What makes one worthy of Dynamic Chiropractic's Person of the Year award? In the 25 years we have bestowed the award, recipients have included chiropractic college presidents, organizational leaders, researchers, philanthropists, vendors and even a senator. Consider such names as Dr. Michael Pedigo, David Chapman-Smith, Dr. Scott Haldeman, Dr. Gerry Clum, Dr. Lorraine Golden, Gene Veno, Kent Greenawalt, Dr. William Meeker, Dr. Reed Phillips, Charles DuBois and Senator Tom Harkin, to name a few. While the professional focus and accomplishments of these award-winners are diverse, to say the least, the tie that binds them and makes them equally deserving of our Person of the Year award is a singular quality: their unwavering commitment to the chiropractic profession, to defending it and making every effort to expand its standing in the health care marketplace and our lives. For that very reason, we are proud to announce that DC's 2010 Person of the Year is none other than Retired Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead, spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, who spent 2010 campaigning for chiropractic at every possible opportunity.
Brig. Gen. Halstead's commitment to chiropractic can best be explained in two words: experience and communication. By experience, we mean the positive experiences with chiropractic that have made Halstead a true supporter of the chiropractic profession; by communication, we mean her enthusiasm and ability to promote chiropractic nationwide through various mediums, including speaking engagements and print, television and radio interviews, not to mention print ads and public-service announcements.
Halstead spent the majority of the year promoting chiropractic in major cities nationwide, talking to doctors of chiropractic, the public and other stakeholders about just that: chiropractic. Here's a review of her journey:
Presentations / Appearances
Student American Chiropractic
TV Interviews
Radio Interviews
Newspaper Appearances
Experience and communication; in a nutshell, Halstead used her experiences throughout the year to communicate the good word about chiropractic. For example, in one of her more memorable and high-profile appearances, Brig. Gen. Halstead made two media stops on Memorial Day: a television interview on "Fox & Friends" in the morning and a radio interview that evening on "The Jim Bohannon Show."
In the first interview, Halstead said, "I've been very blessed with the chiropractic foundation to get care that has helped me work through some of my fibromyalgia ... chiropractic helps our soldiers maintain - sustain - their whole physical statures ... wearing heavy gear, it's a whole new war out there." In the second interview later that night, she candidly discussed her chronic fibromyalgia, a condition that ultimately caused her to retire from military service and, after medication and other options had failed, led her to chiropractic care. Among her other observations during that interview was the following:
"I happen to be a firm believer ... that we could exponentially improve our readiness if we sustained and maintained the human piece of equipment the way we [do] our vehicles and everything else. And a part of that, I really believe, would be chiropractic care that keeps you from breaking [rather than fixing things after they've been damaged]."
Making an Impact
What has this persistent media exposure done for chiropractic? As of Oct. 6, Rebecca Halstead's television public-service announcement alone had been broadcast 138 times in 29 different states, reaching a total combined audience of - get this - 146,422,681. Yes, that's more than 146 million viewers with an opportunity to learn more about chiropractic care.
And that's just the quantifiable side of things. When you consider the sheer number of appearances she has made over the past 12 months, and the variety of settings at which she has made those appearances - in person, in print, on the radio, on TV; to the profession, to the public and to health care stakeholders nationwide - one can only wonder how many people are now better informed about chiropractic care and are more willing to invest themselves in the profession as advocates, facilitators of expanded access, and chiropractic patients.
For all of the above reasons and more, we are proud to honor Ret. Brig. General Rebecca Halstead with the Dynamic Chiropractic Person of the Year award for 2010. Her clear commitment to the chiropractic cause makes her truly deserving of this honor.
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