Michael Simone DC, the former Chairman of the Board of the American Chiropractic Association and outspoken subluxation denier was recently appointed to the Colorado Board of Chiropractic by Governor Hickenlooper. According to records received through the Freedom of Information law Simone was chosen to fill the vacancy left by Chadwick Hawk DC.
Framing chiropractors who oppose scope expansion as "clinging to the chiropractic bible" Simone has been a long time subluxation denier and drug rights pusher who has attacked chiropractors who choose to focus on the analysis and correction of subluxation. Simone has a long history of pushing scope expansion having served as Chairman of the ACA Board, the ACA board of Governors, Colorado Delegate to the ACA and former Finance Chair of the ACA.
Making matters even worse for subluxation based chiropractors in Colorado, Simone is the President of the West Hartford Group.
The West Hartford Group (WHG) is a self described “think tank” whose agenda is to gain cultural authority for the profession as non-surgical primary care spine specialists with drug privileges. In order to do that, they have laid out extreme measures requiring the removal of instructors and others within the segment of the profession that put forth a vitalistic perspective and focus on vertebral subluxation.
An essential part of their plan to shift the profession is clearly laid out in their objectives to: “place WHG members within leadership of the machinery of the profession to promote WHG’s mission.”
He is also listed as the President of the Colorado Spine Physicians Association which, according to records, is related to the Colorado Chiropractic Society and Chiropractic Orthopedic and Spine Association.
Simone is also a Trustee of the Northern Colorado Medical Center and a Board Member of the Northern Colorado Medical Center.
According to Board records, Simone was contacted on Tuesday April 11, 2017 by Zen Mayhugh the Interim Program Director of the Colorado Board stating Simone's name was "suggested as a potential board member" to which Simone responded: "That was a nice gesture. I will fill out the application."
While the application was filled out Simone was not added to the Board at that time.
Then in September 2017, Mayhugh contacted Simone via e-mail again stating he ". . . was working to fill a seat on the board" and that Simone had been recommended by current Board member Randy Knoche DC. According to the email exchange Mayhugh requested to speak to Simone by phone.
For unknown reasons, records of the phone conversation(s) were not provided through the Freedom of Information request.
Knoche is also a member of the American Chiropractic Association and serves on the board alongside Donald S. Corenman, DC, MD who is an Orthopedic Surgeon and a DABCO, though there is nothing on his website suggesting Corenman even practices chiropractic.
April 2017 wasn't the only previous time Simone had tried to get appointed to the Board.
In March 2015 Simone applied, stating on his application:
"I could help the Governor protect the public's safety concerning the chiropractic profession."
Then in March 2016 he applied again.
This time he was recommended by James Lehman DC who is an Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences/Health Sciences, in the College of Chiropractic at the University of Bridgeport. Lehman is also an outspoken subluxation denier who has been pushing scope expansion and drug prescription rights for chiropractors for some time. Lehman also has his sights set on Colorado's scope expansion efforts.
READ MORE ABOUT SIMONE
Past ACA Chairman Michael Simone Says Chiropractors Prescribe Drugs as Part of Conservative Care
ACA Leader Simone Says We Need New Kind of Drug Prescriber
Vitalism Has Been Discredited for Decades According to ACA Leader Simone
ACA Repeats Inflated Membership Numbers at CCE Stakeholder Meeting
ACA Embraces Drugs - Establishes College of Pharmacology
ACC and ACA Reaffirm Alliance With CCE
ACA infiltrated by Anti-Subluxation Special Interest Group
