Something In Common With Honest Abe

With the recent decision by the Florida state Board of Governors to kill a proposed chiropractic school at Florida State University (FSU), the feeling among the chiropractic community must be one of frustration and dashed hopes. The chiropractic field has wanted for a long time to see a chiropractic school open at an American public university, and rightfully so. It was hoped that FSU would be the first, but that is not to be the case.

Nevertheless, the field of chiropractic care can take solace in the fact that for every proposal that is killed, another one will most likely arise on the horizon. Based on the acceptance of chiropractic care among health care professionals and providers, and the number of individuals who not only use but believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of chiropractic care, it is only a matter of time before we see a chiropractic school become part of an American public university. As is the case with many proposals, this one had problems at the beginning due to politics.

Board members have been highly critical of the proposal due to the fact that the idea for the school was driven by lawmakers instead of the faculty. Protocol is that faculty members explore the idea of any new programs and then recommend the program to a university’s board of trustees. Approval would be sought by the university from the Board of Governors, with funding provided by the legislature. In the case of the proposed chiropractic school at FSU, it was reported by the Associated Press (AP) that the Legislature put $9 million in the state budget for the school, and that the project was heavily endorsed by then Senate President Jim King. Without the support of the faculty, the project had an uphill battle from the start. FSU president T.K. Wetherell said he would have liked to have seen the school open, but does not plan to push for it now that the proposal has been nixed.

As reported by AP, Jack Hebert, a lobbyist for the Florida Chiropractic Association, commented, “It wasn’t about patients, or improving health care, or providing good health care for the citizens of the state. It became a process debate.”

The field of chiropractic medicine has always been in a fight for respect and recognition. The fact that the proposed chiropractic school at FSU went down to defeat should not be viewed as a loss. Just the fact that the school proposal got before the Board of Governors is a victory in and of itself. Sometimes it takes numerous defeats and uphill battles before a proposal of a significant nature sees the light of day. The idea of a chiropractic school at an American public university may not be a reality today, but I am confident that the day will come when not one but many chiropractic schools will grace campuses across the United States.

I recently came across an article in USA Today that reported that Abraham Lincoln is the newest hero among teenagers and young adults. In fact, T-shirts bearing the picture of the 16th president are one of the hottest-selling garments in 2005. Check out any biography on Abraham Lincoln, and you will find that not many politicians suffered as many defeats as Lincoln did before he got elected to public office and eventually became president of the United States. Maybe the field of chiropractic care should make Honest Abe an honorary member as a way to remind itself to never give up and keep fighting for what it knows is right. CP

Tony Ramos
tramos@medpubs.com