Meet Ryan Altman of Alternative Healing Network and Adams Avenue Integrative Health

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Altman.

In 2004, while studying acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, Ryan Altman, then Student Council President, created an event to raise awareness for the medicine he had grown so fond of. The “San Diego Healing Arts Festival” hosted 2,500 attendees and a dozen vendors in Balboa Park with live performances from local greats the B-Side Players, Alfred Howard & the K23 Orchestra, the Shimmy Sisters and more. Years before returning to San Diego for Grad School, Altman had been a talent agent and concert promoter in San Francisco through college, coordinating regional and National tours for several local bands including Three Mile Pilot (SD), The Rugburns (SD), Broun Fellinis (SF) and Geggy Tah (Pomona). Altman believes that music is one of the greatest healing forces in the universe and wanted to combine his love of music and live performance with health and wellness. Over the next 7 years, this event grew exponentially, until Balboa Park declared it too big for their fields when Ozomatli, the Greyboy Allstars, Buck-O-Nine and a dozen other bands played for 35,000 attendees and 80 exhibitors alongside workshops and classes in holistic wellness practices. By that point an entire organization and clinical network had developed through this event to bring holistic and integrative wellness to thousands in under-served populations.

Alternative Healing Network (AltHealNet.Org) is the 501(c) (3) non-profit holistic wellness organization that he founded a few months after the first Balboa Park festival. With the help of dozens of volunteers, donations and some small grants, they created a free outreach clinic night in Southeast San Diego (Tubman-Chavez Center) and City Heights (City Heights Wellness Center). Since 2006, these free weekly “Integrative Health Nights” have offered over 23,000 free health services. With partners in health such as the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, Bastyr University, and (the now defunct) International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB) they are able to serve the community while training the next generation of health care practitioners.

When the economy tanked in 2007/2008 and most grants dried up, Altman worked with his core group of volunteers to develop a socially entrepreneurial storefront wellness center in his home neighborhood of Normal Heights and Adams Avenue Integrative Health was born. There AltHealNet offers Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Clinical Massage Therapy, and Naturopathic Medicine on a sliding scale, based on the patient’s self-reported income level. They don’t require tax forms or pay stubs as everything is on the honor system. All the proceeds from Adams Avenue Integrative Health support the free outreach programs for the under-served.

“It’s the Robin Hood method of funding a non-profit! We take payments from those who can afford to and apply it to the healthcare of those who can’t” – says Dr. Altman

Still always on the hunt for large scale donations or grants for major expansion, they are not reliant on this for day-to-day operations and continue to serve all socio-economic levels with the same quality professional care.

Today Adams Avenue Integrative Health continues the tradition of bringing Music and Wellness together by sponsoring stages of music and interactive areas at events like Art Around Adams, Adams Avenue Unplugged, San Diego Beatles Fair, V Elements Festival and Festival of Yoga in Balboa Park.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment with any of the Adams Ave Integrative Health professionals, please call 619-546-4806 or visit www.althealnet.org for more information.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Funding is always a struggle for a non-profit. Especially when we were starting out, we relied heavily on a few key donors and a grant from the Jacobs Family Foundation. That initial nest egg allowed us to start our brick and mortar program, but initially we overshot our mark and had an expensive space with a lot of overhead. Fortunately, our new neighbors wanted to expand their popular brewpub (Blind Lady Ale House) and they bought out our lease, allowing us to move to a smaller, less expensive space a few blocks west.

Then some years later, as our practice was thriving, we found additional funding to allow us to expand our clinical operations and open a second location in La Mesa. The idea being that with multiple revenue streams from two locations, we’d soon be able to expand our community clinic offerings as well. Initially this seemed like the perfect plan, since our new neighbor would be the brand new Core Power yoga facility. Unfortunately, the building was operated by a somewhat shady Chinese conglomerate and communication was a struggle. Any concern had to be sent to China and translated through lawyers a few weeks later. Also, the building had been vacant for several years and within our first 8 months of operation, we had to close 3 times for roof leak damages and plumbing repairs. Two insurance claims later, we were deep in a hole that we never could get out of, having had to re-start a new business three times. We decided to try to get out of our lease and find a suitable tenant to take over the commitment. We secured three different options, but all were refused by the owners claiming that their “use was unsuitable for the space”. Suffice it to say, I was a bit annoyed when I learned that at least one of the tenants we presented to them was offered a space in the same complex three doors down. Apparently, they were completely suitable for the building, but since we were stuck on our lease, they might as well fill their other available spaces and leave the poor non-profit on the hook for rent.

We rode out our lease there, made the best of it and after the three years were up in April of 2016, we got out. In an amazing stroke of luck, the timing was perfect and the neighboring business to our Adams Avenue wellness center was moving out that very same month that our La Mesa facility closed. We were able to easily expand into the adjacent suite and triple our size on Adams Avenue, bringing all the equipment, supplies, and personnel over from La Mesa.

Now almost 2 years after our departure from La Mesa, our Adams Avenue facility is stronger than ever!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Alternative Healing Network / Adams Avenue Integrative Health – what should we know?
Adams Avenue Integrative Health (AAIH) is the fundraising arm of the larger non-profit Alternative Healing Network. We offer affordable primary health care at sliding scale rates and all proceeds benefit under-served populations receiving the same services.

Since we began counting in 2007, we have provided over 23,000 free acupuncture, chiropractic, clinical massage, and Naturopathic medical sessions.

As far as I know, we are the ONLY non-profit holistic wellness center designed on this Robin Hood model of self-sufficiency

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I could never have done this on my own and am so grateful to the dozens of staff members and hundreds of volunteers we have worked with over the years. Major supporters along the way include:

1) Christy Schumacher – Adviser and former Operations Director for the clinics. She was a Medical ethicist who joined our team as a receptionist and quickly became the backbone of the entire company. She designed many of our policies and programs and basically took us out of the living room into a real office and gave respectability to our company.

2) Jack Miller, L.Ac. – The President of PCOM and the one who first gave this organization a chance. Through his sponsorships of the Healing Arts Festivals, his support of our collaborations at the free offsite clinics, and his ongoing referrals and advice in all things business, Jack was the original AltHealNet supporter

3) My Family – Who broke into their savings to initially donate the majority of the nest egg towards my passion for community healthcare and the initial build-out for our storefront clinics and Healing Arts Festivals.

4) Dr. Dave McCann, DC – Our Clinical Director at AAIH and (with his wife Colleen) some of our original volunteers in our community outreach program.

5) Don Phillips, L.Ac. – Board member, Adviser and Clinical Supervisor for the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine’s team of interns at our free offsite Integrative Health Night

6) Leanne Tibiatowski – Mentor, Adviser and Asst. Event Coordinator for several of the largest Healing Arts Festivals we hosted in Balboa Park. Her background is in foundational operations and marketing. Leanne worked for several years with the Jenna Druck Foundation and then with the Chopra Center. Leanne continues to guide and advise me in all things non-profit and event related.

7) Deb Davies, L.Ac. – Mentor and sometimes Board Member. Always someone who I respect and admire and who tells it like it is, not holding the punches when I need to hear it

8) Briana Erickson – Receptionist who took over for Christy Schumacher as our Operational Director when Christy took a more prestigious position with National University.

9) Jenna Petruzzo – Receptionist who stepped into the Operational Director role some years later when Briana followed in Christy’s footsteps to a better position with National University.

10) Other supporters, guides and cheerleaders include: Dr. Ellen Beck (UCSD), Cheri Fidler (Rady Children’s), Lisa Vandervort (Scripps), Aaron Cook, L.Ac (PCOM/ Board Member), Barbara Reuer (Resounding Joy), Jeffrey Zlotnik (Dharma Bums Temple), Brent Keime (Nizhoni Institute/ Formerly with Concorde Career College) and dozens more…

Pricing:

• Sliding scale from $40- $65 for Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Half Clinical Massage
• Mix and Match monthly Wellness Membership available for $115/mo for 3 services
• Exam fee of $20 for Acupuncture or $40 for Chiropractic for first visits

Contact Info:

• Address: Adams Avenue Integrative Health
  3239 Adams Ave
  San Diego, CA 92116
• Website: www.althealnet.org
• Phone: 619-546-4806
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/althealnet/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdamsAvenueIntegrativeHealth/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AltHealNet
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/adams-avenue-integrative-health-san-diego

Image Credit:
Steve Covault – Personal Photo
Pilgrimage of the Heart Yoga – Photo 1 where indicated
Ryan Altman – All other photos

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