*Member-Exclusive Content* With the burgeoning opioid epidemic serving as backdrop, the Integrative Health and Wellness Caucus (IHWC) held its inaugural meeting March 15 on Capitol Hill. The Caucus was founded by Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) with the goal of providing a non-partisan educational forum to increase understanding of how shifting the focus in health care to prevention and health promotion can create cost savings and improve health outcomes for Americans.

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Driven by rising health care costs, the constant barrage of new research knowledge and the increasing integration of technology, the way in which all health care providers take care of patients in this country--in this world--is changing rapidly. This evolving health care environment means that, while we remain steadfast at the core of who we are and what we do stand for as a chiropractic profession, expectations regarding some of the ways in which we practice are beginning to change.

The #MeToo stories that have flooded social media in recent weeks have initiated a much-needed conversation across the country, a conversation that illustrates the very different experiences that men and women can have in male-dominated professions. In her latest blog post, ACA Senior Scientific Advisor Christine Goertz, DC, PhD, notes that, as one of a very small handful of women who has served in chiropractic leadership roles since she was a student, she has had a great deal of experience navigating the awkward and sometimes very uncomfortable waters generated by gender bias. 

It’s pretty difficult to open up a newspaper these days without seeing an article on the devastating public health impact of the opioid epidemic in the United States. While there appears to be general agreement on the scope of the problem, there is less consensus regarding what can be done to solve it. Policy-makers and professional associations taking on this challenge have tended to focus on mortality statistics and/or expert opinion. These are obviously critically important pieces of the puzzle but it is also important to take a patient-centered approach. To facilitate discussion on this important topic, Gallup held a research release event on Sept. 12 in Washington, D.C., titled “Addressing the Opioid Epidemic With Drug-Free Pain Management.”

*Member-Exclusive Content* There’s no doubt most all of us will develop some degree of decline in physical and cognitive capacity as we age. As America’s population matures, the need for health and wellness facilities and services will continue to increase. Researchers are studying the mechanisms and resolutions for this decline in mental, physical and cognitive health with growing age. In respect to healthcare providers, the concerning question is: How do we ensure older doctors are competent to treat patients? 

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