Groundbreaking Ceremony for Life West

On April 9, with nearly 200 members of the local business, government, chiropractic and education communities in attendance, Life Chiropractic College West held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate its relocation to the new site in Hayward, California. (See "Life West Will Move to Hayward," DC, March 8, 1999.)

"For a number of years, we have been in pursuit of a permanent site for our college," said Life West President Dr. Gerard Clum. "We looked all over the area, but nothing was ever right. And then we had an opportunity to visit this facility -- it was almost an afterthought. But I can remember the moment as we walked down the hall and telling my associates it's time to get out the checkbooks. This is the place."

The new campus will be located at 25001 Industrial Boulevard in Hayward, less than six miles from the existing campus in San Lorenzo. Situated on 11.4 acres, the complex has 189,000 square feet of space to be used for classroom, laboratory, administrative and clinical purposes. The new space represents a 50% increase over the college's current campus sites and clinic.

Mayor Roberta Cooper, representing the city of Hayward, called the project "a marvelous relocation for Life Chiropractic College West and for the future of Hayward. Life Chiropractic College West is going to be a wonderful addition to our city and to this particular neighborhood. We are especially thankful for Life West's long history of community involvement. We like that in Hayward."

Among the dignitaries on hand was Dr. Sid Williams, the founder and president of Life College in Marietta, Georgia, and the founder and chancellor of Life West.

"It's a great thing to see the community and local government come together and expand our vision of providing chiropractic health to everyone on this planet," said Dr. Williams. "With this new campus, we are taking giant steps toward this vision. Your expression of love and compassion to Life Chiropractic College West and Dr. Clum is very much appreciated."

In lieu of the symbolic groundbreaking with a shovel, Drs. Clum and Williams joined Hayward Mayor Cooper in unveiling a 4 x 12 foot construction sign that will be posted in the new campus parking lot during the 14-month construction period.

The new campus is scheduled to open June 2000. The construction will be funded primarily through guaranteed tax-exempt bonds issued through the California Educational Facilities Authority, with additional funds provided by Life University and through college fundraising.

As part of its ongoing scholarship program to help chiropractic students pursue their education, the National Chiropractic Mutual Insurance Company has donated $33,000 to 17 chiropractic colleges throughout North America.

"Our continued sponsorship of this scholarship program further demonstrates our enduring commitment to tomorrow's doctors of chiropractic," said Louis Sportelli,DC, president of NCMIC. "Each year we earmark funds and dedicate hundreds of hours to developing risk management seminars, educational materials and financing research programs that help chiropractic students transition to field practitioners."

Each college has its own application process for how scholarship funds are distributed. General guidelines are that the student be enrolled in at least the eighth trimester, sixth semester or eighth quarter; maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average; have completed or be enrolled in a jurisprudence or risk management class; and demonstrate financial need. For specific requirements, students need to contact the financial planning office of their college.

In company-related news, Standard & Poor's has reaffirmed NCMIC Insurance Company's rating of "A+" in terms of claims-paying ability. Last year the company received an "A" (excellent) rating from the A.M. Best Company.

S&P cited NCMIC's strong capitalization position, its focus on building relationships with chiropractors, and the company's strong operating performance for the high rating.

Dr. George Goodheart, a founder and developer of applied kinesiology, was honored for his 60 years of outstanding service to the chiropractic profession by being nominated by members of Congress for the Presidential Medal of Freedom award. The Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award the president can bestow on behalf of the nation.

Born in Detroit in 1918, Dr. Goodheart received his DC degree from National College of Chiropractic in 1939. He served in the Ninth Air Force in Europe during World War II, attaining the rank of major at age 22, and remained a member of the Air Force Reserves until 1956.

In 1964, Dr. Goodheart originated the applied kinesiology technique, which has become one of the most widely used techniques in the chiropractic profession. In 1980, Dr. Goodheart was appointed to the U.S. Olympic Sports Medicine Committee for the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

Dr. Goodheart has authored several texts and articles on chiropractic technique for more than four decades. He has also received numerous awards for his chiropractic research, including certificates of merit from Logan College of Chiropractic and Palmer College of Chiropractic. In 1987, he received the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential's Leonardo Da Vinci award. Last year, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award from the International College of Applied Kinesiology.

Parker College of Chiropractic has been named by the Florida Department of Education as the first and only college certified to train and license chiropractic assistants in the state. Certification was approved earlier this year on the college's first submission, according to Dr. Juanee Surprise, Parker's director of diplomate and certificate programs.

"This is a real feather in our cap," said Dr. Surprise, who along with Dr. Paul Jaskoviak represented Parker in helping get the program approved.

"A licensed CA can make x-rays and conduct part of the patient examination and give physiotherapy without the doctor being on site," added Dr. Surprise, explaining the benefits of having a license chiropractic assistant. "It upgrades the quality of care in a doctor's office and presents to the public a more professional appearance, putting chiropractic assistants on a par with medical assistants."

Florida is the only state in the nation to license chiropractic assistants. The first 230-hour CA course will begin in September, with 10-hour weekend segments taught in Orlando. Parker College also offers CA training in Texas, although Texas does not yet require licensing of chiropractic assistants.

A History of Chiropractic Education in North America: Report to the Council on Chiropractic Education, a 516-page chronicle of chiropractic education from 1896 through 1997, has been published by the Association for the History of Chiropractic. The book also details and identifies the roles of various chiropractic leaders, colleges, associations and governing bodies that have shaped chiropractic education over the last 100+ years.

The book was co-authored by Alana Callender, director of the Palmer Foundation for Chiropractic History and past president of the Association for the History of Chiropractic; Carl S. Cleveland III, DC, president of Cleveland Chiropractic College; and Joseph C. Keating Jr. PhD, professor at LACC, vice president of the National Institute of Chiropractic Research and writer of DC's "Chiropractic History" column.

A History of Chiropractic Education in North America is limited to 500 copies. The Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER) will handle the book's distribution. For more information, contact FCER at (800) 622-6309.

The Canadian government is establishing a federal office to evaluate and regulate herbal medicine and other alternative health products. The government will allocate $6.6 million over three years to establish an office and conduct research.

"For the first time, there will be a dedicated group of professional experts who will treat the evaluation of health products with distinctiveness and flexibility," said Canadian Minister of Health Allan Rock.

Herbal medicines in Canada are either classified as foods, in which case no health claims can be made, or as drugs, which means they must go through the same trials required for pharmaceutical products. An earlier parliamentary report recommended that herbal medicine be treated as a new category distinct from foods or drugs.