Radherb: March 2012

March 5, 2012

Scattered Like Seeds

We are scattered like seeds all over the Northeast. We are community healthcare providers, family herbalists, medicine makers, healthcare educators, gardeners, wildcrafters, organizers, writers, practitioners, midwives, caregivers, nurses, medics, advocates and more. We have built free clinics that challenge the class divide. We have created forums for discussion and deliberation around issues of oppression within healthcare. Many of us are involved in autonomous healthcare collectives, working to support one another through collective knowledge and trust. Some of us are just learning about these kinds of things, just beginning to scratch the surface of our interest in healthcare and social justice. Some of us have become well versed in one area or another, writing and teaching about what we know. Most of us are somewhere in between, following our interests in healthcare as they carry us deeper.

We are diverse, we are growing, and we are everywhere!

Health Justice

In 2010 The Radherb organizers created a training focused on HEALTH JUSTICE.

The goals of the training are to:

*Encourage a dialogue about Community Health Care and explore issues of Oppression and Accessibility with students, teachers, community organizers and practitioners of herbalism/ holisticl health. 

*Focus on Cultural Competency, which is defined simply as the ability to understand, communicate with, and provide effective and appropriate care to people with diverse values, experiences, and backgrounds. 

*Create a base of Radherb Educators who can begin to teach and inspire health care providers, clinics, schools, teachers and students throughout the Northeast.

*Create leaders in the field of Health Justice who will then use their skills to collaborate with healthcare providers, clinics, schools, teachers and students throughout the Northeast.

The focus is on the following topics: 
Mental Health
Medical Racism
Trans Health
Classism within Healthcare
Organizing Accessible Healthcare
Cultural Appropriation

Within each subject we explore: History, Definitions and Terminology of each subject; Health Related Topics, Herbal Remedies (if applicable); Resources and more!

Health Justice Trainings

In 2010, the Radherb collective developed trainings to be used at conferences, herb schools and community health forums.
The goals of the Radherb Health Justice trainings are to:

*Encourage a dialogue about Community Health Care and explore issues of Oppression and Accessibility with students, teachers, community organizers and practitioners of herbalism/ holistic health. 

*Create a base of Radherb Educators who can begin to teach and inspire health care providers, clinics, schools, teachers and students throughout the Northeast.

*Create leaders in the field of Health Justice who will then use their skills to collaborate with healthcare providers, clinics, schools, teachers and students throughout the Northeast.

Who is radherb?

We are scattered like seeds all over the Northeast (and the country!). We are community healthcare providers, family herbalists, medicine makers, healthcare educators, gardeners, wild crafters, organizers, writers, practitioners, midwives, caregivers, nurses, medics, advocates and more. We have built free clinics that challenge the class divide. We have created forums for discussion and deliberation around issues of oppression within healthcare. Some of us are just learning about these kinds of things, just beginning to scratch the surface of our interest in healthcare and social justice. Some of us have become well versed in one area or another, writing and teaching about what we know. Most of us are somewhere in between, following our interests in health as they carry us deeper into the world of health care and working to utilize our Radherb Health Justice skills to make herbs and herbalism accessible.