Logan Grad Dies in Rescue Attempt

Gregg Bellm,DC, a member of Logan's April 2000 graduating class, drowned on August 4 in a tragic attempt to save a 12-year-old boy who cried out for help in the Meramec River in St. Louis County, Missouri. Dr. Bellm and another man nearby jumped into the river, and a third man launched a kayak into the water. The other two rescuers brought the boy out of the water, but Dr. Bellm was overcome by the strong current and did not make it to shore.

Dr. Bellm lived in the St. Louis suburb of Hazelwood with his wife, Karen.

Logan College has established the Gregg Bellm Memorial Fund at the request of friends wishing to make contributions in memory of Dr. Bellm. (Logan College of Chiropractic, 1851 Schoettler Rd., Chesterfield, MO 63006-63017, (800) 782-3344.)

Leroy Perry,DC, a Los Angeles clinician know for his work in biomechanics and sports science, and a five-time Olympic team doctor, joined a delegation of representatives from the National Council of Churches on a mission to Cuba, Sept. 1-7, to promote the "universal needs of all children for health and education."

The delegation's itinerary included: a meeting with government leaders; presenting "school kits" to Elian Gonzales and his classmates; a tour of a school for children with Down's syndrome; a visit to an emergency clinic in old Havana and the Latin American School of Medicine; and a meeting with Dr. Ricardo Alarcon, president of the People's Assembly (Cuba's congress).

The president-elect of the American Bar Association (ABA), Robert Hirshon, will be the keynote speaker at this year's annual meeting of the American Chiropractic Association, which begins September 7 in Denver, Colorado.

The choice of Mr. Hirshon seems appropriate, considering the ACA has two significant lawsuits in litigation, one against HCFA for its Medicare managed care program, and one filed against Trigon Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the National Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association. Mr. Hirshon will speak on managed care reform. The ABA is pressing for managed care reform on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Hirshon specializes in commercial litigation and legislative and regulatory advocacy as a member of Drummond, Woodsum and MacMahon in Portland, Maine.

Dr. Robert Haley of Lyndhurst, NJ, provided weekly chiropractic care to the Indian Olympic rowing team and its coaches this summer at the Nereid Boat Club in New Jersey.

Ted Bonanno, the rowing coach at Fordham University, coached the Indian rowers. The Indian team qualified for its first Olympic Games by placing second at the Asian Games in the coxless pairs.

October 5 is the Family Violence Prevention Fund's (FVPF) "Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day." This year's theme is "Screening to Prevent Abuse." The FVPF recommends that health care providers routinely screen patients for domestic violence.

The FVPF has developed a packet that offers free information and organizing tools to help health care providers plan "Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day" events. A packet can be ordered by calling 1-888-RX-ABUSE.

The National Conference on Health Care and Domestic Violence will be held October 13-14 in San Francisco. California Senator Barbara Boxer will receive the "Domestic Violence Health Policy Leadership Award."

For more information on domestic violence and the FVPF, go to http://www.fvpf.org/health/index.html.

Logan President George Goodman has announced that Dennis Nosco,PhD, is the college's new director of research. Dr. Nosco has 15 years of experience in research on medical products. He has served as a team leader on design and development of new products, helped to run clinical trials, and implemented a technology assessment program and training programs for scientists. Dr. Nosco has also worked as a research chemist.

Dr. Nosco was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati, where he received his doctoral degree in inorganic chemistry. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Ohio State University.

Shelby Elliott,DC, president of Texas Chiropractic College, has announced the appointment of Jason Flanagan,DC, as acting dean of academic affairs. A December 1990 graduate of TCC, Dr. Flanagan spent five years as an associate in private practice before returning to his alma mater in 1995. Before this appointment, Dr. Flanagan was an assistant professor in the division of clinical sciences.

Palmer College of Chiropractic's Lyceum 2000 Aug. 9-12, which brought together an international gathering of DCs and 70 speakers, was declared an uncompromised success. Organizers are considering holding next year's lyceum in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"We believe we have a wonderful experience in Lyceum," said Palmer President Guy Riekeman,DC. "We'd like to bring that experience to chiropractors who might not be able to travel to Davenport for Lyceum."

This year's Lyceum theme was "Stand in the Light," a phrase derived from the folklore of Native American tribal councils. Members of the tribe who wanted to speak had to stand in the fire's light. Lyceum organizers said the theme was a metaphor for chiropractic in that "every member of the profession must be willing to stand in the light to speak up for chiropractic and maintain integrity despite opposition."

Chiropractic continuing education credits have been applied for over 100 program sessions for the Nov. 12-16 annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in Boston. The APHA is the oldest and largest public health organization in the world. The Chiropractic Section (CHC) of the APHA is the newest section, created in 1995.

To become an APHA member, call (202) 777-APHA or visit APHA's website at http://www.apha.org . A full list of APHA 2000 program sessions is available on the website.

The relocation of New York Chiropractic College's Syracuse Chiropractic Health Center (SCHC) to the corner of Crouse Avenue and Erie Boulevard earlier this year was well chosen. The new facility is five times larger than the previous center and is housed in a 14,600-square-foot building. It accommodates 90 interns; contains three large classrooms; 22 treatment rooms; a student lounge; an x-ray suite; a private reading area; a conference room; five clinician offices; a physiotherapy room; a rehabilitation room; and a "televideo" conference room.
Syracuse Mayor Roy Bernardi complimented the school on its "significant advances," and noted the center will benefit not only the local denizens, but also patients in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and even in New England and Canada.

Dr. Nancy Molina, who writes the "Case Studies" column for Dynamic Chiropractic (http://www.chiroweb.com/columnist/molina), has informed us of an interesting encounter she had with the Southern California Auto Club.
Based on a recommendation from a happy Auto Club member, Dr. Molina spoke to a representative of the Auto Club about membership and was pleased to discover that doctors receive special rates. Later, however, Dr. Molina was informed that she and her husband, also a chiropractor, were not eligible for the "professional discount" because they were not medical doctors or engineers.

Dr. Molina protested to the Auto Club in writing, stating that such a policy was an "outlandish boycott against my profession." She queried why the Auto Club would exclude approximately 10,000 doctors of chiropractic licensed by the state of California as doctors from the privileges bestowed upon MDs and engineers.

Dr. Molina suggested that the Auto Club was misinformed about chiropractic education and submitted her CV; a photocopy of her state chiropractor's license; a photocopy of her B.S. degree; licensure and legal scope of practice documentation; and verification of her chiropractic training. She also declared she would notify various other chiropractic organizations in providing the Auto Club with further information on the profession.
We're pleased to report that the Auto Club of Southern California has allowed the Molinas the professional rate.

The ACA has entreated the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate a video and manual produced by Karl Holmquist,DC, which teaches "how to apply chiropractic at home." The ACA has also asked the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards to immediately proceed with sanctions against Dr. Holmquist.

In a letter to the FTC, Garrett Cuneo, ACA executive vice president, urged the FTC to "initiate an immediate investigation ... to protect the public from a clearly dangerous video and manual."

Rich Morris,DC, of Santa Monica, California is writing a series of articles for Investor's Business Daily, a national publication with over 300,000 subscribers, second only to the Wall Street Journal in daily business circulation.

The founder and chairman of Investor's Business Daily is William O'Neil, who has been a chiropractic patient of Dr. Morris for 20 years.

Dr. Morris' next two articles will focus on ergonomics. He expects his future articles to include a broad range of health topics.

Michael Mathesie, DC, has been selected as "Sports Chiropractor of the Year" by the Florida Chiropractic Association's (FCA) Council on Sports Injuries. An 11-year practitioner in Coral Springs, Dr. Mathesie is a diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians and the American Chiropractic Rehabilitation Board, and a member of the American College of Chiropractic Rehabilitation Science.

Aside from keeping busy treating professional and amateur athletes, Dr. Mathesie is an active member of the ICA, the FCA (former president and vice president of the FCA's Council on Sports Injuries), the Florida Chiropractic Society, and the Broward County Chiropractic Society.