Dr. R. A. Foxworth, FICC, MCS-P
It is hard to believe that a year ago we announced ChiroHealthUSA’s Foxworth Family Scholarship in honor of my parents, Drs. Betty Pace Mathews and Charles Vernon Mathews. The scholarship awards one chiropractic student $10,000 toward their education and makes a separate donation of $10,000 to the student’s school. Over 300 students applied for the scholarship, and evaluators from The Congress of Chiropractic Associations, The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, the American Chiropractic Association, the International Chiropractic Association as well as the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters had to make tough decisions. In the end, one application stood out, and I am excited to announce that Amber Horsley from Texas Chiropractic College was the recipient of this year’s scholarship. Although Amber was unable to accept the award at The National Chiropractic Convention in Orlando, Florida, the president of Texas Chiropractic College, Dr. Stephen Foster was present to accept the award on Amber’s behalf.
Like me, Amber never planned on becoming a chiropractor. Knowing that she wanted to work in the medical field, she shadowed doctors in clinics and hospitals trying to find something that aligned with her personal philosophy on health care. Reflecting on that time, Amber said, “I realized that I was searching for something that wasn’t there.” She went home to Google “alternative health care.” Her search brought up the Alternative Health Care Center, and she walked into the office of Dr. Robert Kuyper the following week. She did not know until she arrived at his office that Dr. Kuyper was a chiropractor. After that visit, she knew in her heart that she would be a chiropractor.
When we made the call to let Amber know that she had been selected as the first recipient of the scholarship, she cried. In fact, everyone in our office cried with her as she expressed her thanks many times over. The unique thing about chiropractic is that it is personal for all of us. Each person who works in a clinic, a college, and even at ChiroHealthUSA has a personal story to tell about how they came to be a part of this great profession. Reading through some of the submitted applications, I was touched by the personal stories that brought each person into this field. I felt proud and honored to have a glimpse into the future of the profession.
There are no words that can truly explain what chiropractic means to me. I started this scholarship because I wanted to give back to a profession that has meant so much to me and my family. I meant it not only as a tribute to my parents, but as an opportunity for chiropractic students to follow in their footsteps. Today, as students and future chiropractors, you should know that we all belong to chiropractic, and we all need to help, invest, and support the advancement of our profession. You are the future, and I am happy to say that our future looks bright.
If you would like to submit your application for the 2017 ChiroHealthUSA Foxworth Family Scholarship, go to chusascholar.com.
Dr. Ray Foxworth is the founder and President of ChiroHealthUSA. Since it’s inception in 2007, ChiroHealthUSA has donated over $820,000 to help support state associations, COCSA, F4CP and the CCGPP. The Foxworth Family Scholarship is funded by ChiroHealthUSA.
Why is the Discount Challenge prize amount $11,181? Because that is the average “per-occurrence” fine for Medicare inducements. That’s not $11,181 per patient, that’s not per provider, that’s PER VISIT. Stinks, doesn’t it? To us, the prize amount is worth the investment if we can help our profession better understand proper discounting.