PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Dr. Pat Bickert
The majority of BCCA members have voted in favor of the 150 dollar special assessment fee for PR activities. The one hundred thousand dollars budgeted will be used to purchase air time for our “made in BC” television ads and videos for the upcoming year. I can assure you that the Board is acutely sensitive to the dues (taxes?) we pay for the BCCA, BCCC, CCA, CMCC and CCPA. It is a large sum of money for practitioners (and Board members) to pay during this time of year.
There was some member confusion as to why the additional funds were needed. This was not because of an unexpected budget shortfall. In reality, the Board intentionally spent two years' worth of PR budgets in order to produce the films and videos as well as purchase air time. We knew this would mean that there would be no funds to run the commercials in the upcoming year. Because the ads and the video have been so well received, we decided to appeal to the members for special funding to run the ads over the next year, and that is what you have approved. If this decision prompts the thought of a lynching, it was me who made the motion.
Personally, I feel that PR activities should be a primary function and an expanding role of the BCCA. Our Association basically operates on two levels: the political—defending the profession from legislation that could weaken our position within the health care system; and public relations—attempting to educate the general public about the benefits of chiropractic through media stories, our web site and paid advertising.
The political activities, often shared with the BCCC, consume a huge portion of our Executive Director's time, with expert advice from our consultants and legal counsel. Without it, the WCB, ICBC, the Health Professions Council and other government bodies would enact regulations that would serve the best interests of the BCMA rather than the public and chiropractic practitioners. I view this work almost as “infrastructure” - it's boring and may be of little interest in the daily lives of practitioners, but absolutely necessary. “Hats off” to Dr. Nixdorf, who for some strange reason, finds this work interesting and does an excellent job for us.
The annual PR budget of 150 thousand dollars derived from 700 members amounts to approximately two hundred and fourteen dollars per member, per year. We each spend less than a buck a day on provincial advertising! When compared to how much we spend on personal advertising, this funding goes far. The high visibility of the TV commercials and the growing activity of the BCCA web site (which currently averages nearly 30,0000 hits per month) work toward the process of educating the public and bring us into the mainstream. To me, that's very necessary, and I would hope that in the future we can allocate more resources specifically for these activities.
Some interesting statistics from Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey attest to the growing utilization of Chiropractic. Fourty-four percent of those who consulted a chiropractor had serious back problems (i.e., a chronic condition or an injury limiting normal activities). This is important in emphasizing the necessity of primary insurance coverage of chiropractic as cost effective for government. People with back injuries or chronic conditions are equally likely to consult a chiropractor as a medical doctor, both at 28%. On the other hand, they are much less likely to consult a physiotherapist (10%), another medical doctor (5%), or a massage therapist (4%). The needle is moving, but we still have a long way to go. (“Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise!” - B.J. Palmer)
Dr. Nixdorf, Dr. Vipond and myself met in Victoria on June 5th to discuss social development issues with the NDP Caucus Committee. The meeting emphasized the need for members to meet regularly with their local MLA. In these meetings, we focused on the same basic issues, including research showing the effectiveness of chiropractic care and the nuts-and-bolts of how chiropractic is funded, with opted out fees and the legislative restriction on private insurance. It is important that each of you keep your MLA informed, so that when government attempts to pass legislation that would weaken our position, there are enough MLAs prepared to speak out and defeat it.
Thanks to the membership for approving the special PR levy. Look for the ads in the fall and show the video to your patients— and everyone else who needs to hear the chiropractic story. Have a great summer, and plan now to attend the AGM in Richmond this November.
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