CALIFORNIA CHIROPRACTIC BOARD NEEDS A MAJOR ADJUSTMENT

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Deborah Snow

The Sacramento Bee as well as other California newspapers have run many articles lately concerning the California Chiropractic Board. Staff and Board member behavior reported includes illegal firing procedures, violating open meeting laws and a possible attempt to influence the judicial progress with an ongoing case against a chiropractor. I’m relieved that this board’s unethical behavior is finally in the public eye.

My own experience with this board came several years ago when I contacted them to file a complaint of misconduct against a practicing chiropractor. I had one phone interview with Catherine Hayes (then an enforcement employee) at my own initiative, and she told me that they didn’t like to refer cases of misconduct to their investigators without hard proof or third party witnesses in part due to the expense of paying their investigators.

I then informed Ms. Hayes that some of the chiropractor’s receptionists had observed some of his questionable behavior and she proceeded to ask if I could supply statements from them myself. There was no way I could have provided this information for them. In essence I was asked to perform my own investigation before they would proceed with their own. At their conclusion of my complaint I was informed that they didn’t see enough proof to refer my complaint to their investigators but they assured me this chiropractor would receive a stern written warning. I was not allowed to see a copy of the warning letter or even find out what explanation the Chiropractor gave for his behavior, but I believed the Chiropractic Board staff that he would at least get a warning.

Years later, after a great deal of persistence, I finally received a copy of the letter purported to be a warning and found out that the Chiropractic Board had instead told the offending chiropractor that they, the Board, understood that I, his patient, had misconstrued his behavior. Not only did the Chiropractic Board not do their job but they also lied to me which took away any other options I might have pursued at the time had I known this. It was clear to me then that the Board was there for the chiropractors and had no scruples in lying to a patient or in letting an unscrupulous chiropractor practice with no consequences for his behavior.