Yo San University’s externship program is continuously expanding to include a wider variety of community outreach sites. The program invites students to engage in exciting and challenging real-life experiences while also offering them the opportunity to provide healthcare services to those in need. The YSU externship program includes the unique experience of traveling to Chendu, China to study and practice beside Chinese doctors, but also promotes community wellness by offering a wide range of opportunities within the Los Angeles area:

Yo San Community Clinic
Los Angeles, CA
The Yo San Community Clinic, now celebrating its 20th year, is one of the busiest low cost Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices in Southern California, having provided more than 128,000 treatments to the community since the year 2000. The Clinic offers professional and effective treatment for a wide variety of ailments, using acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and other TCM treatment modalities. Most of our patients come from the local community and might not have access to TCM treatment if the Clinic were not subsidized. We also serve a large population of senior citizens, some who travel great distances to take advantage of our substantial senior citizen discount.

Premiere Oncology Foundation
Santa Monica, CA
Yo San University has partnered with Premiere Oncology Foundation to bring TCM to their patients, to caregivers, and to the local community since 2007. Clinicians and interns from Yo San University are at Premiere Oncology every week providing acupuncture treatments to cancer patients. TCM provides an effective tool for managing the symptoms and discomfort associated with cancer and cancer treatment, helping patients cope with the side effects of chemotherapy, and enhancing the overall wellness throughout the cancer treatment process. Located in Santa Monica, Premiere Oncology is a renowned center of excellence, dedicated to treating cancer by providing comprehensive and holistic clinical care with special attention paid to issues of survivorship and longevity. A portion of the fees received from patient care provided by Yo San University go toward a research fund for future development of joint research projects and studies in the field of integrative oncology.

Childrens Hospital
Los Angeles, CA
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles was ranked among the top ten pediatric hospitals in 2008 by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital’s Pediatric Pain Management Clinic treats children suffering from chronic pain associated with various illnesses. In January 2009, Yo San University and the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic pioneered a collaborative program integrating TCM and Western medical practices in the treatment of children with chronic disease and pain. This program is the first of its kind at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, with acupuncture being offered for the first time in the hospital’s history. The treatments are offered on an outpatient basis and are free of charge. Future plans include utilizing the current program to conduct meaningful research in pediatric acupuncture, and expanding acupuncture services to other clinical specialties within the hospital.

Venice Family Clinic
Venice, CA
Venice Family Clinic is a non-profit, multidisciplinary medical clinic serving low-income residents in the Los Angeles area. It is the largest free clinic in the country. Yo San University has volunteered to provide free acupuncture treatments at Venice Family Clinic on a weekly basis since 2001. For patients from low-income families, the benefits of acupuncture—especially its ability to alleviate various discomforts and symptoms at a fraction of the cost and within a reasonable time frame—is extremely significant. In 2005, at the invitation of the Venice Family Clinic, Yo San University began participation in the multi-disciplinary Integrative Chronic Pain Clinic program. This chronic pain program at Venice Family Clinic’s Simms/Mann Health and Wellness Center uses acupuncture and chiropractic care, as well as counseling, to help patients manage pain from back injuries, migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other conditions. This award-winning program, now in it’s 4th year, is funded by the California Health Care Foundation, the Simms/Mann Family Foundation, and other charitable organizations.

Being Alive Los Angeles
West Hollywood, CA
Being Alive (LA) is a non-profit organization operated by and for people living with HIV/AIDS, offering emotional support, treatment education, prevention, advocacy wellness and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2000, Being Alive and Yo San together created a program that focuses on maintaining general wellness for HIV/AIDS patients while treating the various symptoms associated with HIV infection. Clinicians and interns from Yo San University provide weekly acupuncture on site in West Hollywood, CA, treating a broad range of conditions such as pain, neuropathy, stress, headaches, and digestive disorders.