The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has announced plans to merge the profession's longstanding national legal action initiative, the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund (NCLAF), with its legislative advocacy initiative, the Chiropractic Health Advocacy Mobilization Project (CHAMP), into a single, unified entity capable of doing battle on both fronts simultaneously and in a complementary, coordinated fashion.
The new initiative, the National Chiropractic Legal-Legislative Action Fund (NCLAF), will seek support and participation from doctors of chiropractic (DCs) across the nation and from all walks of the profession.
The merger vastly expands and improves the chiropractic profession's advocacy abilities-both in the halls of Congress, where laws are made, and in America's courtrooms, where they are interpreted and enforced. The unified NCLAF will combine the strength and ongoing efforts of two successful and broadly supported entities.
"The former NCLAF and CHAMP have served the profession well as separate initiatives engaging in a variety of vital and successful efforts on behalf of the profession its patients," said ACA President Anthony Hamm, DC. "However, given the unprecedented challenges today, we must increase our efficiency to be successful in doing business and marshaling the support of the broad base of DCs serving on the front lines of health care."
Dr. Hamm stressed the importance of creating a single, national entity with a compelling purpose and a unifying advocacy agenda to appeal to the majority of practicing DCs in the nation. "We're not attempting to be a 'membership' organization, or to perform any of the important functions typically accomplished by professional trade associations and similar groups at the state or national level," noted Dr. Hamm. "However, the new NCLAF can serve as the profession's national 'war chest,' providing the resources to fight those who wish to see chiropractic contained and diminished."
Visit www.acatoday.org/NCLAF in upcoming weeks for additional details as the merger is completed.
Source: American Chiropractic Association
