February 25, 2010 — Northwestern Health Sciences University is taking a progressive path in the National Chiropractic Legislative Conference (NCLC) this year.
This will be the first year that Northwestern, or any school, will be sending students from programs other than chiropractic — acupuncture/Oriental medicine and massage therapy — to NCLC. A contingent of 33 students, including one massage and two acupuncture students will attend NCLC.
Also making the trip from Northwestern are Mark Zeigler, DC, president; Renee DeVries, DC, dean of the college of chiropractic; and Michele Maiers, DC, associate dean of research and knowledge transfer and Minnesota American Chiropractic Association (ACA) delegate.
Sarah Hjerso, Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) secretary, believes sending students from different healthcare programs from our campus “speaks volumes for the progression of health care, specifically natural health care. We as a campus take pride in being a premiere integrated natural health care university. To have students coming together to lobby for natural health care and the patients we serve at a national level is very progressive.”
In the past, participants had to have an ACA or SACA membership to register, which cost $60. Through SACA’s efforts, NCLC has changed the rule so that students of other disciplines are not required to pay the $60 membership fee on top of registration fees and travel costs, making it more affordable to the students from the other programs that are attending.
“I feel that the three programs can learn a lot from one another in terms of best practice, lobbying efforts, integrating care, and providing best treatment outcomes,” said Hjerso. “If we want to seebest treatment outcomes we have to have laws written that allow us to provide care for our patients and lobbying is what makes this happen.”
The trip is coordinated by the SACA Board which includes chiropractic students Elizabeth Meliski, SACA president; Hans Thurmer, vice president; Adam Favro, legislative representative; Chad Paulson, treasurer; and Sarah Hjersjo, secretary.
To fund the trip, Student Senate provides each student with $300 while students are required to pay a $100 deposit. The remaining trip cost is paid for through fundraising efforts at Northwestern’s Chiropractic Homecoming and other SACA events throughout the year. Most students were able to fund the majority, if not all of their trip through fundraising hours.
Source: Northwestern Health Sciences University, www.nwhealth.edu/nwtoday/index.html
