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Managing Pain: Chiropractic’s Increasingly Important Role in Veterans Affairs Services According to a 2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, as many as 65 percent of American veterans and active duty service members suffer from chronic pain. Chiropractic care has been cited as an effective alternative to opioid use in pain management; over the last 15 years, Doctors of Chiropractic have become increasingly vital members of integrated care teams within Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities around the country. Since 2005, Logan University has been an academic affiliate of the VA St. Louis Health Care System (VASTLHCS), a fullservice health care facility serving veterans and their families in east central Missouri and southwestern Illinois. Logan’s relationship with the VA gives Logan clinicians and trimester 8-10 students the opportunity to serve those who have served our country. “At the VA, patients are typically referred to chiropractors for a narrow scope of issues: lower back pain, upper back issues, or neck, shoulder and knee pain. However, almost every patient comes with a complex set of comorbidities,” said Pam Wakefield, DC (’90), who provided chiropractic care to patients and oversaw Logan students through the VASTLHCS clinical rotation program for 15 years. In addition, in 2013 Dr. Wakefield applied for funding for a first-of-its-kind chiropractic residency program through the VA Office of Academic Affiliations, and in 2014 Logan became one of only four chiropractic schools in the country to begin residency training at the VA. Dr. Wakefield directed the program until July 2020; it is now overseen by Jason Napuli, DC, VASTLHCS integrated chiropractic clinical practice residency program director. The chiropractic team at VASTLHCS includes four staff chiropractors and a resident as well as several Logan student interns working under supervision. The team, led by Dr. Napuli, sees 400 new patients and more than 3,000 visits per year, and is LOGAN.EDU/GIVE
committed to helping veterans improve their quality of life. Chiropractic care is aligned under the VA’s Whole Health and Primary Care services. According to the VA, Whole Health is a cutting-edge approach to care that supports veterans’ health and well-being, while Primary Care gives eligible veterans easy Dr. Jason Napuli outside the VA St. Louis Health Care System office access to health care professionals familiar Dr. Napuli emphasizes the importance of with their needs. empowering veterans to improve their health “We focus on the whole body as part of and well-being. He also describes working the multidisciplinary Whole Health initiative, at the VA as the best job in the world, as it which encourages patients to engage in encompasses clinical care, education, training activities that matter most to them and to and research. take charge of their own health via the tools “Working each day supporting our we provide,” said Dr. Napuli. “Chiropractic veterans is our way to thank them,” he care is an important piece of the pie.” said. “While a competitive career path, it is Dr. Napuli joined the Whole Health a great opportunity for DCs. For every VA chiropractic team and residency faculty in chiropractic position, there are hundreds of 2018. At that time, he assumed primary qualified applicants.” responsibility for the student training Nationwide, more than 200 chiropractors program and in 2020 assumed the residency are employed in the VA, with more sites program director role. Previously, he worked coming on board each month. To date, in VA facilities in New York (2006-2014) Logan has placed all seven of its residents in and Florida (2014-2018), where he started VA positions across the country. VA facilities, programs and created academic affiliations however, are just one of many paths to for chiropractic student training programs. Continued on page 9 A veteran of the U.S. Air Force himself, LOGAN UNIVERSITY • SUMMER 2021 7
