ED Report
Kathleen S. Wilcoxson, MPA

National Grass Roots Program:  Sign Up Your Patients Now!

If you are on the MSCA email list, you have seen this alert at least a couple of times over the past two months. This is critical to the future of your profession. Please read the following note from Dr. Jeffery Fedorko, president of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA).

“As you may be aware, President Obama is gearing up to make changes in national healthcare.  We must educate our patients and direct them to sign up for one of the grass roots programs introduced by the ACA and the ICA.  By getting involved, your patients will be part of a national movement to ensure the chiropractic profession gains its rightful place in national healthcare.”

This is Critical !

I urge you to follow the turn-key plan of action outlined below by Dr. Fedorko, or implement a plan of your own to get your patients signed up for one of these national grassroots programs. Dr. Fedorko’s a plan has proven extremely effective in his office.

“Below is the script I used to sign up over 250 patients in a two-week period. I placed a stack of forms and a few pens in each treatment room.  At the end of the office visit, I used the script below to request their assistance.  I thanked them and moved on.  My staff entered the patients at the end of the day.”

The Message:  Our national associations are in the process of putting together a data base of individuals who are interested in having their voices heard in regard to national health care.  President Obama wants to make changes, and we know what happens when we, as private citizens, don't get involved.  If you want to insure your voice is heard, just give me your name, address and e-mail on this paper and I will insure my staff logs you into the computer.  About once a month, you may receive an update on what is going on with healthcare.  If there is a time when you need to get in touch with your legislator, you will receive an e-mail with a link to your legislator's web site.  You will be able to send him/her a personal message to request they vote to insure you have access to appropriate chiropractic care.  We must send our message to congress.

“In order to insure we have 20 million patients signed nationally to the grass roots program, I would suggest you place the information in all of your communications to your patients regularly. We need to make a stir in our state about these programs.  Out patients must get involved.”

Below is a short introduction provided by the ACA and ICA on their respective grass roots programs and how to sign up your patients. 

ChiroVoice (ACA)
ChiroVoice mobilizes patients to protect and expand access to chiropractic. ACA launched its long-term campaign to create a national grassroots database of chiropractic patients and supporters.  This network will enable ACA to mobilize coordinated campaigns to lobby Congress and the new Administration on chiropractic issues that are vital to maintaining and expanding your patients' access to chiropractic services. You can help by asking your patients to join ACA's chiropractic advocacy network at http://www.chirovoice.org/.  Continue to watch for more information on this campaign via special electronic bulletins, and in upcoming ACA publications!

AdjustTheVote (ICA)
The purpose of AdjustTheVote is to solicit members of the chiropractic profession, patients and chiropractic supporters, to correspond with legislators and candidates for political office on issues important to the chiropractic community.  Any active or retired chiropractor, chiropractic student, patient or chiropractic supporter may subscribe and participate without cost or membership dues. For further information about AdjustTheVote.org and your participation, please visit our website at: http://www.adjustthevote.org/

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State Recruitment Update

While some other states have hundreds of patients signed up for this critical National Grassroots Campaign, Missouri has less than 100. We need to join the top states in the number of patients involved. Missouri needs to do its part. Please take action now!

New Name Atop Leader Board – Ohio had led all states since we started tracking results, but Alabama has quietly stalked the leader, and, as of March 29, overtook Ohio with a surge of 465 new subscribers – that’s more than the YTD totals of all but three other states.

New States Joining the Fray - Alabama isn’t the only state with strong growth during the period; 13 states increase their totals by 20 percent or more.

Totals as of March 29, 2009
(only includes those states ahead of Missouri in total number of subscribers)

Alabama          1,175
Ohio                1,147
Texas               634     
Wisconsin        578
Connecticut     443
Florida             399
Illinois             329
Tennessee        291
Louisiana         270
Iowa                250
Virginia            241
Arizona            218
New York        217
Oregon             214
Pennsylvania   212
New Mexico    178
New Jersey      175
North Dakota   175
Kentucky         162
California        160
Alaska             139
South Dakota   134
Oklahoma        119
Indiana            114
Georgia            109
Michigan          104
Missouri          89