ACA House of Delegates Approves 10-Year Vision Statement

The American Chiropractic Association's (ACA) House of Delegates (HOD) has approved a new statement outlining what the association hopes to achieve over the next 10 years on behalf of the chiropractic profession and its patients. With an eye toward the future, delegates, who met March 8-9 in Washington, D.C., also passed resolutions to advance education and leadership development in their ranks.

"As ACA members, we commit ourselves to the highest clinical and ethical standards, freedom of choice of health care provider and the pursuit of optimal health for the health care consumer," ACA's new 10-year vision statement begins. What follows are five specific outcomes the association hopes to achieve by the year 2023:

• Collaboration with other health care disciplines and integration into all health care delivery models that enhance individual health, public health, wellness and safety
• Change in public policy, legislative, and regulatory arenas, which result in a more effective U.S. health care system
• Improved health care access and freedom of choice of health care providers for the American people, without discriminatory obstacles
• Increased value of health care for patients, policy-makers, and the public through the high professional and educational standards of the chiropractic profession
• Healthier and more productive lives for the American people

Among the important policies approved by the HOD, most support ACA's efforts to enhance patient care by bolstering education of chiropractic physicians. They include:

"Integrated Practice Council," which establishes the American Chiropractic Association Council of Integrated Practices to improve patient health and patient care by advancing the quality and availability of chiropractic physicians and their services through full integration into mainstream, evidence-based health care systems.

"Delegate Apprentice Program," which authorizes the Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) to develop a program that would allow new practitioners to become Delegate Apprentices and learn leadership skills and ACA policy from HOD members.

"Both the chiropractic profession, and the American health care system are at important crossroads. Chiropractic physicians who continue to grow their skill sets and work with other health care providers can play an important role in improving the health of ailing Americans and an ailing health delivery system," said ACA President Keith Overland, DC. "The important work done by the HOD in Washington helped set the stage for progress toward those goals in the year ahead."

Source: American Chiropractic Association