Campaigning for chiropractic
By Gene Veno

What is the goal of the Foundation?

Veno: We want an active role in determining where the chiropractic profession will be positioned over the next 10 years. We have seen study after study supporting the profession’s quality of care and cost effectiveness of delivering that care, yet we have not penetrated the general public’s mindset to think about visiting a doctor of chiropractic.

Our goal is to offer a path that will change the public’s view of chiropractic so that, regardless of the changes coming down the pike in the healthcare system, the chiro-practic profession will be a major part of it, in one way or another.

How will the Foundation accomplish this?

It will not occur through the doors of the legislature or through the insurance lobby. Rather, it will take place in living rooms across the nation when we inform and educate the public about how chiropractic care is vitally important to their wellness and as an alternative to traditional healthcare services. And the timing for all of this is perfect.

Why do you say that?

A wellness revolution is taking place today. Consumers are saying no to prescription drugs as their only healthcare option. Wellness is about preventative maintenance of your health and taking action to prolong your life and increase your quality of life. The doctor of chiropractic is the champion of wellness. He or she is all about wellness, long before this wellness revolution was gaining momentum. It’s not as if chiropractors have to change their message; it was already about wellness.

How do you plan to get the message out?

We can’t snap our fingers and have a $20 million annual ad budget. So, we are limited to what we can do today to influence the consumer. Initially, our efforts focused on educating chiropractic suppliers and doctors of chiropractic to support the Foundation, which will eventually allow us to have the funds to educate the consumers.

So right now, we are asking sup-pliers to donate what they can, and for the doctors to pledge $100 a month if they can afford it. This is an investment into the profession’s future.

Is there anything the Foundation can do to start educating the consumers before the flow of support is strong?

Yes. We don’t have a huge budget, so we have to be crafty in our campaign. So what can we do? We can go after positive press and work with as many newspapers and magazines as we can to submit positive stories regarding chiropractic. There are endless press opportunities. All we have to do is write the pieces and submit them. Every article published will help.

What are some of the hurdles?

Hurdles? No hurdles... we are talking mountains to climb! The profession has been growing for 110 years; we now need to establish a public image for the doctor of chiropractic. The many years of historical differences can have no part in the positive message we are advancing to the public.

Our business is to develop and place positive advertisement before the public. When the public visits a doctor of chiropractic it becomes the doctor’s responsibility to treat their patients to the best of his or her ability! If we can allow the process to take root, we will once and for all establish a new public image for the doctor of chiropractic.

Where do you see it in two years? In five?

In two years or less we will have public advertisements on a national level in major health magazines and journals. If we had support of the profession today with $100 per month from just one third of the profession, we could have a well-funded and effective national media campaign.

The timeline is not set by the F4CP; it is set by the involvement of the profession. The sooner the profession realizes we are here for them the quicker the advertisements can be placed. It is simple as that!

By the fifth year the F4CP will serve as a public educational resource, one that truly supports the profession.

Do politics affect the cause?

The F4CP is about positive press: We know the profession; we know the issues; and we know what all different political factions would like to see. The public, in general, at this time, does not understand what a doctor of chiropractic can provide in the way of healthcare and wellness.

The profession over the years has been relegated to back and neck care; many doctors have made an excellent living treating necks and backs.

We also realize that the future of healthcare is ever-changing and so will the profession of chiropractic.

If there is a better campaign out there my suggestion is to support it — but I have not seen any to date that can take on the complexity of maintaining a national media campaign as the F4CP is poised to do at this time. My final thought on this question is simply this.

The F4CP is in the media business. It’s not about the type of practice one should have. We can all benefit from positive press. Does anyone out there disagree?

How can a doctor help the campaign today?

They can help today by supporting your Foundation for Chiropractic Progress with a monthly contribution of $100 for the next two years. You can learn more and set it up at www.foundation4cp.com. Your support will allow the F4CP to promote the chiropractic profession to the public so that by the time the healthcare system changes again, the public will already be aware about who to call.