Life University Welcomes a New President and Trustees
A new president has been inaugurated as the fourth president of Life University and five new members have been appointed to become a part of the university’s board of trustees.
Guy F. Riekeman , DC More than 1,000 students, alumni, and community respresentives gathered to celebrate the inauguration of Guy F. Riekeman, DC, who accepted his warm welcomes from dignitaries, alumni, and educators and outlined his vision for the future of Life University by emphasizing the purpose, motto, and the importance of maintaining the founding mission of the school. He also quoted Sean Penn and said those who are committed to the success of chiropractic and Life University must possess a “revolutionary sense of the truth about the purpose and nature of chiropractic and health care.” In his speech, Reikeman outlined his goal of raising $75 million in private funds, to allow chiropractic to break free from constraints associated with federal funding, and mandates that limit research. He also commented on his challenge to accomplish a balanced budget to meet accreditation requirements by raising more than $3 million. The inauguration was preceded by a procession of Life faculty and college delegates from across the country, including a welcoming address by Life Provost, Brian McAulay, DC, who wished him success. Life University Board of Trustees Chairman Charles Ribley, DC, appointed five new members to the board. “These trustees bring a wealth of professional experience that will be valuable as we move forward with returning Life to a prominent position in higher education,” says Ribley. The newest members are William O’Brien, PhD, author, and consultant with 20 years experience in the dissemination and utilization of innovative knowledge for practical and effective use in applied settings; William Harris, DC, educator, lecturer, and philanthropist, who has dedicated his life to the betterment of the chiropractic profession; Don Betz, PhD, currently the vice president of academic affairs at the University of Central Oklahoma; Linda Rassel, DC, a chiropractor who serves on several boards including the diplomate national board of chiropractic, South Dakota basic science certificate, and Colorado basic science certificate; and Joseph Lupo, DC, a former construction contractor for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who became a chiropractor. |
Department of Veterans Affairs Begins Chiropractic Care
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony J. Principi, has announced that beginning this fall, veterans can receive chiropractic care at 26 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities.
“VA makes another significant improvement to the world-class health care we provide for eligible veterans,” says Principi. “Veterans who will benefit from chiropractic care to restore them to good health.”
In addition to providing the care, hired chiropractors will offer patient evaluations and chiropractic care for neuromusculoskeletal conditions.
Locations where chiropractic care will be available for veterans, include Togus, ME; West Haven and Newington, Conn; Buffalo and the Bronx, NY; Butler, Pa; Martinsburg, WVa; Columbia, SC; Augusta, Ga; Tampa and Miami, Fla; Mountain Home, Tenn; Columbus, Ohio; Danville, Ill; Iron Mountain, Mich; Kansas City, Kan; Jackson, Miss; San Antonio, Temple, and Dallas, Tex; Albuquerque, NM; Fort Harrison, Mont; Seattle, Wash; Sacramento and Los Angeles, Calif; and Sioux Falls, SD.
Eligible veterans in distant areas will also be able to receive care through VA’s outpatient fee-basis program through a referral by their primary care providers and by prior authorization by the department.
Chiropractors interested in providing contract services to veterans should call the human resources office of any VA facility or visit www.vacareers.com.
Palmer Florida Earns Accreditation
The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) has extended accreditation to Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida, in Port Orange.
“This accreditation is due to the hard work, and dedication of many people at Palmer Colleges, and particularly at Palmer Florida,” says Donald P. Kern, DC, interim president. It is also a testament to our students, who enrolled at Palmer Florida believing that we would attain CCE accreditation before they graduated. This faith in the Palmer educational system speaks volumes about the excellence and stability of the Palmer Colleges.”
CCE, the agency recognized by the US Secretary of Education for accreditation of programs and institutions offering the doctor of chiropractic degree, seeks to ensure the quality of chiropractic education by gauging how well chiropractic colleges and programs perform in terms of its standards.
According to Douglas E. Hoyle, PhD, leader of the accreditation process for Palmer Colleges, attaining the CCE accreditation has involved significant work and the dedicated doctors and employees have worked tirelessly to prepare documents and host site visits over the past few years.
“Their efforts have culminated in today’s announcement, and they are to be congratulated for their hard work, and achievement,” says Hoyle.
CCA Denounces Medi-Cal Cuts
The CCA has vowed to fight the enactment of a plan to deny chiropractic benefits for Medi-Cal recipients.
“Taking chiropractic care out of the Medi-Cal system is sadly shortsighted and totally unwarranted,” says Dennis Buckley, DC, CCA president. “It will lead to higher costs to taxpayers when patients do not get the care they need, and instead seek other forms of treatment that are more expensive and less effective.
The Department of Health Services plans to restructure the Medi-Cal program by placing limits on health care and increase costs for Medi-Cal recipients by eliminating chiropractic care in order to save millions in the state’s imbalanced budget.
A 2004 informal survey of chiropractic patients in California’s workers’ compensation system found that one third of respondents were able to avoid surgery because of chiropractic care, saving them more than $80,000, including drugs and rehabilitation. A 2001 study by Muse Associates found that chiropractic care significantly reduced beneficiary costs, compared to treatments by other providers. Those who received chiropractic care also averaged fewer Medicare claims and had lower Medicare payments for all services compared to those who did not.
The CCA, calling the move “an accounting gimmick that appears penny-wise but is pound foolish,” pledged to make sure that decision-makers are aware that denying chiropractic care will lead to worse patient outcomes and will not save money.
“We realize that in difficult budgetary times some cuts must be made, but eliminating chiropractic care from Medi-Cal will not save a dime,” says Buckley. “There is absolutely no rationale for denying Medi-Cal patients access to a legitimate and cost-effective health care option, such as chiropractic care, simply because of their form of payment.”
| Causal Link Found for Upper Cervical Injury The International Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (IUCCA) has found a causal link between upper cervical injury and disease onset for multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) according to a recent article in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. “According to medical research, head and neck injuries have long been considered a contributing factor for the onset of both multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, but this is the first research to show that correction of those injuries can have a dramatic effect on improving and reversing MS and PD,” says Erin L. Elster, DC. “It is the IUCCA protocol that enabled such accurate diagnoses and correction of these patients' neck injuries so I am hopeful that this research will get the attention of the government, private foundations, and individuals who can earmark money to further research the effects of IUCCA care on these disorders.” According to the IUCCA, two diagnostic tests, paraspinal digital infrared imaging and laser-aligned radiography were performed on 81 patients. Each patient was examined and cared for in a private practice in an uncontrolled environment over a 5-year period. Of the 81 MS and PD patients, 78 recalled that they had experienced at least one head or neck trauma prior to the onset of the disease, 39 reported that they were involved in auto accidents, 29 said they were involved in sporting accidents, and 16 stated they fell on icy sidewalks or down stairs. The duration between the traumatic event and disease onset varied from 2 months to 30 years. These tests identify trauma-induced upper cervical subluxations (misalignment of the upper cervical spine from the neural canal) and resulting neuropathophysiology in all 81 cases. After administering treatment to correct their upper cervical injuries, 91% of MS cases and 92% of PD cases showed improvement. Although the use of IUCCA protocol may arrest and reverse the progression of both MS and PD, further study with a larger sample, in a controlled environment is necessary. |
Chiropractor Graduates From Military Program
Joanna Hudec, DC, has made history by being the first chiropractor to graduate from a military hospital residency program.
Joanna Hudec, DC, receives residency diploma from the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md.
The National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, Md, known as the “President’s hospital” because it is the site at which US presidents and other dignitaries receive care, is the National Capital Region Resource for homeland defense, and is considered the “flagship of naval medicine.”
“For chiropractic care to be integrated into a program within the most hallowed halls of medicine is an unparalleled step for this profession,” says Donald J. Krippendorf, DC, ACA president. “The ACA sincerely thanks Dr Hudec for the shining example she has set for chiropractic.”
Recognizing the need for doctors in an integrative hospital environment, director of research at Texas Chiropractic College, James Giordano, PhD, and William Morgan, DC, envisioned and implemented the fellowship program, whose goal is to provide a qualified pool of chiropractors to serve the needs of civilian, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), and Department of Defense (DoD) hospital-based chiropractic clinics.
During her fellowship program, Hudec established a chiropractic clinic for the medical students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Services (USUHS), which is believed to be the only clinic ever established within a medical school.
“The founding of the fellowship program is just the beginning of the advancement of chiropractic into the military,” says Hudec.
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