After 18 years of service, Community Wellness Collaborative (formerly known as Alternative Healing Network) has announced it will officially end clinical operations at its Adams Ave. location on Friday, April 24th.
The news marks a significant loss for San Diego’s integrative health landscape. As the city’s only nonprofit holistic clinic, the center has served as a vital bridge between traditional Western medicine and alternative therapies like acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic care.
The clinic’s roots are deeply personal. Founder Ryan Altman started the nonprofit in 2005 following the tragic loss of his younger half-brother, Josh, who struggled with the side effects of ADHD medication. Inspired to find less invasive wellness options for mental and physical health, Altman used his background as a concert promoter to launch the San Diego Healing Arts Festival in Balboa Park.
What began as a festival eventually grew into a permanent storefront in 2008. The mission was to provide a sliding-scale model where paying patients helped fund free outreach for the underserved. The organization’s impact has been staggering:
- 120,000+ low-cost services provided.
- 35,000+ free sessions for community members in need.
- Community outreach programs like those at the YWCA Women’s Shelter and the East African Community Center.
"We are no longer an 'alternative,'" Altman noted in our Wellness in San Diego podcast interview when explaining the rebrand from AltHealNet to Community Wellness Collaborative. "We are part of the integrative healthcare and wellness that everybody wants... we helped show Western providers how useful holistic healing arts can be."
The Future of the Collaborative
The decision to close follows a "perfect storm" of financial and operational challenges. In a heartfelt statement released via Instagram, the organization cited the lingering "crippling effects" of the post-COVID economy. However, the final blow came from the real estate market. The recent sale of their building resulted in a spiked rent cost while simultaneously slashing the clinic’s physical footprint by half.
"It is simply untenable in its current form," the organization shared. "We considered ways to transition to a new model, but with the recent announcements of Dr. Dave, Carly, and Ryan all planning departures this month... there seems little hope for success of the continuing operations."
The struggle to stay afloat also highlights a larger issue within the wellness industry: the rising cost of operations and a lack of "wraparound" reimbursements for non-MD led clinics.
Community Wellness Collaborative Founder Ryan Altman
"San Diego has gotten so exponentially expensive... it makes it very difficult for nonprofits to operate unless we have additional grants to cover staffing costs," Altman explained in our Wellness in San Diego podcast interview back in 2024.
While the physical doors on Adams Avenue are closing, Community Wellness Collaborative as an organization is not disappearing. The nonprofit intends to continue its outreach programs through grants and donations.
The community is invited to say goodbye and celebrate nearly twenty years of healing at Adams Avenue Unplugged on Saturday, April 25th, from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The event will feature local musicians, honoring Altman’s original passion for music and its role in the healing arts.
For those who wish to support the transition and ensure the outreach programs survive, tax-deductible donations are being accepted at communitywellness.org/donate.
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