On Jan. 24 1978, the New Zealand governor-general referred to a Commission of Inquiry an investigation to determine the desirability of providing for reimbursement of chiropractic benefits under the New Zealand Social Security Act and the New Zealand Accident Compensation Act. The commision's findings would impact chiropractic worldwide for decades to come.
An Opportunity & a Responsibility
Nearly 80 Americans die from an opioid-related overdose every day,1 and spine-related pain is one of the principle drivers of opioid use. This unfortunate situation creates both an opportunity and a responsibility.
For more than 120 years, the chiropractic profession has been the lone voice warning of the dangers of drugs and surgery. The opioid epidemic is causing many in the U.S. to wake up to what we have been saying all along.2
Consumers across the country are beginning to realize there are viable alternatives to pain medication. Chiropractic is clearly a preferable alternative, particularly as it relates to musculoskeletal pain.
In an effort to touch the lives of every U.S. consumer with the message that chiropractic is a safer strategy than opioids, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) has developed a campaign called "Save Lives. Stop Opioid Abuse. Choose Chiropractic." As of press time, the Chiropractic Summit and the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) have both enthusiastically supported the campaign, the focal point of which is an "Opioid Toolkit." The toolkit (current version 1.0), available for download at no cost to you, includes the following:3
- Position paper ("Chiropractic a Safer Strategy Than Opioids")
- Print advertisement
- Infographic
- Poster
- Brochure
- Advertorial
- Radio public-service announcement
- TV public-service announcement
You can use these resources in your community to raise awareness of the opioid crisis and how chiropractic is an important part of the solution.
These resources are actually only the beginning of the campaign the foundation would like to wage for the profession. But reaching the public in meaningful ways through the major media requires a much larger budget.
This is where you come in. The F4CP is looking for 5,000 doctors of chiropractic to make a one-time contribution of $200 to support a much broader campaign that will span media and advertising, marketing, public relations, digital promotions and more.
A multitude of health care professions, including physical therapists and doctors of osteopathy, are implementing multimillion-dollar campaigns to position their professions as the primary resources for nonpharmacological pain management – in spite of the fact that in some cases, they are part of the problem.
It would truly be a sad day if we let another profession take our place as the nondrug advocates in the eyes of the American public.
I know it's asking a lot, but please take a look at your expenses for this month and see if you can afford to give $200 to the foundation for this effort. You can do it in two $100 donations over two months or even four $50 donations over four months.
It is money well-spent. Your donation supports a campaign that will advance chiropractic in the eyes of consumers and save thousands of lives in the process. This will ultimately impact your community and your practice.
For more information about the campaign and/or to donate, please visit www.f4cp.com/pledge/tosavelives.
Publisher's note: The foundation's campaign for chiropractic also includes "Accelerator Emails," sent to you every few weeks with infographics you can easily post to your Facebook account. Please be sure to click on the "Post to Facebook" link when you get them.
References
- Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2016. http://wonder.cdc.gov.
- Opioids: The Prescription Drug & Heroin Overdose Epidemic. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. www.hhs.gov/opioids/index.html
- F4CP Opioids Toolkit 1.0: Safer Alternative to Chronic Pain. Foundation for Chiropractic Progress: www.f4cp.com/resources/tool-kit/f4cp_opioids_toolkit.pdf.
Read more findings on my blog: http://blog.toyourhealth.com/wrblog/. You can also visit me on Facebook.