COCSA RESPONDS TO RELEASE OF CCGPP DOCUMENT
Last week COCSA completed conference calls in each of its five districts
during which 70% of COCSA members discussed the CCGPP draft document
with their respective district director, their CCGPP rep, and members
of the CCGPP executive committee. The COCSA board is meeting this
week for a debriefing of these calls and to determine the next steps
needed to ensure that state associations respond to the document and
that their voices are heard by CCGPP. States are encouraged to continue
their review of the document and the preparation of their comments
in accordance with the outline provided by CCGPP. (See CCGPP Document
Released on the COCSA website.) Stay tuned for further communications
regarding this matter.
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CCGPP WILL CONTINUE TO ACCEPT ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSES AFTER
DEADLINE: STATES ENCOURAGED TO RESPOND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE
In response to requests from state associations for an extension of
the response deadline on the low back draft, CCGPP has advised COCSA
that the 60-day response deadline will not be changed; however, they
will continue to accept comment submissions from state associations
and other organizations after the July 10th deadline. The 60-day response
time is similar to other organizations, including Canada, AHCPR, and
others. The draft document and online survey for individual response
will be removed from the CCGPP website on July 10, 2006, and all comments
forwarded to the Commission for cataloging, review, and consideration.
CCGPP will accept comments throughout this process up until the time
that the revisions for the chapter are completed and the responses
can be reasonably accommodated in the revision process. Submissions
received after that time will be considered in the next cycle, which
will take place in two years. Organizations are encouraged to submit
their comments as close to the July 10th date as possible to ensure
inclusion and consideration in this first revision. Also be reminded
that additional chapters will be released approximately every two
months, each with a 60-day response window. We encourage you to take
the necessary steps to assist your review committee and organization
with responding within the 60-day window.
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COCSA BOARD APPROVES NEW MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS
At their annual planning meeting in March, the COCSA board approved
minor changes to the COCSA mission statement and developed a new vision
statement as follows:
Mission Statement: The mission of the Congress of Chiropractic State
Associations is to provide an open, nonpartisan forum for the advancement
of chiropractic through service to member state associations.
Vision Statement: The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations
is the forum for unifying the profession and inspiring the achievement
of universal understanding and utilization of chiropractic.
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COCSA DEVELOPS STRATEGIC PLAN
The Strategic Plan Document developed at the March planning meeting
is now available for review in the Members Only section of the COCSA
website. The plan includes a large number of goals and projects for
the future and calls for COCSA to concentrate on eight priority projects
for 2006. You will need your member passcode to view the document.
This can be obtained from the COCSA office at cocsa@sc.rr.com. The
COCSA board extends a big thank you to Dr. Rick McMichael (COCSA honorary
member and retreat facilitator), Dr. Don Hirsh (Maryland delegate
and host of this year's COCSA conference), and Ms. Doris Christman
(COCSA honorary member and staff assistant) for participating in this
year's planning meeting.
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FOOT LEVELERS SPEAKERS GRANT PROGRAM HITS THE MARK
We would like to extend a huge thanks to those states who are participating
in the Foot Levelers Speakers Grant program. Foot Levelers notified
us earlier this month that 26 state associations have signed up. In
addition to the speakers provided and monetary contributions made
to the state associations, Foot Levelers also makes a monetary contribution
to COCSA for each participating association. Through a new agreement
reached last year, this contribution increases significantly after
the 25th state. We are thrilled to be at the bonus level and encourage
the other 30-something state associations to consider using the program
for their conference needs. For more information, contact Yolanda
Davis at Foot Levelers, 800-553-4860 or yolanda@footlevelers.com.
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STATE ASSOCIATIONS BENEFIT FROM QUIT FOR LIFE PROGRAM
Congratulations to the following state associations on receiving their
first royalty check from Cornerstone Marketing's smoking cessation
program: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio. COCSA
is working with Cornerstone to develop a health and wellness message
for chiropractic patients and employee wellness materials for chiropractors
to use in taking this program into local industries. The new program
launch is planned for August with a focus on the Great American Smoke-Out
in November. Information on how your association can participate in
the Quit for Life Program can be found in the Resource section of
the COCSA website.
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NEW COCSA DIRECTORY PUBLISHED
A new COCSA 2006 Directory has been posted to the Members Only section
of the COCSA website. In addition to contact information for state
associations and their officers, COCSA supporting and associate members,
and COCSA corporate partners, the directory includes contact information
for other national chiropractic organizations and chiropractic colleges.
Please review the information listed for your association and notify
us if changes need to be made. You can obtain your passcode for the
Members Only site from the COCSA office at cocsa@sc.rr.com.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Please join us in extending a warm COCSA welcome to Joyce Martello
and Coral Assam, our two newest state association executive directors.
Joyce replaced Karen Hammel, CAE, when she retired last month from
the Colorado Chiropractic Association, and Coral replaced Deb Mortensen
at the South Dakota Chiropractors Association. We are also pleased
to welcome the Alaska Chiropractic Society back to COCSA and have
also received an application from the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association
to rejoin after 10 years. Our newest supporting member is MediGeek
out of West Chester, Ohio. Contact information for all of these new
members can be found in the directory mentioned above.
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STRAIGHTEN UP AMERICA GAINING MOMENTUM
The east coast segment of the Packy PlayFair National Sportsmanship
Tour ended in May, but the contacts made during the month-long event
and through the efforts of Dr. Ron Kirk and Dr. Stephen Simonetti
have hurled the Straighten Up America program to a new dimension.
Dr. Simonetti gave a presentation on Straighten Up during the President's
Council on Physical Fitness and Sports event in Washington, DC on
May 6, 2006. Straighten Up America is proud to be a 50th Anniversary
Partner to Get America Moving, which is an initiative of the President's
Council during its fiftieth anniversary year (1956-2006). An article
about Straighten Up was featured in the latest newsletter of the US
Bone and Joint Decade (USBJD), and the International Bone and Joint
Decade has adopted Straighten Up as the theme for World Spine Day,
which will be celebrated in 60 countries on October 16, 2006. Straighten
Up is also a natural fit for schools across the nation that are seeking
programs to meet nationally mandated wellness programs designed to
increase students' activity and fitness levels. COCSA and Life are
currently developing Straighten Up America implementation kits for
doctors and associations. Stay tuned as additional details regarding
Straighten Up efforts become available.
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