Free acupuncture clinics, herbal mutual aid, harm reduction distribution, jail re-entry support and education
on occupied Mahican Lands
Hudson,NY
Supporting the autonomy and liberation of Columbia County residents through community care since 2022.
Monarda is a collective of holistic practitioners working to dismantle racist and colonial frameworks through community care and crisis intervention. We provide free acupuncture clinics, herbal medicine, harm reduction supplies, and educational programming for all ages, as well as direct support for incarcerated Columbia County residents.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw the crises in housing, addiction, and economic inequality worsen deeply in our communities. We knew that the people most marginalized by those crises were getting stuck in cycles of precarity, poverty, and violence while trying to access basic social services. Where the state leaves people behind, we intervene with dignified, judgement free, direct support and community care.
Our Core Values
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Mutual Aid
We believe healthcare is a human right and recognize the current healthcare system does not prioritize those marginalized by our society. In fact, under the current structure of healthcare in the United States we are all underserved. We provide free holistic care in the form of acupuncture, herbal medicine and safe-use resources to our community to support autonomy and liberation.
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Harm Reduction
We provide Narcan, Fentanyl test strips and other safe-use resources at all of our clinics. We offer the NADA protocol as an adjunct therapy to support and facilitate healing from addiction, trauma and the myriad of stressors caused living in a late-stage capitalism/pre, post and possibly perpetual pandemic world.
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Compassion
We are in solidarity with drug users and sex workers and believe in their rights and dignity. We believe that shame and stigma cause harm. We prioritize safety before sobriety. We acknowledge that many people who use drugs are coping with the traumas of systemic harm. People who use drugs deserve love.
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Access To Care
We believe everyone should have access to quality health and holistic care. We recognize that because of cost acupuncture is now largely inaccessible to the people who had effectively used it to better the health and well-being of their communities for centuries. All of our clinics are free and wheelchair accessible.
Impact since inception
Updated February 2024
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936 Free Acupuncture Treatments at public clinics
347 Acupuncture Treatments at Columbia County Jail
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1,952 individual preparations (tea’s, tincture’s, topicals, etc) distributed directly into the hands of the Hudson community through our herbal mutual aid
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210 Narcan kits
2,500+ Fentanyl test strips
26 Safe-use kits
distributed at our free clinics and to local bars and businesses in Hudson
Current and Past Collaborations