News in Brief

TCC Community Opens Hearts, Helping Hands in Aftermath of Katrina

In the wake of the tremendous destruction which took place along the Gulf Coast, the faculty, staff and students of Texas Chiropractic College have opened their hearts, hands and pocketbooks to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Soon after the catastrophe, TCC volunteers began a drive to collect food, clothing, money and other necessities to disperse to its extended TCC family in need. Volunteers also have helped workers involved in the relief effort at the Houston Astrodome, Reliant Arena and Reliant Center. TCC interns and attending DCs have been treating many of the volunteers assisting victims of the disaster.

Relating how the ferocious storm has personally affected many at the college, Dr. Richard G. Brassard, TCC president, explained, "One of our department heads has 16 family members from Louisiana living in his Houston home. Several were sleeping on the floor until some of our staff donated beds. Another student has 11 family members from New Orleans living with her in a two-room apartment. There has been a tremendous outpouring of help and hope to them and to so many others connected to Texas Chiropractic College. It's been amazing, but I expected no less from the caring members of our TCC family."

Dr. Brassard also announced that as of Oct. 1, 2005, TCC has initiated a new program aimed at assisting chiropractors in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama whose offices have been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The campaign is called "Hand-to-Hand," and is unique in that the effort is not asking for monetary donations for the hurricane victims. Instead, Hand-to-Hand is geared directly at helping chiropractors rebuild their offices with donated office supplies, clinical forms, and used tables or equipment. TCC will act as the repository for the material, and will organize efforts in conjunction with various state associations to help those doctors in need receive the donated items.

Any doctor of chiropractic interested in donating practice-related equipment and/or furnishings to help DCs whose offices were damaged by Hurricane Katrina may do so through this program. Equipment will be stored on the TCC campus and distributed to licensed chiropractors on an as-needed basis. Doctors who need this assistance are directed to contact the TCC Alumni Relations office at (800) 822-2586.

Donations may be deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law and will be recognized by Texas Chiropractic College. Donated equipment or furnishings must be delivered to the TCC campus; pick-up of donations is not available. To participate in this program or for more information, contact Dr. Steve Haslund, associate vice president of administrative affairs, at (281) 487-1170.

Life University faculty, staff and students are partnering with the American Red Cross to help flood victims from the Katrina disaster. The Red Cross Joint Relief MegaCenter, located in the university's Sports Health Science Complex in Marietta, Ga., is providing emergency financial assistance to victims, so that they can purchase food, clothing and medicine.

Other agencies represented at the Life MegaCenter, offering services available to those most impacted by the storm, include the Department of Human Resources, Department of Community Affairs, Department of Driver Services, Department of Education, Department of Labor, Atlanta Council for the Aging, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Social Security Administration.

The center is open seven days a week and is being partially staffed by volunteers from the university. As of press time, over 70 Life faculty, staff members and students have donated over 500 hours of time thus far, supporting the relief efforts, giving their energy, health care expertise, and free chiropractic care at the Life clinics.

According to Dr. Guy F. Riekeman, Life University president, the university also has linked resources with other Atlanta-area colleges to help displaced students continue their undergraduate education with a minimum of disruption, including assistance with student loans, obtaining housing and generally cutting through the red tape to make a smoother transition possible. In addition to the chiropractic college, Life offers a variety of undergraduate programs through its College of Arts & Sciences.

Assisting current students, faculty, staff or alums to cope in the aftermath of the storm also is a priority. Dr. Riekeman said he and others are in the process of identifying and providing assistance to their own students and employees who have family members affected by this tragic storm.

For more information on the ongoing Life University relief effort, call (770) 426-2888, send an e-mail to katrinahelp@life.edu or visit www.life.edu.

Students in the Summer Quarter 2005 graduating class at Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward, Calif., collected donations and pooled resources from other students, faculty and staff at their campus shortly after the devastating storm swept across the Gulf Coast.

The future chiropractic doctors were pleased to present a check to Dr. Gerard Clum, president of Life West, who accepted the donation on behalf of the Red Cross. It was the choice of those involved in the Life West relief effort to give their collected donation to Foot Levelers, who established a matching-contribution fund for victims of Hurricane Katrina immediately following the devastating storm.

SANTA ANA, Calif. - Philip Stump, president of the National Chiropractic Council, has announced that all NCC members who are living in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina will be receiving refund checks equal to three months of malpractice insurance premiums to tide them over during this difficult time. In addition, NCC members will have the opportunity to retroactively cancel their coverage for this year if they so choose, and will be eligible to receive additional free leave periods if they are still not on their feet at the end of the three months.

"We wanted our members who have been victimized by the Katrina disaster to know that we are behind them and want to get money to them at a time when many of our Members desperately need it," explained Mr. Stump. "We will continue to work with our Members until they are able to reopen their chiropractic offices."

NCC members who would like to check on the status of their Katrina Aid Checks from NCC can call 1-800-622-6869. "We do not know the total amount of the Katrina Aid Checks, but we expect them to be substantial," said Stump.

At NCMIC, we've been hearing from doctors who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, and our hearts go out to them. In addition to making a donation to the American Red Cross, NCMIC is evaluating the individual circumstances of each doctor of chiropractic who contacts us. Whether they're insurance policyholders or financial services customers, we're working with them to understand their individual situations and make accommodations.

NCMIC also is monitoring developments within each state's insurance department closely, to find the best options available for our doctors. Specifically, for our Advantage insurance policyholders, we're extending the grace period for not canceling policies to 60 days in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, and we're offering affected doctors the option of taking a leave of absence. NCMIC also is offering policyholders the added benefit of being able to post temporary associate openings for doctors displaced by the hurricane on BuyersandHires.com, our free online classified service.

For NCMIC doctors affected by the hurricane who would like to work in another state on a temporary basis, NCMIC's coverage will follow them. Typically, doctors will need to become licensed in the state in which they practice. However, some states may be waiving this requirement - check with the state licensing board. As always, we encourage doctors to contact us so we can keep their policies in force and guide them toward taking the best approach for their individual situations.