Together with Pinellas County Chiropractic Society (PCCS) members, several NUHS students gathered at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee as part of Chiropractic Day October 16.

Students and PCCS members spent the day with various lawmakers lobbying about chiropractic rights and scope of practice. The group informed lawmakers about the large number of chiropractors in Florida-the Florida Chiropractic Association currently represents about 4,800 chiropractic physicians.

They also discussed chronic pain management and chiropractic medicine as an alternative to opioids. Chiropractic physicians are currently urging lawmakers to encourage other physicians to educate their patients more about alternatives to opioids. Additionally, they discussed reducing health insurance premiums and preserving Florida’s no-fault auto insurance system, which allows the personal injury protection on a car insurance policy to cover chiropractic care.

Along with meeting with lawmakers, NUHS students got the chance to interact with chiropractic physicians already in the field.

“This was my second time lobbying and I enjoyed hearing the different outlooks of the practitioners,” said Joshua Richardson, an NUHS Florida DC student. “I got a chance to ask questions about how they run their practice and how chiropractic has evolved over time.”

He encouraged other students to participate next year. “Your career and the way you practice is affected by the law,” he said.

Thanks to PCCS, students are able to participate without expense.

“We were very fortunate to have the PCCS sponsor our students’ travel and lodging for the trip,” said Daniel Strauss, DC, dean of the College of Professional Studies at the NUHS Florida site. “PCCS has been a strong supporter of our university and students.”

Students interested in participating in next year’s Chiropractic Day should reach out to the Student American Chiropractic Association’s Florida chapter.