Chiropractor Saves Couple from Certain Death

After losing control of their car driving down Old Priest Grade outside of Groveland, Dennis and Grace Russell tumbled down the canyon headed for certain death. Dennis was thrown 100 feet down the canyon, landing atop some sharp manzanita branches. Grace was hurtled 150 feet down, finally landing on her back. If it had not been for Modesto chiropractor Dr. William Hinchman, the couple would have laid there helplessly, in excruciating pain, until they died.

Dr. Hinchman was in the area, and as he reached the treacherous turn on Old Priest Grade, he noticed four rows of rocks in the middle of the road. He realized from the way the rocks were laid out, someone's car had gone over the edge into the canyon. He pulled over, peered down into the ravine, and then heard a weak voice crying out for help. He slid down the slick hill, in the direction of the voice he had heard, but heard another sound like a strangled cough.

Following the sound, Dr. Hinchman found the body of a man under a blue tarp. It was Dennis, who had lost consciousness, and was choking on his own blood. Dr. Hinchman managed to get Dennis breathing, and with the help of a correctional officer from Chinese Camp who had stopped at the scene, went to locate the voice he had heard earlier. When they found Grace, who was covered with dirt and bleeding profusely from her leg, Dr. Hinchman began applying pressure to her artery. Meanwhile, Dr. Hinchman's wife and son had been flagging down cars, asking people to call 911. When the paramedics arrived, Dennis and Grace were carefully placed into basket stretchers and lifted from the canyon by cables.

Dennis was rushed to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, where he was treated for a collapsed lung, a ruptured spleen, a broken collar bone, and deep cuts in his head. Grace went to Tuolumne General Hospital to be treated for broken ribs, a broken knee, and gashes on her legs. Dr. Hinchman's knowledge of first aid and quick reaction to the situation were crucial to saving their lives

Said Dennis, "They say people hate to get involved. But not Dr. Hinchman. He saved our lives, pure and simple."

LACCS to Host Fourth Annual HOPE Day

The Los Angeles County Chiropractic Society (LACCS) will offer free treatment in exchange for donations to Love Is Feeding Everyone (LIFE) during LACCS' fourth annual HOPE (Helping Other People Eat) Day February 9, 1993.

HOPE Day will be held at the offices of over 200 DCs throughout the county, according to 1993 HOPE Day Chairman Dr. Robert Martin. Dr. Martin said, "This year HOPE Day activities have an added urgency as we help 'Rebuild L.A.' following last summer's devastating riots that left thousands without work, homes, and food."

LACCS is also involved in treating the homeless and the hungry through member Gary Phillips, D.C., who opened and directs the first free chiropractic clinic for the street people of Los Angeles' skid row.

The new chiropractic "Back to Health" clinic is housed in a 155,000 square foot mission facility at 303 East 5th Street. The mission serves up to 2,000 hot meals a day and shelters 176 people every night. Chiropractic care is available every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

"We've had the opportunity to help many patients with headaches, neck and back complaints, as well as joint injuries, much of it caused by sleeping and living on the streets," said Dr. Phillips.

For further information on the clinic and the mission call Dr. Phillips at (818) 349-2225 or in downtown L.A. at (213) 629-1227 on Tuesdays.

LACCS members spoke to grade school children and presented work shops on the dangers of drugs during Red Ribbon Week October 24-Nov. 1. Involved in trying to teach the children the realities of drug abuse were DCs Kenneth Martin, Dexter Williams, JoAnn Dorothy, Michael Budincich, and Ray Bouchereau. Mrs. Denise Martin coordinated the speakers for LACCS.

Inaugurated six years ago, Red Ribbon Week commemorates the death of Enrique Camarena, an agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. The red ribbons symbolize a commitment to creating a drug-free society.

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) reported that the student loan default rate of graduates from Life West dropped 66 percent in one year, to a low of 1.1 percent. This is opposed to the nation's average graduate school default rate of seven percent, according to LCCW President Dr. Gerard Clum.

The college now ranks with the ninth lowest default rate among 635 schools in California who receive Stafford Loans (also known as Guaranteed Student loans). Dr. Clum commented that these new DOE statistics give credence to chiropractic education and call to question the government default rate figures on Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL), which are issued by the Bureau of Health Professions. The most recent figures from the Bureau of Health Professions rates chiropractic college graduate default rates on HEAL between 4.41 percent and 23.53 percent, with LCCW at 13.37.

Dr. Clum said he questions the validity of the HEAL statistics because of the vast discrepancy with DOE figures and because the HEAL program and its system of analysis are much newer than the DOE loan program.

In a new accord between the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC) and the Fullerton Union School District, LACC will provide team physician care, including physicals, to local high school athletes. The agreement is the result of a meeting between a delegation from the Union School District, which included the superintendent from Fullerton, and LACC President Reed Phillips, D.C., Ph.D.; LACC Dean of academic affairs Gary Miller, Ph.D.; and LACC faculty member John Scaringe, D.C., CCSP.

The delegation's original purpose was to meet with LACC representatives to justify the school district's position of limiting recognition of chiropractic physicals for high school athletes. After discussing issues with the LACC representatives, the school district delegation toured the campus as well as the Whittier Chiropractic Health Center. After the tour was finished, the school district delegates invited LACC to provide team physician care and they discussed the possibility of arranging a PPO relationship with LACC for high school employees.

A paper, which is a collaborative effort between LACC and the RAND Corporation, was published in the October 1, 1992 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The article is a review of the use, complications, and efficacy of spinal manipulation in the treatment of low back pain. It is the first article on spinal manipulation to be published in the Annals, which has a circulation of 95,000, and the first time chiropractors have been published in the journal.

The authors of the article are Paul G. Shekelle, M.D., MPH (RAND); Alan H. Adams, D.C. (LACC); Mark R. Chassin, M.D., MPH, MPP; Eric L. Hurwitz, D.C., M.S.; and Robert H. Brook, M.D., Sc.D. For information on how to obtain a reprint contact Research Division, attention Ann Schumacher, LACC, P.O. Box 1166; Whittier, CA 90609-1166.

A six-member delegation from Japan visited LACC on October 5th to learn about chiropractic and the management of whiplash injuries. The delegates were Takashi Asazuma, M.D.; Asahi Kawamura; Kunihiko Nakamura; Takehiko Takatori, M.D., Ph.D.; and Fumihiro Sasaki. They met with LACC President Dr. Reed Phillips and exchanged gifts, according to Japanese custom.

The Journal of Chiropractic Education cited a study by Hugh A. Gemmell, D.C., Ed.D. of the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic that states Life Chiropractic College West has the best faculty to student ratio (1:6) among all chiropractic colleges.

This figure compare to the average ratio of 1:20 at professional schools. A faculty-student ratio of 1:9 is considered the model for chiropractic education, according to the Journal of Chiropractic Education.

LCCW President Dr. Gerard Clum received the President's Citation of Distinguished Service from Donald Kern, president of Palmer College (Davenport). The award cited Dr. Clum for distinguished and meritorious service to the chiropractic profession. A 1973 graduate of Palmer, Dr. Clum has been president of Life West since 1981.

Charles "Skip" Lantz, D.C., Ph.D. was the guest speaker at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Lantz, who earned his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of North Carolina, spoke on "Contemporary Chiropractic: A View from a Bridge," covering the general state of chiropractic, CCE accreditation, the Mercy Conference, the RAND study, and the vertebral subluxation complex.

LCCW students Greg Siebert, Casey Tucker, Pete Tsiglerias, and Dan Mitschele were among over 100 delegates attending the World Congress of Chiropractic Students in Seneca Falls, New York September 21-26.

The student body of Life West selected faculty members and fellow students whose performance was deemed exceptional. Jim Hawkins, college ombudsman and basic science instructor, was voted administrator of the year; campus staff member of the year is laboratory instructor Doug Thorp; and the basic science instructor of the year is Sue Ray.

Grant Thomson, D.C., chair of the chiropractic philosophy department and technic instructor is the chiropractic sciences instructor of the year; Kathleen King, D.C., DACBR, chair of radiology, the clinical sciences instructor of the year; Cathy Clum is the clinic staff of the year; and Robert Goble, D.C. was voted clinic faculty of the year. Additionally, Tom Klassy, a senior intern, was recognized for his efforts in recruitment. Sonia Rodrigues, a junior, was honored for her leadership in the campus chapter of the World Congress of Women in Chiropractic, which has raised money for scholarships, clinic expenses for needy families, and has established a Big Brother/Big Sister program.

CCCLA News

Students and Administrators at Cleveland Chiropractic College of Los Angeles (CCCLA) actively campaigned to defeat Proposition 166, the Affordable Health Care Initiative, which lost by a margin of over 2 to 1 on November 3rd. CCCLA hosted an all-school assembly on October 7th, where Garrett Cuneo, executive director of the California Chiropractic Association (CCA), explained the strategy to defeat the measure.

The statewide proposal, sponsored by the California Medical Association (CMA), ignored chiropractic care and promoted the medical establishment's power in California's health care system. Prop 166 called for a statewide establishment of four governing commissions which would have authority over all of California's health care issues. Not one of the commissions, nor their 38 total appointments, included a chiropractic representative.

New faculty members at Cleveland College of Chiropractic L.A. are: Dr. Sharon A. Jaegar, DACBR, a new CCCLA assistant professor, is a graduate of the college and is the author of the popular textbook Atlas of Radiographic Positioning.

Dr. Thomas L. Carpenter, a new associate professor, is a graduate of LACC and worked there as a clinic supervisor from 1984-87. He is a clinician in the CCCLA clinic.

New instructor Mr. Nels S. Rinden, received his master's degree in biology from California State University L.A. He teaches in the anatomy lab and provides tutoring in a variety of basic science classes.

Approximately 300 students voted in the recent Student Body Association elections, or about 75 percent of the student body. Elected as officers were Gary Reid, president; Elizabeth Gadda, vice president; Robin Green, secretary; and Michael Blum, treasurer.

Christopher Sabatino, D.C., QME, a 30 year-old native of Flatbush, New York and 1989 CCCLA graduate, won the heavyweight division of the drug-free Venice Muscle Beach Bodybuilding Championships September 7, 1992. It was his first bodybuilding contest in nearly a decade.

Dr. Sabatino stated that drug testing at this competition was not enforced.

Dr. Sabatino also placed second on September 19th in the U.S. Natural Nationals, a competition sanctioned by the American Bodybuilding Coordinating Committee (ABCC). This event is a qualifier for the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF), the professional association sponsored by the Virginia Chiropractic Association. The ABCC and WNBF have a five year drug-free policy, and implement urine and polygraph testing.