Palmer Receives Grant to Support Research

Palmer College of Chiropractic has received a grant of $123,058 from the Bechtel Trusts & Foundation to support the college's practice-based research program. The program is designed to investigate topics relevant to everyday clinical practice and involves investigating the outcomes of chiropractic care for patients 55 and older.

Practice-based research (PBR) is a method in which practitioners collect data from their patients, and an academic institution supplies the infrastructure and technical assistance.

"In the current health care marketplace, where quality assurance and practice guidelines are increasingly important, the ability of PBR to gather data on practice and patient characteristics that may affect treatment outcomes is particularly valuable," said Dr. Cheryl Hawk, the program's director. "Chiropractic offices, like those of other health care providers, are organized to provide good patient care, not collect research data."

Added Darrell Slabaugh, Palmer's director of development, "I think this is one of the most exciting programs with which Palmer College is involved. Practice-based research really is at the heart of what we're interested in."

More than 150 doctors are currently involved in the Palmer PBR program. Doctors who are interested in participating in the 55-plus project should contact Karen Boulanger at (319) 327-0160.

Southern California isn't the only place to suffer the effects of "El Nino." In Acapulco, Mexico, a hurricane devastated the region this past winter. High winds and rising flood waters turned the lush area into a nightmare, knocking out electricity and leaving thousands of residents homeless in its wake.

Coincidentally, the staff of Parker College of Chiropractic were holding their annual PSPS seminar in Acapulco at the time. The hotel in which the staff were staying took a direct hit from the winds and waves, leaving them without electricity and other basic services for several days. Instead of opting for the more friendlier climes of the U.S., the Parker seminar staff stayed on in Acapulco, forgoing their accommodations to go out into the local community to render aid and provide chiropractic care to victims and rescue workers alike.

Such an effort gained the attention of KTVT-TV, a CBS affiliate in Dallas, which followed up on the story and met the seminar team as they returned home. As Dr. W. Karl Parker, president of the college, said upon the return of the staff, "We teach in the Parker system to put service first, so in Acapulco we naturally put that into practice where it was needed most."