May 2004

Double, double toil and trouble

by Dr. Jeffrey Shay

First, about Palmer.

Most of you recognize the title from Act 4, Scene 1 of "Macbeth," as uttered by the three witches. It is somehow appropriate when discussing the recent events at the Chiropractic Fountainhead.

Recently I promised the WCA staff that I was going to get an interview with the new president, Dr. Donald Kern, hoping to get an inside story on the happenings at the college. Several times over the past two weeks I called the Palmer offices (as directed by the security guard who answers the college phone) in an attempt to get an appointment with Dr Kern. The conversations went something like this:

"This is Jeff Shay, with The Chiropractic Journal. I'd like to have an interview with Dr. Kern."

Palmer staff: "He's not available at present. He's going to the Florida campus next week."

ME: "Well, who's running the school this week?"

Now this was not intended to be one of those "Who's buried in Grant's tomb?" kind of questions. I just wanted to get an interview. Instead, I was told that I had to make an appointment through Ray Hanser & Associates in Des Moines, who handled his publicity.

So every few days I called Ray Hanser & Associates, getting to talk to Ray Hanser himself, with conversations going thusly:

"I'd like to make an appointment to talk with Dr. Kern, of Palmer College. I'm Dr. Shay, with The Chiropractic Journal."

Publicity agent: "Dr. Kern is not in right now. He's going to the Florida campus next week."

Do you see a pattern here? After telling him that I wanted to speak with him this week, not next, I was asked when my deadline was approaching. Then I was promised a call back. Except there never was a call back. Every few days I would call, he would pretend to try to get back to me, and I would pretend to believe him. I also would pretend I wouldn't trash the college in my next column for doing this to me.

This reminds me of a story about working conditions in the old Soviet Union. A worker was once asked how Communism worked. In his reply he said, "It works very well. We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us."

I was also told by the Palmer staff employee that they were familiar with my column, which may have had something to do with why the security guard answered the phone. I should mention that, thanks to one of my particularly interesting columns, I was removed from the Palmer Alumni mailing list six years ago. When questioned about this, the Alumni Office informed me that I was not removed from the list, I just wasn't on it anymore. Apparently the alumni list has been filed right next to the Bush Alabama National Guard records.

I won't get into the particulars of the Palmer mess, other than to make an observation about the way these things are handled in our profession.

Similar things happened at Palmer several years ago. One of the administrators of the college was dismissed after a series of damaging articles that appeared in the Quad City Times. The allegations included a strange set of dealings with insurance companies, questionable junkets to Hawaii, and something about a chrome toilet tissue holder. Note that the same administrator who was given the gate just reappeared on the sidewalk in front of the Palmer statues, a little like the Phoenix.

I tried to get an interview with the Palmer president at that time. After waiting outside his office for an hour after my appointment time, I was told was he was too busy to see me. The French are right. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

The problem here is that this is becoming a habit in the chiropractic profession. It was only last year that this happened at National University of Health Sciences. Only there it was not the result of a straight-mixer controversy. In Lombard it's more like a mixer-mixer controversy.

In that episode, Dr. Winterstein decided to retire and turn the helm over to Dr. Wickes, who had already been doing some work behind the scenes. Then, Dr. Wickes would be in charge of mixing and Dr. Winterstein would join a health club or something (I forget what he said he was going to do). The big changeover was to have occurred at National Homecoming last year. Except that it didn't.

About a month before the big day, a bulletin was released informing the profession that Dr. Wickes was not going to be the college president, he was not going to handle any of the administrative duties, heck, he wasn't even going to be on the campus any longer. This, of course, makes Dr. Winterstein the first college president ever to succeed himself at the same ceremony.

Of course, there were rumors floating around the campus. Dr. Wickes asked for too much money, he wanted to change the curriculum, he may have even been a space alien. I still don't know. I know he existed, because I still have a picture of him in a national publication, standing right next to Dr. Winterstein. It puts me in mind of those May Day photographs the Soviets used to do. Every time they had a purge, they had to air brush the picture of the guy standing next to Stalin and put in a tree instead. It wouldn't surprise me if their next Outreach had a picture of an oak tree. Dr. Wickes, of course, has become an unperson, unless he's being featured on the side of a milk carton.

There is a point to be made here. Palmer or National or any of the other colleges have the right to change the curriculum, change professors, or even change leadership positions. It's their prerogative. They can even grow magic mushrooms in that PT lab downstairs for all I care. What is important is the truth.

Some doctors feel that college administrators wanted to change the school's direction and philosophy, but intended to keep Dr. Riekeman as a front for fund raising purposes. I don't know if that's what really happened, but it's a possibility. The profession, however, has the right to know exactly what's going on. So do the students. They're all paying big bucks to go to chiropractic colleges, and chose that particular school because they believed in its philosophy, whether it be Palmer or National.

It was summed up by a student carrying a sign outside Palmer, "We're Not in 3rd Grade Anymore."

Etc.

On another note, Wal-Mart has reappeared in the news. Although I have written a lot about the Wal Mart business lately, this was too good to pass up.

A man named Jose Martinez fell 22 feet in a work accident while working for a contractor building a new Wal Mart in Davenport, Iowa (yes, near Palmer) last November. His injuries were severe enough to require him to be airlifted to University Hospitals in Iowa City. Several days later, he disappeared from his room in the middle of the night. Some of his so called friends had been stopped several times previously in attempts to sneak him out of the hospital.

As they say in the NFL, upon further review, it appears that the contractor had not filed a registration to do business in the state of Iowa, they appear not to have filed a required job site injury report, and as of the time of the article in the Quad City Times, they appear not to have workers' compensation insurance. There are rumors that the workers may have been illegals and were paid in cash (also illegal). Wal Mart, of course, denies any knowledge of this matter.

Recent government investigations have found undocumented aliens working for several Wal Mart contractors, with wages paid at unbelievably low levels. If anyone really wondered whether Wal Mart ever really examined the proposals for chiropractic coverage in their group insurance, this matter says more than one cares to know. Mr. Martinez may also turn up on a milk carton.

A doctor in Pennsylvania recently wrote me a letter wondering about the picture that accompanies my column. From the descriptions I gave of the abysmal town dances in Muscatine, he correctly assumed my approximate age, i.e., I went to school after they gave up McGuffy readers, but before we were allowed to smile in the hallways. However, he guessed that I might be using an old college picture, and felt it should be updated.

Actually, WCA changes the picture every year or so. At least I send them a picture of the person that I claim is me. In reality, no one in the home office has actually met me in person. I was trying to call the doctor back, but lost his letter, an all too common occurrence at this office.

Anyway, the picture appearing with this column was taken only a few weeks ago. I just don't look my age (there have been some letters insisting that I don't act it either). I do try to answer all my mail, but things happen. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to call or write. I read everything sent to me (even with Des Moines postmarks), and try to answer promptly.

(Dr. Jeffrey Shay, a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and the WCA's 1996 "Chiropractor of the Year," is the World Chiropractic Alliance Director of Insurance Relations. He welcomes comments or questions regarding any insurance‑related subject appearing in this column. Dr. Shay is available to speak to your state or local organization. Contact him at 1300 Cedar St., Muscatine, IA 52761, or the WCA offices, FAX 480-732‑9313.)