History

September 21, 2009. For immediate release. The Virginia Chiropractic Association (VCA) and the Virginia Society of Chiropractic (VSC) merged into a single entity on Friday, September 18, 2009. The vote to unify was the highlight of the largest chiropractic event ever held in Virginia, the VCA/VSC Fall Convention and Unification Celebration in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The new organization will be promoted as the Unified VCA to signal this historical move. A logo contest has been launched and a new web site is under construction to support the updated identity.

The merger creates a single, more influential association in the Commonwealth of Virginia that will better serve chiropractic doctors, patients, and the profession as a whole. It will reduce duplication, allowing the profession to combine resources and expertise to implement public policy, education, legal and legislative initiatives with greater strength and impact.

Over the past several years, the organizations have begun collaborating more and more frequently, assisting each other in legislative activities and conducting joint educational programs, including their annual convention. Both presidents accepted honorary memberships in the other organizations in order to gain further insights and understanding. Face-to-face meetings and conference calls between the two Boards and staff became regular occurrences.

In May of 2009, a joint Virginia Unification Committee was formed to flesh out the myriad of political, organizational, operational, and legal details and considerations involved in bringing the two groups together. VCA representatives on the committee consisted of Drs. Bill Ward, Lonnie Slone, Doug Cox, Chris Frey, and Chris Bruno. VSC representatives were Drs. Brad Robinson, Tom Wetzen, Sandy Elbaum, Joe Foley, and Garrett Thompson. On August 8th, Dr. Tom Klapp, who was instrumental in the unification of the Michigan associations, joined the Unification Committee in Richmond, Virginia to facilitate the finalization of the unification agreement. This plan of consolidation has already been ratified to ensure a smooth transition, providing a framework for the leadership that will govern the Unified VCA during a two-year transitional period.

During the first year, William B. Ward, DC, CCSP will serve as President of the newly unified organization, while former VSC President Bradbury Robinson, DC, FICA will serve as a Board Member-at-Large. In the second year, those positions will switch, with Dr. Robinson serving as President and Dr. Ward serving as a Board Member-at-Large.

Dr. Robinson explains, "Virginia Chiropractors can be proud: Their leadership listened to what they, the members, said they wanted. Egos and baggage were set aside.” Dr. Ward adds, "While it was challenging at first, we learned to resist the automatic position that our personal idea is the only and best, and to focus on what is best for the entire profession at large. We’re not talking about homogenizing chiropractic. We’re talking about balancing the artistic, scientific and philosophical aspects of chiropractic so that we can serve all our doctors better and present a cohesive, more effective face to the public, legislators, and other healthcare organizations.”

For more information, contact the Unified VCA office at 540-932-3100 or via e-mail at admin@virginiachiropractic.org.