SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Representatives from the 17 North American chiropractic colleges attended the 7th Annual Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) Educational Conference March 15-18. "Enrollment" was the theme of this year's programs, which is especially relevant in light of declining enrollments at most chiropractic colleges.
The annual event brings together chiropractic college administrators and directors to exchange ideas on various aspects of education. The panoply of college representatives and groups at the conference included:
During the four- day meeting, Foot Levelers, Inc., presented each chiropractic college with their portion of the proceeds from the 1999 Foot Levelers seminar series. Each year, Foot Levelers offers seminars to doctors of chiropractic for license renewal and donates the proceeds. This year, the donated proceeds totaled $40,000; half of the amount went to the colleges, and half to support the ACA's lawsuit against the Health Care Finance Adminstration. Since 1992, Foot Levelers has donated over $5.5 million.
Another sponsor, the NCMIC Group, donated $10,000 to the ACC for the Chiropractic Health Care Demonstration Project (CHCDP). ACC had asked for financial help to retain a consultant to assist in producing an analysis of the report from the CHCDP contractor. (See the front-page story in this issue). NCMIC also provided student scholarships to every chiropractic college.
There were 31 poster presentations that featured original research and other scholarly work. The conference also showcased numerous panel discussions, including ones on clinical chiropractic; geriatrics and chiropractic curriculum development and clinical applications; health and wellness in clinical practice and education; and spinal anatomy - basic science and educational advances.
Discussions with the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
During their session with representatives from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), the chiropractic college presidents discussed testing issues and drew up several specific recommendations to the NBCE:
Next year's meeting is set for March 14-17, 2001 in San Diego, California. The theme will be "Technology - the Internet and Chiropractic Education."
References
One high point of the Association of Chiropractic College (ACC) meeting was the presentation of the Lee-Homewood award to Mr. George McAndrews. Mr. McAndrews, the 19th recipient of the award, is best known as the lead counsel who led the chiropractic profession to victory in the anti-trust suit Wilk et al. vs AMA et al. Mr. McAndrews is now leading the charge in the ACA's lawsuit against the new Medicare managed care regulations promulgated by HCFA.
The Lee-Homewood award is given annually by the Association for the History of Chiropractic (AHC) to those who have helped shape the chiropractic profession. The tribute to Mr. McAndrews was delivered by Alana Callender, past-president of the AHC. The award was presented by Dr. Mildred Kimbrough, AHC president. The AHC was holding its annual meeting in conjunction with the ACC meeting.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
