Our History
About Community Wellness Collaborative
About Community Wellness Collaborative
While you may have known us as Alternative Healing Network, in March 2021, we decided to officially rebrand our company as Community Wellness Collaborative. Our new name reflects our commitment to the San Diego community and our belief that access to wellness should be an inherent right.
So how did we get to this point? We’re glad you asked! Take a walk down memory lane with us as we reminisce about some of our major moments, from the beginning until now.
Early 2000s: Founder Begins Studying Traditional Chinese Medicine
Dr. Ryan Altman, L.Ac./ DACM initially built a career as a Promoter and
Talent Agent, booking national tours for emerging artists in the ’90s. He
then spent several years traveling the world where he was exposed to various
traditional healing techniques. He practiced yoga while in India, studied
massage in Thailand, and reiki in Israel. After 5 years, He decided to
return home and enrolled in Pacific College’s graduate program for
Traditional Chinese Medicine. While a student, he planned a free educational
event in Balboa Park called the San Diego Healing Arts Festival, with the goal of educating potential patients about acupuncture and
holistic medicine. Ryan’s concert experience solidified his belief that
music is one of the greatest forms of healing. Through the San Diego Healing
Arts Festival, he used live music to connect with over 2,500 attendees.
2005-2007: Founding Non-profit and Launching Free Weekly Outreach Events
TOTAL FREE HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDED: 1,247
In order to work with City Parks separately from the College, Ryan had
created an unincorporated nonprofit association called “Alternative
Healing Network,” or “ALTHealNet,” as a play on his last name. After
graduating from Pacific College, Ryan officially filed for 501(c)(3)
non-profit corporate status on February 14, 2005. This was a period of
exciting growth. The San Diego Healing Arts Festival continued to be a
hit, with up to 18,000 attendees annually. We also launched the Alternative Happy Hour series and began participating in community collaboratives and
connecting with other nonprofits and health institutions in San Diego
County. During the 2007 fire season, in which many residents were forced
to flee, AltHealNet helped create pop-up clinics at Gillespie Field and
Qualcomm Stadium, offering free holistic wellness services to refugees and
frontline workers. Based on that pop-up model, we established a regular
weekly free offering for underserved populations called
Integrative Health Night, at community centers and churches. Eventually forging partnerships
with local holistic and integrative Colleges to send student interns to
our growing events. We were offering acupuncture, clinical massage therapy, chiropractic care, and other essential wellness services at no cost to our community—now
we just had to find a way to make it all sustainable.
2008: Open Our Adams Avenue Clinic Location
The country was in a recession by then, with grant money drying up. Our team
of weekly volunteer practitioners, including Dr. Dave McCann—our current
Clinical Director and Chiropractor—decided to create an affordable,
revenue-generating storefront location. By seeing paying patients, we could
fund our outreach efforts. We were essentially a social entrepreneurship
before we even knew what that was. On June 22, 2008, we officially
celebrated the grand opening of Adams Avenue Integrative Health.
2009 – 2016: A Period of Growth and Expansion
TOTAL FREE WELLNESS SERVICES PROVIDED: 20,016
During the years that followed our opening, we continued to
learn, evolve, and connect with our community. Notable
events during this time include:
- Hosting over 35,000 attendees and 80 exhibitors for the
San Diego Healing Arts Festival - Deciding to pivot away from the festival in order to
focus on our outreach - Producing a music stage in our parking lot for the Adams Avenue Unplugged (formerly known as the Roots Fest) and Art Around
Adams annual events - Continuing to grow our internship program and add more
affiliates for our outreach events - Expanding our Free Community Wellness programs to over
20,000 free treatments provided in City Heights,
Southeast San Diego, and at the YWCA Women’s Shelter - Offering corporate wellness services to organizations
like Rady Children’s Hospital, UCSD, and SDSU - Taking over the neighboring lease for our Adams Ave
location and re-opening as an expanded clinic
2016-Present: Becoming Community Wellness Collaborative
TOTAL FREE WELLNESS SERVICES PROVIDED: OVER 28,000
Since expanding our flagship Adams Avenue Community Wellness
Center, we’ve continued to sustain weekly free community
wellness events in multiple communities. We’ve helped train
hundreds of wellness practitioners through internships and
apprenticeships and provided opportunities for them to work with
our diverse patient population. In the fall of 2018, during the
Adams Avenue Street Fair, the San Diego County Board of
Supervisors declared us a recognized “Live Well San Diego”
partner with the HHSA. We were honored for our commitment to
providing quality integrative care to San Diego, and have a
display of our work alongside other non-profits at the
Southeastern Live Well Center
on their wall. In spring 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we
allocated some of our resources to assist with disease-fighting
research. Led by Dr. Shannyn Fowl, we became a draw site for
patient blood donations and assisted research with several labs
in order to create more accurate tests, including the Roche
Antibody test. As 2020 drew to a close, we reflected and decided
that the name “Alternative” Healing Network no longer served us.
We wanted a name that conveyed our commitment to the San Diego
community, the fact that wellness is not negotiable for us, and
our respect for the power of collaboration to make our dreams a
reality. And here we are! We look forward to continuing to serve
the people of San Diego, and we’re thankful for everyone who’s
made our work possible thus far.