A chiropractic family is mourning the untimely loss of one of its members - Michael Chance Parker, affectionately known as "Chance." The grandson of Parker College of Chiropractic Founder Dr. James Parker passed away in Burleson, Texas on July 31 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 38 years old.
Chance followed in the tradition of his grandfather and father in maintaining close ties to the chiropractic profession. Well-known by many in the profession, he was a staff member of Parker Seminars and ultimately ascended to the position of president of Parker Products.
Chance was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in 1997 and given six months to live. Driven to defeat the illness through natural means, he prevailed for another six years.
Chance's father, Dr. Karl Parker, past president of Parker College, expressed the pride he had in his son: "Chance really had a knack of making friends with everyone. His positive, uplifting attitude was never dampened by his condition and the pain he was suffering, even up to the very end. He was a model for many others in loving life, family and friends, regardless of your life's circumstances."
Preceded in death by his grandfather, who passed away in November of 1997, Chance is survived by over 25 members of the Parker family, seven of whom are chiropractors. Also surviving are his wife, Diane, and two sons, Jordan and Cole.
For chiropractors practicing today, Dr. Warren Hammer’s legacy is particularly visible in several areas that have become familiar components of modern musculoskeletal care: his early work with the Graston Technique and instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization; his extensive writing and teaching on functional soft-tissue examination and treatment; his role in bringing fascial manipulation to U.S. clinicians; and his decades spent educating chiropractors and other health professionals.
Financial pressure, enrollment declines and institutional challenges are emerging at several U.S. chiropractic colleges. Life Chiropractic College West's and Life University's struggles may be the most talked about but appear to be part of a larger story. And with recent USDE requirements threatening to hamstring federal student financing for DC degree programs, chiropractic education is facing questions for which it has no immediate answers.
The term standard of care is a legal term and a medical concept. There is no single, universally recognized standard of care document or authoritative reference. The medical concept defines what practitioners should do in practice. The legal term used determines whether a practitioner failed to meet that expectation. This article examines the standard of care for the doctor of chiropractic.
