It has been more than a year since we last reported on the Department of Defense's Chiropractic Health Care Demonstration Project (see the December 16, 1996 issue of DC). Now comes word that the project has been extended for two more years and has been expanded to include at least three additional medical treatment facilities. Two of those are accessible to members of Congress who need chiropractic services.
The DOD project expansion was approved by Congress in November as part of the Defense Reauthorization Act. South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a long-time advocate of chiropractic, offered the provision expanding the chiropractic demonstration project.
The expansion will add the National Naval Medical Center and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center -- both located in the area of the nation's capitol -- in addition to one other military medical treatment facility to the list of ten treatment sites that are currently participating in the project, making a total of 13 sites that are involved.
"The expansion of this important demonstration project to medical facilities in the Washington, DC area that are often visited by members of Congress offers some exciting possibilities said ACA President Michael Pedigo, DC. "We are confident that legislators who utilize chiropractic services through the demonstration project will realize the health benefits and cost-saving potential of chiropractic care."
New York's WABC radio, the top news/talk radio station in the country, has announced that it will be co-sponsoring the nation's first Chiropractic Awareness Month in the New York market this January. This arrangement, which was negotiated by Garrison Pomeroy of Chiropractic America, is a national first for a major media sponsorship cooperative.
There will be in excess of 160 radio spots for Chiropractic Awareness Month on WABC in January. Topics will include chiropractic care for the prevention of illness and injury; pain relief; treating the source of disease through chiropractic care; and the vertebral subluxation and its related dangers. Spots will be read by talk show hosts, and recorded spots will be co-written and read by Dr. Robert Hoffman of Oyster Bay, New York.
In addition, there will be several announcements explaining the New York Insurance Equality Law, which goes into effect this month (see the August 25, 1997 issue of DC for more information). WABC will also air 12 public service announcements a week, helping to promote the efforts of Chiropractic Awareness Month.
To help participate in this campaign, contact Mr. Pomeroy at (800) 466-9988, or Mr. Joseph O'Loughlin of WABC radio at (212) 613-3881.
Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Sid Williams and Life University, chiropractic care will soon be available to the people of Costa Rica. Work is currently underway to build a modern outpatient facility at the headquarters of the Costa Rican Olympic Committee in the nation's capital of San Juan.
"Construction should be finished by December 15 (of 1997)," said Dr. Medhat Alattar, the director of the International Programs department at Life. "The clinic itself should be fully staffed and up and running by next spring." The clinic will be staffed by between 15-20 interns and three to four chiropractors from Life's main campus in Georgia. The clinic will also provide chiropractic care to the nation's top athletes.
In related news, Life also reached an agreement with the University of Costa Rica to provide distance learning programs in sport health science by means of the Internet and satellite transmissions. In addition, Costa Rican athletes and coaches will travel to the U.S. to participate in Life's Dynamic Essentials for Lasting Peak Performance (DELPP) program. This program combines chiropractic philosophy with physical training, mental discipline, nutrition and sport health science.
The Ironman World Championships, held each year at Kailua-Kona on the big island of Hawaii, are considered one of the most grueling athletic contests in the world. The 1,500 or so participants in the event must traverse a course that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bicycle ride, and a full 26.2 mile marathon.
For the third consecutive year, Dr. Benita Battaglia of Cape May Court House, New Jersey was appointed as a team "Iron Doc" to provide chiropractic care at the Ironman championships. Among the athletes she treated were President Clinton's Secret Service agent Tim Jacobs and Jim Ward, who at 80 was the oldest participant in this year's event. Both gentlemen received chiropractic care during the week leading up to the contest, as well as on race day.
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?
