November 2006

Parker provides chiropractic at international athletic event

Faculty, staff, students and alumni from Parker College of Chiropractic recently traveled to Cartagena, Colombia, where they provided chiropractic care during the 20th Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC).

Through a sponsorship agreement with the organizing committee, Parker College provided chiropractic care to athletes from 32 countries participating in the games. "Parker College was honored to participate as a sponsor in this historical event," said Fabrizio Mancini, DC, President of Parker College. "In addition to providing chiropractic care to world‑class athletes, millions of sporting enthusiasts saw first‑hand the positive impact and benefits chiropractic services can provide."

Ken Thomas, DC, Vice President for Academics at Parker College, explained that many of the athletes who participated at the games reside in countries that do not provide medical staff for their teams. "We treated some athletes who needed immediate attention for injuries sustained during the competition. Athletes from countries such as Belize and Guyana had no team doctors. They were very open to chiropractic care."

Other athletes, Dr. Thomas noted, knew that chiropractors treat competitors from the United States when they participate in Olympic‑type games. "The athletes at the games in Colombia are Olympic‑caliber, and they are looking for additional options that can give them advantages during competition. It didn't take long for the word to get out that we were onsite providing chiropractic care."

Dr. Mancini believes that Parker's participation in the Colombian games can help bring chiropractic care to countries either presently underserved or not served at all by the chiropractic profession. "As these athletes return home, our hope is they will spread the word about the benefits they received from chiropractic care."

"These games provide athletes the opportunity to compete on an Olympic level and a chance to gain valuable experience prior to Olympic competition," said Mancini. "It is our hope that some of the competitors in the games will become interested in pursuing a career in chiropractic after receiving excellent care in Central America."

Parker students traveling to Colombia included Amos Luke Taylor, Corinne Pederson, Gabriel Rojas, James "Ryan" Miller, Jeff Olaveson, Jennifer Meyer, Jennifer Nunnally, Justin Tobias, Michael Kearns, Michael McCracken, Trevor Ferguson and Vincent Scheffler. Drs. Paul and Marsha Heikkinen, both Parker alumni, traveled to Colombia and served as clinic doctors. In addition to Dr. Mancini and Dr. Thomas, other Parker faculty and staff members participating were Dr. Dan Kurth, Dr. Juan Sanchez and Victor Ballesteros.

The CAC games are the oldest continuing regional games; only the Olympic Games have a longer continuous history. The first games, originally called the Central American Games, were held in Mexico with athletes from Mexico, Cuba and Guatemala participating. The games were renamed the Central America and Caribbean Games in 1938 to reflect the expanded eligible nations.