Red Leaf Wellness, a multi-disciplinary clinic in Edmonton, is rewarding Acupuncture students who demonstrate a focus on inclusivity and diversity. The Red Leaf Wellness Award for Acupuncture Excellence and the Red Leaf Wellness Bursary, both valued at $1,000 and given annually, were created by clinic co-founders Dr. Tammy Lalonde (chief executive officer) and Daniel Lalonde (chief operating officer).
Red Leaf Wellness offers a mix of traditional Eastern and modern Western medicine, acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, massage therapy, herbal medicine, Reiki and more. The Lalondes established the clinic after shifting their careers from paramedicine.
“Over our careers, we saw that our health system is really geared towards reactive medicine and we wanted to move away from those emergency systems backgrounds into more of a preventive care focus,” says Daniel Lalonde.
The Red Leaf Wellness Bursary is given to an Acupuncture student in good academic standing who demonstrates a financial need, while the Red Leaf Wellness Award for Acupuncture Excellence requires students to explain their beliefs and goals regarding diversity and inclusivity. The essay is an important component for the Red Leaf Wellness team.
“One of the things we noticed as paramedics was the marginalization of patients in the health system as a whole,” he says. “Addressing those inequities became an important focus for our clinic – we work with those who've been adversely affected through PTSD, we collaborate with First Nations and Indigenous advisors to ensure inclusive services, hiring practices, and the respectful incorporation of indigenous medicines, and we also offer specialized programs tailored to the diverse needs of the LGBTQ+ community, including support for gender identity and transitions, among other services. For us, these commitments go beyond words on paper or a web page. We are committed to providing inclusive services to all.”
Second-year Acupuncture student Jason Kossowan’s essay got the Lalondes’ attention. The first recipient of the Red Leaf Wellness Award for Acupuncture Excellence says that inclusivity is a crucial part of working in the health-care field.
“It's important to be able to see things without filters, to listen from different perspectives and to make sure you’re open and receptive,” says Kossowan. “Without empathy you can't help people, especially in this particular line of work.”
For the Lalondes, the award and bursary are also about giving back. “We both went to school for a long time, and we both received awards. We know how impactful they are. Our goal here is to pay it forward. If somebody receives an award now and ends up creating their own award 10 years in the future, we think that's a win.”