ACA President Speaks at Life University
States Much Agreement Between ACA and ICA
In a possibly historic event, ACA president Dr. Keith Overland addressed the students of Life University this week. Dr. Overland shared some of his personal background as well as the vision of the American Chiropractic Association. Attendees were initially greeted outside of the building by student protesters carrying the "I Love Chiropractic" message. Dr. Overland, made aware of this movement through Facebook, bantered with students on his shared love for the chiropractic profession.
According to the guest speaker, 95-99% of the profession currently agrees on key issues. He shared his experiences of discrimination by medical colleagues while working with athletes, and he discussed the current discriminatory language of the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Dr. Overland also shared the 2022 ACA Vision, which includes goals for high standards of collaborative and integrative care, freedom of choice for patients, excellence in education, and improvement in the US healthcare system. He stated that much agreement exists between the ACA and ICA as an outcome of the Summit meetings. The Summit Group participants all embrace the concept of the chiropractor as a Primary Care Physician and are focused on third party pay.
Overland and the ACA believe that it is tantamount for Doctors of Chiropractic to fulfill the access to care issues presented by Obamacare due to a current shortage of MDs. As the scope of practice and chiropractic educational curriculum allow DC's to practice as broadly as we are educated, we will create better health for the nation, according to Overland.
The lecture closed with a few questions posed by Life University's student government. When asked about the Council on Chiropractic Education, Overland stated that the ACA fully supports CCE and that the CCE is a vital organization for the existence of chiropractic.
Further confusing Life students who may have thought differently on the topic of drugs in chiropractic, Overland answered that the ACA's master plan refers to chiropractic as a drug-free profession.
Although Overland claims that the ACA holds a drug-free stance, the organization filed an Amicus Curiae Brief in the Court of Appeals of the State of New Mexico in September 2012, inserting itself on the side of drug prescriptive rights for chiropractors in that state.
Further, the ACA passed a Resolution in 1974 as follows:
"Resolved, that all tracts and brochures published by the ACA cease bearing statements that chiropractic is a DRUGLESS profession. (Ratified by the House of Delegates, July 1974)."
Possibly most telling, Overland closed his lecture with a quote by Wayne Gretzky - "Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been."
