Congress Appropriates $750,000 to TCC Clinic

The funding proposal was co-authored by TCC associate professors Dr. Lew Huff (left), and Dr. James Giordano.

Dr. Shelby Elliott, president of Texas Chiropractic College (TCC), in a statement from his Pasadena, TX office, announced that Congress has approved a $750,000 appropriation to allow Texas Chiropractic College to provide comprehensive chiropractic and pain management services to the 147th Fighter Squadron of the Texas Air National Guard at Ellington Field. The grant was approved as part of the fiscal year 2003 Defense Appropriations bill that funds the operations of the Department of Defense, including its health care programs.

"This is truly an historic day at Texas Chiropractic College, and we look forward to a strong working relationship with Colonel Steven Jones, commanding officer at Ellington Field, and the rest of the men and women of the 147th Fighter Squadron," said Dr. Elliott. "The funding approved by Congress for our proposed chiropractic care initiative will be matched by the private sector and will give both our college and the Texas Air National Guard quality care and a new, sophisticated magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) diagnostic capability. We are honored to receive this funding from Congress."

The proposal for funding was co-authored by principal investigators Dr. Lew Huff, associate professor and director of clinical services at the Moody Health Center, and Dr. James Giordano, associate professor and director of research at TCC and the Moody Health Center. Drs. Giordano and Huff developed the proposal based upon the initiative of Section 702 of Public Law 106-398 of the Floyd Spence National Defense Authorization Act that mandates chiropractic care be afforded to all active duty military personnel. Previous research conducted by Dr. Giordano, a certified aerospace physiologist and former U.S. Naval aeromedical flight officer, demonstrated a high incidence and prevalence of spinal and musculoskeletal pain disorders among military aviators. These ailments were shown to exact a large toll in time and money for flying and nonflying personnel. However, the studies also revealed that integrative, multidisciplinary intervention reduced the impact of these disorders, particularly when no pharmaceuticals were dispensed, as use of medication incurs prohibitions to flying or heavy equipment operation.

Together, Drs. Huff and Giordano developed a multistep program of prevention, intervention and health promotion consistent with the mission of the Moody Health Center to directly target reducing disability and maximizing prevention and recovery in military aviation personnel. "The program examines cause and effect. It offers a broad scope of services based on the foundation of chiropractic care to enhance the operational readiness and mission effectiveness of the treated personnel," explained Dr. Giordano.

"The funding permits us to forge inroads into new areas that can serve as a template for other programs that we're developing in years to come," added Dr. Huff.

Both investigators stressed that the program represented a unique concept that was a "first in its focus." Working together with a senior research associate, student Victor Dominguez, the investigators explored key demographic areas of mission profiles, operational preparation and work-time parameters that were affected by musculoskeletal disorders among the 147th Fighter Wing. These variables became the basis of the comprehensive treatment and prevention program that will specifically provide:

• pain management via a multi-disciplinary, integrative care model;
• occupational, aeromedical care, including ergonomic, industrial and environmental assessment and safety analysis;
• laboratory and radiologic diagnostic assessment, including advanced MRI-based evaluation; and
• health education aimed at enhancing wellness and preventing disease.

The funding approved by the Congress in H.R. 5010, the Defense Appropriations bill, was the result of a joint effort led by Representative Ken Bentsen and two other members of the Texas congressional delegation, Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Gene Green. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, also played a key role in obtaining the final appropriation for the college.

"The funding that has been approved will allow Texas Chiropractic College to become a pioneer in carrying out the chiropractic health care benefit for the military that was signed into law in 2000," offered Dr. Elliott. "It will allow us to provide unique training and education opportunities for a generation of new doctors of chiropractic."

Dr. Elliott pointed out that the chiropractic care available as a result of this grant not only allows the Moody Health Center to serve students and the 147th Fighter Squadron, but also the surrounding community of Pasadena, a suburb of Houston.