On February 9, 1996, New Jersey Transit Train #1254 pulled out of the Harmon Cove railroad station and into the marshlands between Secaucus, New Jersey and Jersey City. Within a few minutes, #1254 collided with a west-bound train.
Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center went into emergency mode, with assistance from Albert Cattafi, DC, chief of chiropractic medicine at the Center.
The death toll was three, with over 100 injured. As many of the patients were suffering from sprains and strains to the neck and back, Dr. Cattafi was kept busy examining patients, referring them for x-rays, and offering them chiropractic treatment.
Hospital Donates to Chiropractic Dept.
In a story unrelated to the train accident but involving the same hospital, Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, Edwin Gangemi, MD, chief of rehabilitation medicine at the Center presented a donation check for $8,000 to Albert Cattafi, DC, chief of chiropractic medicine at Meadowlands. The money is for the purchase of a chiropractic table that will be used by the 21-member chiropractic staff.
Dr. Gangemi, a physiatrist, said that he is pleased to help the chiropractic department, and the patients it treats. Dr. Cattafi commented that a state-of-the-art table will go a long way in helping the patients to have the best treatment that a chiropractic adjustment can achieve.
On Valentine's Day, February 14, 1996, nearly 70 members of the New York Chiropractic Council participated in Helping Other People Eat (HOPE) Day 1996, sponsored by the Council for the fifth straight year. DCs offered to treat patients in exchange of a generous donation of nonperishable food or a HOPE giving certificate. Chiropractic patients bought over $3,000 of HOPE giving certificates sold by Food Emporium, A&P supermarkets, and other participating food chains in New York state, and this helped to raise over 25,000 pounds of food.
HOPE Day received accolades and proclamations from Governor George Pataki, Mayor Giuliani, Congressman McNulty, Mayor of Albany Gerald Jennings, Senators Hoblock, Bruno, and Farley, and Assemblypersons McEneny, Canestrair, Fuso, Prentiss, Tedisdo. Assemblyperson Tonko provided a state legislative resolution. Marla Maples Trump was the project's spokesperson for the second straight year, and gave $500 to her chiropractor, Dr. Michael Smatt, in exchange for her HOPE Day adjustment. Mayor Giuliani and Marla Maples Trump held a press conference to announce and praise HOPE Day. The press conference was aired on network and cable television.
CMCC Student/Olympic Champion to Compete in Atlanta
Derek Porter, a member of the Canadian rowing team that won the 1992 Olympic gold medal for 8-man sculling, is a third-year student at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC). He is now training to compete in the single rowing competition for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
He made the transition to single rowing at the World Championships in the Czech Republic in 1993 and placed first. His current training schedule requires him to row three times a day, six days a week, and follow a routine of weight training and aerobics. He is taking a year's leave from his studies at CMCC to follow the Olympic dream.
Being both an athlete who relies on chiropractic care and a chiropractic student, Derek says that he has unique insight into the importance of chiropractic treatment that will serve him well when he becomes a DC. "When races are won in the hundredths of a second," he said, "it's the small cogs in the machine that make the difference, and chiropractic care can help make those cogs work to their potential."
Minnesota chiropractor Helena Krmpotich has become the first DC to be awarded formal hospital privileges at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. Dr. Krmpotich's appointment to the Center's allied professional staff enables her to provide chiropractic and acupuncture treatment with attending physician approval. She will be able to co-order physical therapy and diagnostic testing. "This is another example of the growing cooperation between the medical and chiropractic profession that I see in my practice," said Dr. Krmpotich, "This cooperation should better serve the patient."
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?
