Where are We Going as a Profession?
We are often asked by chiropractic physicians, “Where is the profession going?” and, “Where will we be in 10 years?”
Although there have been discussions for years about the future of chiropractic, these discussions have either dissipated or remained unresolved. The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (ChiroCongress), the organization that represents almost 50 state associations and the broadest base of chiropractic physicians in the United States, held a summit of chiropractic leaders from across the nation. In that short session, participants concluded that the profession must formulate a plan for the future to remain a viable and important force in the rapidly changing system of health care delivery
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Illinois doctors can take pride in the fact that our state is well-represented in this process, as two members of the 16-person steering committee (i.e. task force) are from Illinois (see the press release below).
The Illinois Chiropractic Society is asking doctors around Illinois to participate in this critical process by completing the initial survey here. Additionally, you can following the progress of this planning process in the project portal here.
Here is the press release from ChiroCongress:
ChiroCongress Launches Future of Chiropractic Strategic Plan Project
During the 2019 ChiroCongress 50th Anniversary Convention in San Diego, The Future of Chiropractic Forum was held and stakeholders from across the profession, along with ChiroCongress members, participated in a dialogue about what the next 50 years will hold for the Chiropractic profession.
It was concluded that the profession needs a strategic plan.
Upon request of our members and profession stakeholders, ChiroCongress agreed to take the lead on developing this project. A task force was seated in January 2020 and they have been diligently working for nearly a year now to create a framework for crafting a national strategic plan for the chiropractic profession. The task force is comprised of the entire ChiroCongress board, including Dr. Dan Spencer (MI), Dr. Brenda Holland (WI), Dr. Thomas Wetzen (VA), Dr. Don Cross (FL), Dr. Julie Bird (IL), Barbara Contessa (NY), Kristine Dowell (MI), Dr. Gerald Stevens (NY), Tiffany Stevens (TN), Marc Abla (IL), Dr. Rachel Wendt (CO), Dr. Brian Stenzler (CA) along with industry professionals including: Dr. Ray Foxworth (MS), Dr. Jay Greenstein (D.C), Dr. Tom Klapp (MI), and John Murray (WI). ChiroCongress’ Executive Director, Elizabeth Klein, will provide project management oversight.
A request for proposals seeking all well-qualified candidates with experience in national and international strategic planning was developed and released in early 2020. Eleven proposals were considered, and multiple interviews were conducted to find facilitators best suited to assist in this effort.
“Our task force has been working overtime this past year to develop the framework for our profession to create a successful strategic plan.” Said Dr. Spencer. “We’re all very excited that our initial work has now moved to the action phase, as we begin the process of collecting data from all facets of the profession. The beauty of this process is that all stakeholders will have a voice in how the plan is shaped, and from there we will determine which efforts will have the largest positive impact. We all want the chiropractic profession to be as successful as possible, and our plan will help us achieve that reality!
We are excited to announce that ChiroCongress has contracted with three highly qualified organizations who will work together in various phases to create this important plan.
Sharity
Sharity, brings decades of nonprofit leadership experience and strategic expertise to this project and will be the lead facilitator for phases I and II of the project. They have worked with organizations nationally and internationally to develop actionable and fundable strategic plans.
“Sharity is incredibly honored to be chosen by ChiroCongress to develop and guide a process resulting in a plan and strategic framework for the future of the chiropractic profession in the United States,” said Carol Wick, President of Sharity. “The chiropractic profession is taking the bold step to unite around a vision and mission to ensure that nationwide, this critical and essential care is widely accepted and available. We are so excited to be part of this important work on behalf of the profession.
Sharity will be working in partnership with Future IQ, experts in data collection and analysis. These teams will provide data assessment and visualization tools, group and individual stakeholder engagements, think tank sessions, future visioning work, and more to gather broad input for phases 1 and 2 of the project.
Future iQ is thrilled to be working with ChiroCongress on the visioning and strategic planning process for the Chiropractic industry. Taking a future-oriented, collaborative approach to the process will be critical for the plan’s success. Future iQ has worked with many organizations, communities, and industries at points in time when significant change is occurring in the broader world and we believe this is one of them. This strategic plan will help all chiropractic stakeholders to build resiliency and sustainability into their near and long-term plans and bring voices together around points of consensus and agreement. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of such an important step for the industry!
OnStrategy
OnStrategy has also been selected to lead phase 3 of the project which focuses on the implementation of the strategic plan. They will be actively involved in the first two phases to ensure the finished plan can be translated into their online application tool. This proprietary platform will provide transparency to our stakeholders and accountability of our leaders in moving the plan’s action items forward.
The project Steering Committee (formerly the “Task Force”) is confident that this ‘Dream Team’ brings a tremendous amount of experience and resources to guide us in developing a meaningful, actionable, and fundable plan for the profession.
Phase one, launched on November 2, 2020, invites all chiropractic stakeholders, representing all facets of the profession, to participate in this transparent and unbiased process through an online survey. To participate in this survey visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ChiroCongressFuturePerceptionsStakeholderSurvey.
The survey will be open through the end of November. Additional opportunities for engagement and details about the project can be found by visiting the project portal https://lab2.future-iq.com/future-of-chiropractic-strategic-visioning-and-planning-project/
Phase I of this project is made possible by generous donations made to ChiroCongress and ChiroCongress Cares, a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more information about current contributors, or to make a gift to support Phases II and III of this project, visit ChiroCongress Cares online at: https://chirocongress.org/chirocongress-cares/. Charitable gifts can also be made check and mailed directly to ChiroCongress Cares, 699 June Dr., Molalla, OR 97038.
For more information about this project please contact Lizz Klein, Executive Director, at 503-922-2933 or email lizz@chirocongress.org. Visit our website at ChiroCongress.org for details.
The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations mission is to advance the chiropractic profession through innovation, research, and service to our member organizations. ChiroCongress Cares is a charitable nonprofit 501(c)(3) with a purpose to preserve and protect the chiropractic profession through investment in leadership, education, innovation, outreach, capacity building, and research. Tax ID 85-1054636
