The Nellis Project
The Nellis Project is our pilot curriculum to train family medicine staff physicians and residents at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. We work with them to incorporate acupuncture treatments into daily clinical work so that acupuncture can be available at any clinical appointment, whether requested by the patient or recommended by the physician.
The impact of our first year has been rewarding: our Acus-trained physicians report a 75% improvement in patient symptoms following a sequence of acupuncture treatments and a 50% reduction in patients’ use of symptomatic medications. Officials calculate cost savings of $100,000 in off-base referrals for pain management in the first six months of implementing the curriculum. Patient demand for treatments is constantly growing with every month.