The American Public Health Association (APHA) is the oldest, largest and most influential public health association in the world, with over 50,000 national and affiliate members representing over 70 public health occupations.
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) established a committee on APHA in February 1987 as a liaison between the APHA and the ACA. This ACA committee monitors APHA activities, participates in APHA politics, and is active during the APHA's annual fall meeting. Members of the ACA committee on APHA are DCs John Pammer Jr., who has served as committee chairman since 1995; Rand Baird; Karen Konarski-Hart; and Marc Malon. Dr. Kurt Hegetschweiler serves as the ACA Board of Governors' liaison for this committee.
The International Chiropractic Association (ICA) became involved with APHA in 1981 and, like ACA, was one of the premier chiropractic agency members. Dr. Rand Baird represents ICA at APHA functions.
Within the APHA is the Chiropractic Health Care Section. The 1998 officers for that section are:
| Chair: | Craig Nelson, DC |
| Past-Chair: | Rand Baird, DC, MPH |
| Chair-elect: | Mitchell Haas, DC, MA |
| Secretary: | Cheryl Hawk, DC, PhD |
| Program Chair: | Marla Hondras, DC, MPH |
| Membership Chair: | Lisa Killinger, DC |
| Awards Chair: | Rand Baird, DC, MPH |
| Nominating Chair: | Michael Loader, DC |
| Newsletter Editor: | Fred Colley, Phd, MPH |
| Publicity Chair: | To be determined |
| Section Council: | Fred Colley, Phd, MPH Ellen Bokina, DC, MPH Maria Hondras, DC, MPH John Hyland, DC, DACBR Joanne Nyiendo, Phd Michael Perillo, DC, MPH |
| Governing Council: | William Meeker, DC, MPH Mitchell Haas, DC, MA |
| Action Board Representative: | Christine Hegetschweiler Goertz, DC |
Drs. Nelson, Baird and Haas will serve on the APHA intersectional council as chair, past-chair and chair-elect, respectively, of the Chiropractic Health Care (CHC) section at the 1998 annual meeting.
At the November 1997 annual meeting, the CHC section presented its section awards for distinguished service and accomplishments. Both early pioneer efforts and ongoing achievements within APHA were recognized. The awards were presented by Dr. Rand Baird to Drs. Mitchell Haas, William Meeker, and Robert Mootz.
Distinguished Service Award winners:
Mitchell Haas, DC, MA
William Meeker, DC, MPH
Robert Mootz, DC
Section Activities
Membership in the CHC section rose slightly in 1997, averaging over 400 members. Chiropractic's growth rate was the best of any section, but of the 25 APHA sections, our membership only represents 1.31 percent of the total. We rank 19th in size among sections. Our renewal and retention rate is lower than most sections, and we still have a disproportionate higher percentage of student members (26.54 percent).
The 1998 annual APHA meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. from November 15-19. The theme for this 126th annual meeting will be public health and managed care.
The governing council of APHA has adopted 27 new official public policy statements and position papers; these were published in full in the March 1998 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Four doctors of chiropractic held governing council seats in 1997 and participated fully in APHAs policy process.
The president of the APHA Governing Council for 1998 is Quentin Young, MD, who has been very receptive to chiropractic participation in APHA. Dr. Young is chairman of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group in Chicago and a clinical professor of preventive medicine at the University of Illinois School of Medicine. He and Rand Baird, DC, MPH, have known each other for 26 years, having worked together from 1971-74 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.
APHA has a three-year strategic plan (1997-2000) with four stated goals:
During 1997, no additional chiropractic organizations applied for agency membership in the APHA. Current membership includes:
Editor's note: The information present her was excerpted from the ACA Committee on APHA report by John Pammer, DC, DACBR (chairman), and Rand Baird, DC, MPH (member).
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?
