HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES OF CHILDREN'S CHIROPRACTIC CLINICS Robbin R. Doermer Student Number: 000016547 Advisor: Dr. Patrick Montgomery July 18, 2011 ABSTRACT Introduction: Many advancements have been made in chiropractic pediatrics since chiropractic began in the nineteenth century. There were three key children's clinics that recognized the need to help sick and disabled children back to health through chiropractic care. As the need became more widely recognized; three organizations were formed dedicated to the advancement in chiropractic pediatrics, through providing information, education, and research. Several well-referenced, compressive text-books have now been written on chiropractic pediatrics and are used in chiropractic colleges and by field doctors. There are so many influential people within the scope of chiropractic pediatrics, it is important to pay homage to our chiropractic pediatric pioneers and then focus on the current trends today. Methods: Historical data was collected by reviewing several chiropractic journals (such as, The Chiropractic Journal, Chiropractic History, Journal of the ACA, Dynamic Chiropractic, Chiropractic Economics, and The American Chiropractor); “Prairie Thunder: Dr. Leo L. Spears and His Hospital”, a book written by William Rehm and published by the Association for the History of Chiropractic; and a review of several web sites for Kentuckiana Children’s Center, Oaklahaven Children’s Center, The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), Academy Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics, The International Chiropractors Association (ICA), The American Chiropractic Association, and Chiro.org. Discussion: The three key children's clinics that recognized the need to help sick and disabled children back to health through chiropractic care were The Free Children's Clinic, Kentuckiana Children's Center, and Oklahaven Children’s Chiropractic Center. As the need became more widely recognized; the three organizations that were formed dedicated to the advancement in chiropractic pediatrics were The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), The American Chiropractic Association's Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics (also known as the ACA Pediatrics Council), and the International Chiropractors Association Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics (also known as the ICA Pediatrics Council). Results: The need has became more widely recognized for the advancement in chiropractic pediatrics, through providing information, education, and research. Conclusion: Many advancements have been made in chiropractic pediatrics since chiropractic began in the nineteenth century. Chiropractic Children’s Clinics have proven to be beneficial to the sick and disabled children who have run the gamut of traditional medicine and have lost hope. I feel it would be beneficial if more children’s clinics were to open near all the chiropractic colleges. We would be able to reach more children in need of chiropractic care, it would create a greater awareness in the community and educated the general public about chiropractic care for families, and it would provide more opportunity for the chiropractic student to learn. Key Words: chiropractic pediatrics, ACA Pediatrics Council, ICA Pediatrics Council, ICPA, DICCP, Kentuckiana, Oklahaven, Spear's Free Children's Clinic INTRODUCTION Many advancements have been made in chiropractic pediatrics since chiropractic began in the nineteenth century. There were three key children's clinics that recognized the need to help sick and disabled children back to health through chiropractic care. These three clinics were The Free Children's Clinic, which was opened in 1932; Kentuckiana Children's Center, founded in 1957; and Oklahaven, which opened in 1962. As the need became more widely recognized; three organizations were formed dedicated to the advancement in chiropractic pediatrics, through providing information, education, and research. These organizations are the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), The American Chiropractic Association's Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics (also known as the ACA Pediatrics Council), and the International Chiropractors Association Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics (also known as the ICA Pediatrics Council). There are so many influential people within the scope of chiropractic pediatrics, it is important to pay homage to our chiropractic pediatric pioneers and then focus on the current trends today. DISCUSSION THE FREE CHILDREN'S CLINIC In August 1932, Dr. Leo Spears began operating the first large-scale free children's clinic in chiropractic. The demands became so great, he reported, that soon he was forced to employ six chiropractors at $1 an hour to take care of the increasing patient load which had grown to more than 300 children a day. The free clinic operated from 6 to 8 P.M. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Using federal relief guidelines, any indigent child under the age of 12 was eligible.1 Dr. Leo had introduced the profession to his concept of free children's clinics at the annual meeting of the National Chiropractic Association (NCA) in Hollywood, California, in August of 1935. The idea was so enthusiastically received he wrote monthly columns for several years in The Chiropractic Journal. Entitled “Children's Clinics,” the columns were a guide for movement that within the first year saw 125 free clincs established nationwide.2 Leo Spears was considered a dynamic achiever in the face of adversity. This 1921 Palmer graduate built the profession's first large hospital complex and had plans for an institution that would have been among the largest healthcare facilities in existence.3 For his class yearbook, Dr. Spears wrote the following: I never stopped doing a thing because somebody else said it was wrong. Nor did I keep on because somebody said it was right – I did my own thinking! I always persisted when I knew it was right, and when I found I was wrong I acknowledged it. Above all, I always kept my word. When I said I would do a thing, I did it, when I thought I couldn't do it, I said so. I always tried to treat other people as I would have them treat me. I never wasted my time, but put every minute to good use. In the last analysis, I never made excuses, I made good.2,4 KENTUCKIANA CHILDREN'S CENTER Since its inception, Kentuckiana Children's Center operated as an outpatient clinic, providing evaluation and treatment by a multidisciplinary staff, as well as a special education program for children with special needs. Both programs were designed to serve the “whole” child and his or her individual needs. The program was designed to assist the child in developing at his or her own rate of speed, manifesting the use of innate abilities and the child's fullest potential to help him or her to be a productive and happy human being.5 In 1954, Dr. Golden began to formulate the idea for Kentuckiana. She saw the need for children with multiple handicaps to receive chiropractic care and began to organize local DCs and laypeople to open a clinic that would provide free care to these children, most of whom came from families that were financially strapped. The following year, the Kentucky legislature chartered Kentuckiana Children's Center in Louisville. It was set up as a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian charitable organization to provide direct services free of charge to physically and mentally challenged children in need of health and special opportunities. The center opened its doors to patient care in 1957 and slowly began to grow and expand its scope of treatment. Under Dr. Golden's reign, Kentuckiana became a unique chiropractic institution: providing free chiropractic care for challenged children; combing chiropractic care with a school for children with special needs, and providing that care free to the families that could not afford care; Kentuckiana also developed the first postgraduate two-year intern program in pediatrics.6 The early days of Kentuckiana were difficult. The Kentucky Medical Society attempted to close down the center. Articles in the Louisville Courier Journal appeared with critical commentary from MDs seeking to discredit Dr. Golden and the center.7 Dr. Golden recalls: “I had to be extra cautious about everything, especially records. Some of our staff became perturbed at me because I was so strict. I would not let us be closed down based on technicalities. I said every record has to be in order so that if a medical doctor tries to come in and close us down, the records would support our activities. I had always told the girls that if anyone wants to see a record, just pick them at random. So they came in and reviewed the records, and the conclusion was that I had better records than they did.” Dr. Golden invited the press out for a tour to see for themselves. “(The press) tried to be objective,” she ventured, but the Kentucky Medical Society went so far as to try to thwart Kentuckiana's efforts to gain support from the United Way. Why? “They considered us nothing but cultist,” Dr. Golden explained. “That was the image they were trying to position in the minds of the people. But the community could see our good work, and that's why we were able to stay open.”8 Attorney George McAndrews, the attorney in Wilk et al. vs. AMA et al., used the examples of harassment of Kentuckiana by the Kentucky Medical Society in the Wilk case as further evidence of the medical establishment's campaign to destroy the chiropractic profession. It was just one more piece of damning evidence against orthodox medicine that led chiropractic to victory in Wilk. As a result of this trial, the American college of Surgeons made a payment of $200,000 to Kentuckiana, which was used for expansion of its facilities.7,9 Dr. Golden earned her “DC” from Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1942 and conducted a private practice for more than a decade before opening the children's center. Some call her the “Mother Teresa of Chiropractic.” For more than 40 years Lorraine M.