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Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland), left, with Dr. Lewis Squires.
Squires visits Washington, advocating for non-drug approach to pain management; veterans benefits.
Dr. Lewis Squires, owner of Squires Family Chiropractic of Scottville, was among 800 chiropractic physicians, students and supporters who traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to hear speeches from political leaders, participate in advocacy training and visit with members of Congress to urge support for pro-chiropractic legislation that would benefit Medicare beneficiaries as well as expand access to chiropractic services for military retirees and members of the National Guard and Reserve.
The chiropractors also urged members of Congress to increase coverage of non-drug approaches to pain management to help combat the opioid crisis. The Advocacy Day event was part of the American Chiropractic Association’s annual meeting, the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC).
“Today is our day. Our day to deliver our message and to represent our patients,” said ACA President N. Ray Tuck, Jr., in his opening remarks.
Attendees then heard from U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), chief sponsor of the Senate bill (S. 30) to extend chiropractic access to military retirees, the National Guard and reservists, and U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), who sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Earlier today, U.S. Rep. Van Taylor (R-Texas), who as a member of the Texas Legislature advocated successfully on behalf of the chiropractic profession in Texas to retain chiropractors’ ability to diagnose, addressed ACA’s top political leaders.
“Chiropractic is critically important to the healthcare system,” said Sen. Baldwin, who stressed the need for greater access to nonpharmacologic approaches to pain management. “I’ve heard from veterans who are in desperate need of chiropractic care.”
“We know how important it is for patients to have access to minimally invasive chiropractic care,” said Rep. Smith. “Affordable access for patients is an important topic for us.”
NCLC is the premier national conference for doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic assistants and chiropractic students.Beginning in 2020, NCLC will be called ACA Engage. NCLC has long been known for bringing together industry leaders from all over the country to meet with members of Congress on Capitol Hill, and engaging legislators will always be a priority. Over the years, the program has expanded to also include a wide variety of education offerings (with CE credit available), speeches from respected thought leaders and panel discussions that delve into important topics. The new name reflects the association’s efforts to position the chiropractic profession for success by engaging a new generation of doctors with these exciting education, career and leadership-development opportunities.
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