Joined by the President of the Italian Chiropractors Association, Dr. Eddy Pellissier and Life Chiropractic College West president, Dr. Gerard W. Clum, the Senator related his personal experiences under chiropractic care and acknowledged in personal terms the efficacy and cost- effectiveness of chiropractic care.

The impact of the hour-long discussion was immediate and profound, with nationwide media coverage appearing on the evening news throughout Italy on April 4, 2002. Additional coverage throughout the popular press as well as in the professional media in Italy is expected.

Senator Tomassini, the President of the Senate Committee on Health Affairs began the press conference by expressing the desires of the Italian public to access a wide range of heath care approaches that are not presently regulated through the Italian government. Chiropractic care was among the most important areas of interest for the Senate Committee President.

The trio of presenters each addressed a varying component of the need for chiropractic legislation in Italy. Dr. Pellissier speaking on behalf of the Italian Chiropractors Association related the problems associated with a lack of recognition by the government. Dr. Pellissier, expressed his concerns for the right of the Italian public to access chiropractic care and to be able to rely on the quality of the care that they will receive from a provider of chiropractic services. The absence of legislation allows under-qualified or non-qualified persons to assert to a trusting public seeking needed care that they offer chiropractic services on a basis similar to those who are fully trained and qualified according to recognized chiropractic educational standards. Dr. Pellissier commented on the series of legislative initiatives pending before the Italian legislature. The world standard for the practice of chiropractic embraces the doctor of chiropractic as a direct contact, primary provider of health care and that the consideration of any recognition of a lesser nature would be inappropriate and a disservice to the Italian population as well as the Italian chiropractic profession.

Speaking at the request of the Italian Chiropractors Association and on behalf of the International Chiropractors Association and the World Federation of Chiropractic, Life Chiropractic college West President Dr. Gerard Clum amplified the remarks of Dr. Pellissier by offering an overview of chiropractic education, accreditation, credentialing and regulation of the profession around the world.

In addition Dr. Clum elaborated on the potential cost savings to the Italian health care budget that wider access to chiropractic care could represent.

The location of the April 4th news conference, within the facilities of the Italian Parliament, was in itself a major accomplishment for the Italian Chiropractors Association. The press conference venue served to enhance the interest in and response to the meeting. Access to these facilities was the product of cooperation between the Italian Chiropractors Association and Comitato di Parlamentari per l'Innovazione Tecnologica (COPIT). The broadcast media coverage that followed the event did not question the concept of chiropractic legislation but rather emphasized the view of the Senate Committee President who called for immediate action to bring appropriate legislation forward.

A key catalyst associated with the press conference that magnified the perspective of the chiropractic profession was the Rome 2002 Conference of the International Chiropractors Association, co-sponsored by the Italian Chiropractors Association held April 5-7, 2002 at the Cavilieri Hilton in Rome. The ICA conference brought more than 400 chiropractors from over 30 countries and from nearly dozen chiropractic educational institutions to Rome to discuss the latest developments in the profession as well as the most recent research in the areas of human biomechanics and neuroscience. Dr. Thomas Rigel on behalf of the Italian Chiropractors Association provided coordination and support for the conference in Rome. "The symposium offered an ideal opportunity for collaboration that served to increase the effectiveness of our efforts in Italy and expand ICA's efforts around the globe" commented Rigel, a veteran of over thirty years of chiropractic practice in Rome.

ICA president, Dr. D.D. Humber, expressed his satisfaction with the conference noting "the ICA is pleased to have the opportunity to work with the Italian Chiropractors Association to support the profession in Italy and throughout the European community. The opportunity to contribute to the legislative efforts of the chiropractic profession in Italy is perhaps one of the most important activities this Association could offer."

For more information contact Mr. Ronald M. Hendrickson (ICA Executive Vice President) in Arlington, Virginia at 1100 North Glebe Road, Suite 1000, Arlington, Virginia 20202. Telephone: 703.528.5000, e-mail: chiro@chiropractic.org or the Executive Offices of the Associazione Italiana Chiropratici, Via Brigata Liguria, 1-11, Genova, Italy 16121. Telephone +(39) 010.55.33.036, e-mail:A_I_C@iol.it

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For More Information, Contact the International Chiropractors Association, a Worldwide Community of the Most Successful Chiropractors on Earth at chiro@chiropractic.org or visit the ICA website at www.chiropractic.org.

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