“The Dr. Oz Show” Airs Katie May Segment
You are most likely aware of the unfortunate death of social media celebrity Ms. Katie May. The Illinois Chiropractic Society offers our condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Katie May on her untimely passing. Recent media coverage revealed that the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office cited injury from neck manipulation as a factor in May’s accidental death in February.
“The Dr. Oz Show” is scheduled to air a segment on her recent death on Wednesday, November 16. This segment is expected to be titled, “Can Your Chiropractor Kill You?”
As a result, we want our members to be prepared and have the appropriate resources on how to best handle questions and inquiries:
Questions from Patients
Your patients’ needs are our first and foremost priority. If they are asking questions, they are merely addressing their fears and concerns. Please handle questions from patients in a non-defensive yet factual manner showing the utmost respect for Katie May and her family, as well as, respecting the concerns of your patients. Both the American Chiropractic Association and the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress have put together talking points and information to assist you with your patients’ concerns:
Foundation for Chiropractic Progress Talking Points
Questions from Media
Please do NOT speak to the media about this issue. Although you may be very tempted to defend the profession for which you have given so much, sensational journalism can be a very difficult maze to navigate. The ICS is urging Illinois doctors to refer all media contacts to the American Chiropractic Association media team:
Amanda Donohue, adonohue@acatoday.org, (703) 812-0209
Annette Bernat, abernat@acatoday.org, (703) 812-0226
Felicity Clancy, fclancy@acatoday.org, (703) 812-0221
Additional Resource
The Washington State Chiropractic Association has published a video presented by Dr. Gerard Clum that discusses the many facets of this particular case. You can access that video here.