Community
T H E D I SNEYW ORLD OF HE ALT H CARE
T
here are countless stories of chiropractors who first came into contact with the
profession as athletes. After experiencing the benefits of chiropractic care they are
inspired to join the profession. Once in practice, their passions for both athletics and
chiropractic continue to grow. For many, the ultimate expression of these two passions
is to join the health care team at multi-sport events, such as the Olympics, Special
Olympics or the upcoming 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games in Toronto. These
three chiropractors share their insights from the frontlines of the “Disneyworld of
Health Care.”
D
r. Glen Harris was involved
in organized sports long
before he graduated from the
Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
(CMCC) in 1997. From there he went
on to complete a residency with the Royal
Chiropractors at
Major Games
Chiropractors have been
members of the "host"
health care services
teams at:
Olympic & Paralympic
Games
• Pan Am & Parapan Am
Games
• Commonwealth Games
•
30
FALL 2014
College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences
(Canada) (“RCCSS(C)”). He has been
a contributing member of the health
care team at many games, including the
Ontario Summer Games, the Canadian
Summer Games and the 2010 Paralympic
Winter Games in Vancouver.
“These health care environments are
like no other I have had an opportunity to
practice within,” Dr. Harris said describing
the interprofessional nature of the games
health care teams. These teams typically
combine experts from several fields,
including registered massage therapists,
physiotherapists, medical doctors and,
increasingly, chiropractors. “With the
numerous allied health professionals
available onsite, in combination with
diagnostic and imaging within steps of
the treatment room, an environment to
practice health care, as it should be, is
realized.”
Another exciting part of working with
athletes at the high performance level is
seeing one’s care as a chiropractor realized
rapidly and, occasionally, on television.
“The athletes are grateful and it is the
gratitude expressed by the athletes that is
the most rewarding outcome,” Dr. Harris
said. “You may be fortunate to watch
the athlete compete at the venue, or on
a television broadcast.” Dr. Harris is also
deeply gratified by the opportunity to
foster new relationships and demonstrate
the impact of chiropractic in these
environments.
D
r. Janice Drover, a CMCC
trained chiropractor and
RCCSS(C) fellow who lives and
practices in St. John’s, Newfoundland,
planned to be attending multi-sport events
as a health care team member even before
she began her chiropractic training. As a
Human Kinetics student at the University
of Ottawa, Dr. Drover worked with a
mentor who was part of the Canadian
medical team at the 1995 Pan Am Games
in Mar del Plata, Argentina. “I had
already decided that I would pursue the
postgraduate Sports Sciences Residency
program before I had even been accepted
to the CMCC program,” Dr. Drover said.
Dr. Drover’s experiences at multi-sport