Myo Clinic Massage For Service People

It all began with an idea that massage deserved a place at the healthcare discussion table. How could we make effective bodywork treatments, where the client is carefully considered, more accessible?
The idea of a Community Massage Clinic gained momentum after the tragic death of a Watauga County Sheriff, Officer William Mast Jr. When a police officer is killed in the line of duty, we recognize it not only as a local community, but as a state and a nation. Every officer, every fireman, every emergency professional understands well the nature of the work that they render a service that offers peace and help to their communities. Although I did not know Officer Mast, I was moved by his death answering a call July 26^th 2013. Paige, his wife, was 2 weeks from the birth of their child, and an entire community of people of service and their families mourned. In my grief I felt a call of duty to my community for service through massage.
The Myo Clinic on November 1^st, 2013 marked our one year anniversary. It's bittersweet. Grief can be a powerful force of change. When we began, it was a fuzzy plan to build an education & research center with an apprenticeship program that would have a community massage clinic. One year later, with a lot of help, we have taken our model and successfully created a pretty neat community centered project.

Our mission this upcoming year is a bigger role in our community, and the first step is contact with Police, EMT, Firemen, returning Vets, school teachers, mental health workers, & homeless and abuse rescue shelter employees. This group is at risk to high amounts of stress. What would our community look like if massage were made more accessible to this group?

Here are some highlights about the clinic:
1) The Myo Community Massage Clinic is in place and running smooth. We have had 250 appointments this year. By having a sliding scale between $40-$70, people have increased access to massage, some who wouldn't have without our efforts.
2) Our Apprentices are Licensed Massage Therapists who are given additional training to build on their assessment and treatment skills through our Education & Research center. Our Therapists have access to classes & information to enhance their skills on specific conditions such as PTSD, migraines, back pain, joint pain and more. We have had 15 people as research subjects illustrating the effects in a two month period of 6-12 massages, reflecting a positive change in the quality of their lives.
As clinic director I have been able to attain 208 hours of additional training and have become a Nationally Certified Massage Educator. Our aim is to provide Therapeutic Massage and increase our role as healthcare providers within our scope of practice.

We are looking for donors who are willing to donate $40, the price at the low end of our scale for one massage. Please name the group you wish to donate to. Donations less than $40 are welcome, $40 is our target number for one massage. This will make it free for a member of the service of your choice. We truly appreciate all of our donors, who have the compassion to help us with this project. Our request for 14,000 is a representation of the highest amount one person can give to another as a tax free gift. Please call us with any questions about how the money will be used, or if you wish to donate privately visit I can be reached at eli@massageforpeople.
Thank you. We wish you and our greater community peace.

Eli Peltz & the staff at the Myo Clinic.