It was at the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference that VA resident Stephanie Halloran, DC, began to appreciate the necessity of communicating chiropractic clearly and accurately to outside audiences. Today, she presents information on chiropractic, both formally and informally, to addiction/pain fellows, neurosurgeons, and internal medicine residents within the VA’s integrated healthcare setting. Each presentation Dr. Halloran gives, as well as the many she attends in the VA, helps her to become a better communicator. 

*Member-Exclusive Content* A bill combining the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) seven community care programs easily cleared the Senate May 23 with a vote of 92-5. Included among the programs is the Veterans Choice Program, which allows veterans to seek care from private providers, including chiropractors. The bill also eliminates previous requirements for accessing outside services. While this is a promising development, the American Chiropractic Association will closely monitor resulting regulations and implementation in consideration of past issues chiropractors have experienced with the Veterans Choice Program.

To read, log into My ACA.

*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.

To read, log into MyACA. 

The blog posts in the VA Chiropractic Residencies series thus far have been focused solely on the current residents’ experiences as they unfold throughout the year. For many, the question remains: What happens after the residency ends? In this post, I summarize what Brian Giuliani, DC, the 2016 graduate of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, and Kelsey Corcoran, DC, the 2017 graduate of the VA of Western New York Healthcare System, learned from their respective programs, their favorite rotations, where they are now, and what advice they have for students interested in applying for the VA Chiropractic Residency.

Some of the most valuable knowledge you gain in the Veterans Affairs (VA) chiropractic residency program comes from rotating in other specialties. Within the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Stephanie Halloran, DC, rotates at both the West Haven and Newington locations. Thus far, she has spent time in rheumatology, physiatry, women’s clinic (primary care), neurology, pain medicine and the interventional pain clinic. Although she says each rotation has contributed greatly to her clinical acumen, in this post she primarily focuses on what she learned in pain medicine.