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[Rock Medicine] [Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, Inc.]
Rock Med
Short for "Rock Medicine," the mobile emergency care clinic which has been providing valuable medical care at Dead shows and other West Coast rock concerts, community events and festivals for 20 years. "We're like the Deadheads' HMO," says Rock Med's Director, Glenn "Raz" Raswyck. The goal of Rock Med, as stated by founding director Skip Gay, is to "take care of the individual, and return him to his friends or family," and to avoid "the necessity of either hospitalization or getting involved with the law." All of the doctors, nurses, paramedics and staff at Rock Med outside of the director contribute their expertise for no pay.
Rock Med was founded in 1972 by folks at the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, at the behest of Bill Graham, who had seen too many medical needs at Woodstock, and elsewhere, go untreated. "Bill knew that people were going to do what they wanted to do, and you'd better be prepared for it," explains Raswyck. "He felt a moral obligation to be helpful, but also non judgmental. At the same time, Bill wanted to put in a safety net, before Heads wound up in local hospitals or jails. As a businessman, he knew when the jails started filling up, officials would start saying, 'You can't do this anymore.'"
On average, Raswyck says, Rock Med cares for 70 or 80 Heads per show, 60 of whom are there for minor matters - cut feet, heat exhaustion, headaches, and so on but one of Rock Med's areas of expertise is in helping Heads navigate difficult trips "Intense Psychedelic Reactions." The basic tenets of Rock Med style "talkdown" are, says Raswyck: "Number one, 'You're OK.' Number two, 'You're in a safe place.' And number three, 'No, we're not going to tell your mom.'" The volunteers are most interested in preventing needlessly dire situations from occurring in the first place. Their brochure advises all Heads to eat nutritiously before shows, and to make sure to drink plenty of non sugary, non alcoholic liquids during their journey. And try not to overindulge. "Abuse," says Raswyck, "gives fun a bad name."
• Dugout --The first aid station located close to the main hall.
• Field Teams -- Medics in uniform visibly circulating through the crowd so that they can be flagged down if necessary.
• The Pit Crew -- Three-person medic team positioned on the floor near each side of the stage, available for quick aid to overheated or hyperventilating Heads.
• Space Station -- The intake room where talkdown happens.
• Talkdown -- Assistance for Heads having difficulty navigating in psychedelic space. "The art of talkdown," explains Steve Anderson in the Rock Med Training Guide, "is the interplay of knowledge, intuition and experience of the guide, varying with individuals, circumstances, substances, and resources available. A tripper is an Id with feet. He has no rules (Superego) or reason (Ego). He is his own universe. We become the rules, and provide an 'alternative ego' until those functions of his character can reassert their own control."
From: Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads
by David Shenk and Steve Silberman.
eMail: David Shenk DShenk@aol.com
eMail: Steve Silberman digaman@hotwired.com