The Advocate Update Report -- January 2003
by Dr. Matthew McCoy, Chair – WCA Chiropractic Advocacy Council

Know Your State Board

In a previous Advocacy UpdateI encouraged chiropractors to become very familiar with their state laws. I’m going to take that one step further and emphatically implore you to get to know your state board, who’s on it, when they meet, what they decide on and how it's going to impact you.

I bring this up as it's fresh on my mind having had the occasion to recently attend a state board meeting. The state had adopted some new rules after supposedly researching the issue for two years. When the notice went out to the chiropractors in the state that the rule had been adopted, righteous indignation set in among those chiropractors who were affected by -- but unaware of -- the new ruling. Because of this, the board set another time to hear their side of things.

It is significant to note that the board admitted at the follow-up hearing that none of the Board members who voted on the new ruling had any background on the issue they were ruling on and had sought input to help them make their decision. In response to a complaint that “this was done without our input” by one of the affected chiropractors, a board member remarked “we post the dates and times of our meetings on the website -- anybody can come. They’re public meetings.”

And that is the crux of the matter. Five, six, or eight people on a state board get together every couple months or so and make decisions that affect our practices, our profession, our patients and our lives -- and we don’t show up. It's time to start showing up. Get to know these people and get to know what’s going on in your state and the profession. You will be surprised at what you find out. We have a listing of state board addresses and contact info on the Advocacy Web Site.

As always, I look forward to your feedback, comments and suggestions.

Dr. Matthew McCoy, Chair – WCA Council on Chiropractic Advocacy