4130 Taking Opioid Awareness to the Community
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Dynamic Chiropractic – January 1, 2018, Vol. 36, Issue 01

Taking Opioid Awareness to the Community

By Editorial Staff

Back pain is a leading precursor to opioid prescriptions, and half of the opioid overdose deaths in the country are attributed to prescribed opioids. HealthSource, a leading chiropractic franchise company, recently partnered with The Salvation Army to raise money and inform communities about chiropractic as an alternative to drugs.

More than 250 HealthSource clinics across the country are encouraging people with back pain to schedule an initial visit to try chiropractic, massage and rehabilitation instead of drugs. From Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2017, the company reduced its initial visit fees from $189 to just $20, with the $20 fee then donated to The Salvation Army, an organization on the front line of the opioid crisis. As of press time, more than $60,000 was expected to be raised by local HealthSource clinics.

In addition, back treatment teams at participating clinics provided free massages to employees to teach them about alternative ways to address back pain, and challenged area businesses to donate to The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army operates more than 139 rehabilitation centers that help individuals overcome drug and alcohol addiction, including opioid or heroin addiction. The organization uses work therapy, group and individual counseling sessions, spiritual direction and life-skills development to help residents learn to abandon substance abuse. The Salvation Army has more no-fee residential treatment facilities than any other rehab program in America.

At press time, the campaign has resulted in considerable media exposure for chiropractic, as many local television stations across the country have aired segments on chiropractic and opioids in response to the HealthSource – Salvation Army partnership. A second round of media exposure is still expected, which could include print media and additional television exposure.

"Many Americans don't realize how big of a role The Salvation Army plays in helping individuals and families who are dealing with drug and alcohol addiction," said Lt. Col. Ron Busroe, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army. "We are pleased to partner with HealthSource to raise funds and awareness for the substantial need for opioid rehabilitation services in the cities we serve."

"This is a huge problem in our country, and fortunately there are real solutions for those who are in pain," added HealthSource founder Dr. Chris Tomshack. "We want everyone to know that we can get you out of pain, without the use of drugs. We're so happy to be able to partner with The Salvation Army to [help combat] this very sad epidemic."

Editor's Note: Links to YouTube segments featuring Dr. Tomshack talking about the opioid epidemic and the HealthSource – Salvation Army partnership on local television appear in the digital version of this article.

Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email .

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