OUR REGIONAL CHAPTERS
One of the Idaho Acupuncture Association’s biggest challenges as an organization is communication. How do you best connect 200 acupuncturists over 83,000 square miles?
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Divide and Conquer!
The South-West, South-Central and North chapters and their respective chairpersons have the mission to reach out and connect with acupuncturists in their area to promote association membership, tackle region-specific challenges and provide a simplified, more streamlined process for communicating to the IAA Board.
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Here are your three regional IAA chapters:
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South-West Idaho
Stacey Kelsey and Shanell Rodriguez are co-coordinating the Southwest chapter. Stacey and Shanell practice together in the community acupuncture clinic, Boise Acupuncture Cooperative. They graduated from Oregon College of Oriental Medicine and Five Branches respectively. Stacey has been practicing in Boise for 8 years, and Shanell has been practicing for 2 years. They are excited to work with the IAA to bring acupuncturists together with the common goal to make acupuncture more accessible to our communities. They want to do this by identifying and addressing the interests of southwest Idaho.
Some issues of interest to them include, acupuncture’s role in the opioid epidemic, health disparities, legislation, and affordable access to care. If you live in southwest Idaho they want to hear from you! How do you see acupuncture growing in our area? What are some of the issues
you’d like to see addressed? How can you help us in achieving these goals?
To contact Stacey and Shanell, please email
info@boiseacucoop.com or call (208) 917-1282
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South-Central Idaho
Maggie Blair started practicing in 1986 in Ketchum, ID where she has maintained a full-time practice for 32 years. She specializes in orthopedics, being that Ketchum is a ski town, and geriatrics and chronic conditions. She enjoys treating her long-time clients and has developed a deep connection to them and their families over the years –she is proud of the fact that she treats some of her original clients’ kids and grandkids. Maggie founded the Idaho Acupuncture Association in 1986 and wrote the original bylaws. She was IAA president for 9 years and focused on getting the acupuncture practice act through the legislature. She helped write the licensing bill and spent 13 years trying to get it passed in the Idaho legislature - Idaho was the 44th state to create a practice act. She served on the first State licensing board for 3 years. She was also a founding board member of the National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance and worked hard to achieve acupuncture licensure in all 50 states. Locally, Maggie works to help make acupuncture available to patients in her local hospital.
As the South-Central Chair, Maggie would like to see more participation from practitioners in her area. People have busy lives, and time and resources can be a challenge, but it is still important to support the acupuncture profession. She hopes to boost membership for the Idaho Acupuncture Association because participation benefits both acupuncturists and their clients. Maggie’s passion is for a world where humanity can come out of its suffering. She hopes we can work together and create solutions for ourselves and our planet.
To contact Maggie, please email
magpieblair56@gmail.com or call (208) 726-2761
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Northern Idaho
Cass graduated from Bastyr University in 2008. After traveling China for 2 months, she joined an integrated clinic in Pullman, Washington. She also worked for the Nimiipuu Health clinic, a Nez Perce tribal clinic in Lapwai, ID before opening her own practice, Palouse Acupuncture, LLC in Moscow in 2010. She has been an active member of the IAA for 8 years filling in various roles including website coordinator, treasurer, secretary, and most recently president. She is also a 2019 doctoral candidate through Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
Cass is excited to be a part of the progress and change for Idaho acupuncturists. She is determined to work hard for her family, her community and her fellow needlers.
To contact Cass, please email
palouseacupuncture@gmail.com or call 208-882-8534
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