World Chiropractic Alliance to Focus on Global Humanitarian Efforts

KEIZER, OR, September 11, 2010 (Press-News.org) The Board of Directors of the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) has issued a revised mission statement that puts the emphasis on worldwide humanitarian efforts. "The new mission statement is a reflection of our desire to create an ever-expanding ripple effect of positive actions," stated the organization's founder and CEO Terry A. Rondberg, DC. "We want to support and assist individual doctors, the profession as a whole, and ultimately the world."

Peter Morgan, DC, chairman of the WCA Council on Humanitarian Efforts, said the WCA was inspired by the work of organizations that bring chiropractic and related health care and aid to developing nations and underserved populations around the globe.

"We have seen the impact a group of dedicated and compassionate chiropractors can have," he said. "Although the WCA has always supported those humanitarian missions, and promoted them in The Chiropractic Journal, we feel the time is right to step up our efforts and make this a major focus of the group."

The World Chiropractic Alliance was founded in 1989 as a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and strengthening chiropractic around the world. It is in a unique position to coordinate and support a variety of chiropractic missions since it is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. Timothy Merrick, DC, the WCA NGO representative, attends weekly briefings at the United Nations headquarters in New York and meets with other NGOs from around the world to share information about chiropractic.

"We have an opportunity to play a major role in addressing health concerns in developing nations as well as in first-world countries," he explained. "We frequently see people in remote, poverty-stricken areas walking miles to get to a doctor of chiropractic who is visiting as part of a health care mission. They want chiropractic; they need chiropractic. And we all gain from the experience of serving others."

To initiate the new emphasis on service, the World Chiropractic Alliance has scheduled its first annual World Chiropractic Alliance Humanitarian Forum on Oct. 2, 2010 in Long Branch, NJ. Organizations involved in health mission -- including Mission Life International, Mission-Chiropractic, Spinal Missions, ChiroMission, The "Best Mission Trip Ever", and AdJust World -- will attend the meeting to discuss how the WCA can assist in their work.

The WCA plans to provide scholarships to students wishing to participate in mission, provide other administrative and/or financial support to humanitarian groups, coordinate with NGOs in United Nations work, raise awareness of chiropractic charitable work through the global health care community, and provide information and resources to groups and individuals engaged in such work.

The new mission statement also reflects the organization's continued commitment to supporting the chiropractic profession as a whole, and providing a wide range of resources to assist individual doctors of chiropractic.

The new mission statement of the World Chiropractic Alliance is to:

** Develop, promote and support humanitarian programs that reach out to populations that, due to geographic or economic factors, cannot access chiropractic care

** Support health and social measures that would benefit the underserved populations worldwide

** Promote chiropractic as the only discipline that focuses on correcting subluxations and reducing the stress that interferes with the body's ability to self-regulate and heal

** Provide resources needed by doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic students to become more competent and successful practitioners

All doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic students, and chiropractic supporters are invited to join the WCA by visiting the WCA website at www.WorldChiropracticAlliance.org.

The World Chiropractic Alliance is an international professional association representing doctors of chiropractic, chiropractic students, and chiropractic patients. It's four-fold mission is to develop, promote and support humanitarian programs that reach out to populations who, due to geographic or economic factors, cannot access chiropractic care; support health and social measures that would benefit the underserved populations worldwide; promote chiropractic as the only discipline that focuses on correcting subluxations and reducing the stress that interferes with the body's ability to self-regulate and heal; and provide resources needed by doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic students to become more competent and successful practitioners.