About our collective
Our mission
Founded in 2010, Heart & Hands Health Collective is a grassroots, WoC+queer operated and social justice-focused Community Acupuncture & Holistic Health clinic in Lekwungen Territories, or the Quadra Village neighbourhood in Victoria BC. We share our nest and mission with our sister business, Green Muse Herbs.
We are committed to exploring approaches to keep our services affordable, accessible and inclusive to a segment of the community that may not have extended health benefits and/or those who are typically under-served by many holistic health services. We are working class practitioners building and sustaining a practice serving working class people.
We believe that Community Acupuncture is a tool for social change, a bridge between modern and traditional, a thriving example of mutual aid, community care and economic justice in action as well as an innovative approach that makes acupuncture accessible and inclusive for many.
“Creating a space in which patients find refuge requires relying on my heart and my hands rather than on my head. Treating many patients in a single large room helps reinforce that the space belongs to them as much as it belongs to me. This is the space that working class patients need in their relationship with acupuncturists.”
~Lisa Rohleder, L.Ac.
Location
2612 Quadra St.
(North of Kings & Quadra, ground floor of Blue Bird Cabs)
Victoria BC, V8T 4E4
Lekwungen Territories
Parking, Bikes & Buses
Please allot AT LEAST 1 hour from the time to park your vehicle, so that you have adequate time to receive your treatment as well as walking to and from your vehicle.
- There is 1 hr free street parking directly on Quadra St. (read signage carefully if parking on Quadra, there are tow away restrictions);
- There is 1 hr free street parking on Kings Ave. & Wark St. (by Caffe Fantastico & the Quadra Village Community Centre);
- At your discretion, there is plenty of parking along the perimeter of the Fairway parking lot (limit 2 hrs).
We have bike racks directly in front of our building – we have spare bike locks in case you forget yours. There are also bike racks by the entrance of Fairway Market (across the street) and Caffe Fantastico (around the corner on Kings Ave.).
Our clinic is accessible by Victoria Transit routes #4, 6, 9, 10, 22
Heart & Hands and Green Muse Herbs Joint Masking Statement
Green Muse Herbs and Heart & Hands Health Collective, as businesses, have both been built on values of economic and disability justice, mutual aid, community care, and upholding public health and safety. We are one of the few remaining safer retail and clinical spaces for people with vulnerable and suppressed immune systems and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. We are, above all else, a sanctuary for those seeking somewhere safe to heal, rest, and stock their home medicine cabinets.
Masking is a simple, accessible, and effective public health measure that most individuals can participate in. Asking our clients to wear a mask remains the easiest way to protect everyone who walks through our doors. This is especially pertinent as we are currently in the midst of the now-annual summer wave of respiratory virus transmission and fall is on the horizon, the wave is well on it’s way.
Each and every staff member/practitioner under our roof is self-employed and there are economic consequences if one of us gets sick. None of us get paid sick leave, some of us ARE immunocompromised and all of us face the risk of prolonged illness, including long COVID. SO, we mask for our own protection, for client/customer safety, but also because our income depends on it.
As health professionals with radical, community-centered politics we are requesting that you support us and our more vulnerable clients in keeping all of our community safe from the long-term effects of infection, and reinfection, by COVID and other respiratory viruses.
Each of our businesses have slightly different masking policies
that we’d like you to be aware of to mitigate risk:
Heart & Hands’ treatment spaces are mask mandatory. Multiple members of our team are immunocompromised and that our Community Acupuncture space is shared. Due to the sheer number of masks we provide for clients, our masks are available for $2.
On the Green Muse Herbs side, masks are available by donation right inside our doors, should you forget yours. They are also available from @masks4victoria should funds be a barrier.
Immunocompromised people matter and we are grateful for your ongoing support to ensure our establishment continues to be one of the few safe spaces left in town.
Land Acknowledgement
Heart & Hands would like to acknowledge that we make “our home” on the unceded traditional territories of the Lekwungen peoples (today known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations). In solidarity, we are committed to serving our community members of all nations and creeds.
It is our honour to practice, share and teach the traditional knowledge of our respective ancestors of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Balance System Acupuncture, NADA ear acupuncture and Liberation Acupuncture to enrich the health and wellness of this community.
Our Space & Accessibility
Non-discrimination policies
Our establishment appreciates the diversity of human beings and does not discriminate based on race, age, height, national origin, language, religion, ability, education, HIV status, marital status, sexual orientation, sex or gender identity. We invite our client-base to share similar attitudes and acceptance of individuals from all walks of life.
Heart & Hands is a healing space and will not tolerate hostile, abusive language or behaviour directed towards it’s staff, volunteers or clients. We ask you to abstain from drug and alcohol use prior to receiving treatment. We expect you abide by our COVID protocols such as masking and maintaining physical distancing for your own personal safety and the safety of others around you.
If you fail to abide by our policies, we reserve the right to refuse you service. The safety of our community is of top priority.
Heart & Hands supports open hearts and open minds.