WASHINGTON, DC - After eight years of negotiations, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has announced that a doctor of chiropractic will join the health profession team of the Office of the Attending Physician (OAP).
Dr. William Morgan, a chiropractor who has been active in the Department of Defense Chiropractic Military Demonstration Project at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, MD, will begin offering chiropractic services to members of Congress on May 11. Dr. Morgan, a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic - West, is a member of the ACA, and a National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company policyholder.
The little-known OAP, founded in 1928, provides for the common health care needs of our 535 legislators in Washington, D.C., and 30,000 congressional staffers. The office is also available to visiting dignitaries and is ready to supply emergency care to the millions of tourists who visit the Capitol. The OAP logs about 80,000 visits each year, plus several hundred emergency calls.
The OAP falls within the purview of the Navy, specifically Rear Admiral Dr. John Eisold, but is administered by his assistant, Robert Burg. The OAP has a $1.5 million annual budget, which provides six first aid stations in the House and Senate office buildings, staffing them with 35 health professionals, including internists and registered nurses. Until 1992, the health services, including prescriptions, were free to the legislators. The lawmakers now pay a modest annual fee: $500 for senators and $250 for representatives.
Efforts to establish a chiropractic office in the Capitol Building began in 1992, when R.J. Duke Short, chief of staff for Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC), began working with Dr. Jerome McAndrews, then the ACA's vice president for professional affairs. The diligence and persistence of Dr. McAndrews and Mr. Short have finally landed a DC in the OAP.
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