On Oct. 29, 2011, a rare early winter snowstorm struck the East Coast of the U.S., blanketing the nation's capital in white. In Washington, D.C., it was the heaviest October snowstorm in history. Leaves that had already turned orange and brown, but not yet fallen, added to the weight of the wet snow, cracking branches with accompanying sounds that reminded some of the cavitation sounds heard during a chiropractic adjustment. And that was how opening day of the 139th American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Exposition began, with 13,497 attendees arriving for the largest annual public health gathering in the world.
Many of the major leaders in government and health customarily attend the annual APHA Meeting, and 2011 was no exception. Among those present were the health commissioners of several states; the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); representatives of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services; officials from the WHO, PAHO, HRSA, OSHA and NIOSH; U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin and several former surgeons general; members of various private institutes and voluntary agencies; several current and former elected state politicians and members of Congress; several college and university presidents, deans, program directors, and department heads; various international, federal, state and local health officials; and numerous other educators, authors, researchers and dignitaries. Approximately 40 leaders in chiropractic public health attended the event, including three chiropractic college presidents: Drs. Joe Brimhall (Western States), William Meeker (Palmer West) and Mark Ziegler (Northwestern).
The 2011 APHA program featured a comprehensive collection of oral presentations, round-table workshops, poster sessions, films, learning institutes, panel discussions, network opportunities, a career mart, and information and giveaways in the expo hall - all designed to enhance knowledge and exchange information about public health science, practice and policy.
Keynote speakers at the Opening General Session were former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle; Pamela Hyde, JD, administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration; and Jonathan Jarvis, director of the U.S. National Park Service. This year, the APHA meeting theme was "Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds and Bodies," described as the perfect platform for an in-depth look at efforts to improve the health of the communities in which we live, work and play. Diverse topics were covered among the 4,000-plus papers presented in the more than 1,000 scientific sessions.
Scientific and Technical Paper Program
The chiropractic profession was represented on the APHA program for the 27th consecutive year, with the Chiropractic Health Care (CHC) section sponsoring five program sessions under the direction of CHC Program Chair, Dr. Michael Schneider. Sessions included:
These five sessions, featuring 25 different papers by chiropractic experts, were well-attended and widely acclaimed, drawing a multidisciplinary audience.
New Officers Announced
Outgoing CHC Section Chair, Dr. Paul Dougherty, thanked those who had served as officers in 2011 and announced the new CHC officers for 2012:
Executive Committee
Section Council:
Governing Council:
Committee Chairs:
Award Recipients
CHC section Awards Committee Chair, Dr. Bart Green, also announced several important section award recipients for 2011. Dr. John Pammer Jr. received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while the Distinguished Service Award for 2011 went to Dr. Michael Haneline. Dr. Jason Bartlett received the Rising Star Award for 2011, and Dr. Mark Ziegler was honored with a Special Award for Advancing Public Health & Chiropractic.
2012 Annual Meeting
The 2012 Annual Meeting will be held in San Francisco Oct. 27-31, 2012, with a theme of, "Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds and Bodies." This is certainly a theme compatible with chiropractic core values. The 2012 Call for Abstracts will be announced by Drs. Michael Schneider and Claire Johnson to various chiropractic media, organizations, researchers and other sources soon.
The APHA is the oldest, largest, most influential, and most diverse public health association in the world. The APHA now expresses its membership as "over 25,000 active members" and approximately 40,000 including affiliate members representing over 70 occupations involved in various aspects of public health. The Chiropractic Health Care section has been established as a full partner in APHA since 1995.
We invite you to join the chiropractic public health community. If you are already a member of the APHA Chiropractic Health Care section, you know how important the relationship is between public health and chiropractic. If you are not currently a member, consider joining and becoming active in this exciting organization. For further information on participating in the public health effort by joining APHA, go to www.apha.org/about/membership.
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?
