reached out to other associations and schools for financial support. Within just one week, five schools from Northern and Southern California generously stepped up to fill the funding gap. These schools include Five Branches University (FBU), California University – Silicon Valley (CUSV), Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences (ACCHS), Whitewater University, and Alhambra Medical University.

We sincerely appreciate the strong support and collaboration from FBU President Dr. Zhenping Zhao, CUSV President Dr. Lei Yang, ACCHS Vice President Dr. Rongyuan Zhao, Whitewater University President Dr. Yenhao Huang, and Alhambra Medical University Director Dr. Jianyuan Jiang. Their financial contributions made this contract possible.

The lobbying firm Niccolo has already begun its work. On February 6, CAC sent emails to over 100 state legislators’ offices and received positive responses. The coalition plans to send biweekly emails on different topics to provide lawmakers with a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of acupuncture.

CAC held its regular meeting on February 11, during which Niccolo reported on the latest progress. Currently, there are no provisions in the state budget affecting Medi-Cal acupuncture benefits. The final deadline for bill submissions is February 21, and we are closely monitoring any acupuncture-related proposals. The coalition also discussed lobbying activities at the state government level, with further details to be shared once finalized.

The meeting was chaired by CAC President Dr. Lin Yang, with Honorary President Dr. Chulong Xue representing the association. Attendees included lobbyist Niccolo, AKAMAC, CSOMA, and the Japanese Acupuncture Association (JAAC). Additionally, Dr. Junjie Liao from the AACMA Political Action Committee attended as a volunteer and assisted with meeting notes.

The California Acupuncture Coalition (CAC) is a legislative collaboration platform formed by major acupuncture associations in California, aiming to protect industry rights and promote its development. It is currently composed of AACMA, AKAMAC, and CSOMA, with strong support from the five aforementioned schools and JAAC.

The AACMA Political Action Committee sincerely thanks its members and supporting institutions for their contributions!

We encourage all acupuncturists and students to join AACMA and strengthen our collective voice!

American Association of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture
Political Action Committee
02/11/2025