ACA Adopts New Governance Model
Eliminating the Council of Delegates and district structure, redefining the role of the House of Delegates and shifting the responsibility for association direction from the House of Delegates to the Board of Governors – just some of the historic governance changes adopted by the American Chiropractic Association's HOD at its 53rd annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in March.
According to ACA President David Herd, DC, the new governance model "builds on the best of our traditions while streamlining our decision making. The new model is based on leadership competencies and increases opportunities for members to serve in decision-making positions.
"Our old model was one of ascendency [sic] through leadership chairs. 'Who you know' was often more important than 'what you know.' Our new model is based on member competencies and the needs of the association in meeting its objectives and realizing its strategic plan."
To learn more from Dr. Herd and review complete details of the new governance model, click here.
ACA 2017 Awards
Dr. Anthony Lisi received the Chiropractor of the Year Award and Dr. Scott Haldeman the Humanitarian of the Year Award at the ACA House of Delegates meeting, all part of the association's annual awards. Dr. Lisi is Veterans Health Administration director of chiropractic services and was instrumental in developing the VA's chiropractic residency program; while Dr. Haldeman, renowned for his involvement in chiropractic research and guidelines development, is the founder of World Spine Care, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to spine care worldwide, particularly in underserved areas.
Other award recipients honored at this year's meeting include Dr. Timothy Stark, director of the Human Performance Center at Northwestern Health Sciences University (Academician of the Year); Dr. Jan Hartvigsen, head of research, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark, and Senior Researcher at the Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics (Researcher of the Year); Dr. Michael Jacklitch of Wahpeton, N.D. (Delegate of the Year) and Dr. Thomas Augat of Brunswick, Maine (Alternate Delegate of the Year); and Dr. Kathy Boulet of Lewiston, Maine (Flynn-Lynch Award, recognizing outstanding delegate with less than five years of service on the Council of Delegates).
CCA Helps Calif. DCs "Share the Love"
In February, the California Chiropractic Association (CCA) spearheaded a weeklong "Share the Love" campaign to help promote chiropractic to the public. The association encouraged chiropractic practices statewide to hold open houses and educational lectures, utilize social media, and offer their communities various other opportunities to learn more about the benefits and safety of chiropractic care.
"There are currently more than 14,000 licensed chiropractors in California," said CCA President Dr. Leslie Hewitt. "By working together to 'share the love' of chiropractic, our goal is to inform the public about the ways chiropractic care increases well-being."
$1 Million to Help Advance the Profession
ChiroHealthUSA has announced that as of Feb. 15, 2017, the company's donations to the chiropractic profession, including the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA), Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP), and World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC), have surpassed the $1 million mark.
"From day one at ChiroHealthUSA, I wanted to give back to a profession that has meant so much to me and my family," said Dr. Ray Foxworth, ChiroHealthUSA president. "We all belong to chiropractic, and we all need to help, invest [in], and support the advancement of our profession."
D'Youville Raises the Bar on Anatomy Education
D'Youville College recently received an $80,000 grant from the James H. Cummings Foundation to purchase a virtual dissection table for the college's chiropractic department. According to D'Youville, the 3-D table "contains both a female and male full-body gross anatomy with the full external and internal anatomy volumetrically displayed from head to toe" and images "can be cut anywhere / any way, revealing the details of internal structures."
ErRatum
A misunderstanding while taking last month's front-page interview, "Chiropractic: A Great Fit for the White House," to press resulted in the omission of an important word. The article should have stated that Dr. Eric Kaplan is "President Donald Trump's longtime personal DC friend." We apologize for this omission, which has been corrected in both digital and online versions.
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?
