With the last issue of each year, we flip back through the past 25 issues to review the chiropractic personalities that have made the most impact in the profession.
While there have been many DCs who have made significant contributions to advancing the chiropractic profession this year, the name of a practitioner from San Bernardino, California -- active in local, state and national chiropractic matters -- immediately comes to mind: Jerilynn Kaibel.
In February of this year, Dr. Kaibel finished her one-year appointment as the chiropractic representative on the Practicing Physicians' Advisory Council (PPAC). She had been appointed by then Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Louis Sullivan. PPAC is a 15-member group that advises Congress, HHS, and the Health Care Finance Administration on Medicare policy matters.
On April 1st of this year, Dr. Kaibel was notified by White House officials that she had been selected to the Health Professional Review Group (HPRG), the only chiropractor named among the 47-member multidisciplinary health panel. The panel's job was to review the Clinton administration's health care reform package before it was presented to Congress. Dr. Kaibel met with the HPRG April 12-13 at the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., and had the opportunity to briefly speak with Hillary Rodham Clinton.
At that meeting, HPGR members were asked to submit their ideas for health car reform. Among Dr. Kaibel's recommendations:
- patient freedom of choice of health care providers
- expand access to primary care for non-MDs
- encourage preventative health care services
- access to DCs in rural and medically underserved area programs
- federal dollars for chiropractic educational and research institutions
- encourage development of standards of care for health disciplines
- reform the medical liability system
A second meeting of the HPGR was convened April 22-26. Later in the year, on Sept. 19, 1993, Dr. Kaibel gave "DC" a phone interview from the nation's capitol, immediately following the HPRG meeting when Hillary's health care reform task force presented its preliminary draft proposal.
The American Chiropractic Association was also impressed with Dr. Kaibel's work, naming her "Chiropractor of the Year" at the 30th annual ACA Convention on Maui, July 21-24.
Dr. Kaibel's active promotion of chiropractic on the national level is augmented by her state and regional chiropractic activities. She is the ACA's Southern California Delegate, and is in charge of conventions and seminars for the California Chiropractic Association.
She was director of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations for two terms; a consultant to the Mercy Conference; served as first vice president and president of the California Chiropractic Assoc., and was its 1986-87 "Doctor of the Year"; president of the Riverside County Chiropractic Society; appointed by former Calif. Governors Brown and Deukmejian to the Medical Quality Review Committee and served six years as its chairperson; appointed by California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi to the Fraud and Abuse Subcommittee of the Workers' Comp. Task Force; appointed by the Calif. Board of Chiropractic Examiners as Commissioner on Examination in physical therapy; and has received state appointments as both a Independent Medical Examiner, and a Qualified Medical Examiner.
Dr. Kaibel is also involved, it should come as no surprise, in the Chiropractic Centennial Foundation. She is in charge of both the Washington D.C., and Davenport, Iowa Chiropractic Centennial celebrations.
On the academic side, Dr. Kaibel is a graduate of Cleveland Chiropractic College Los Angeles, and has served on the postgraduate faculty of the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic and (then) Pasadena College of Chiropractic.
On the personal side, Dr. Kaibel is married to Robert Dark, DC, who is on the Bill Review Committee and the Workers' Comp. Subcommittee of the California Chiropractic Association. Dr. Dark is also past president of the COCSA (1991-2). Together, the couple have a busy two office practice in San Bernardino.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Dr. Kaibel is her personal commitment to the development and success of the chiropractic profession. She donates her time, energy and talent for one purpose: to see chiropractic grow and flourish throughout the world.
