EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE


Jeff Curwen, CAE WSCA Executive Director


I am excited to report to our members that as of January 1, the WSCA is now providing management services to the Oregon Chiropractic Association.


It’s important to note that this is NOT a merger. We are still two separate organizations with distinct dues and benefit structures, separate boards of directors, and unique policy objectives. But we should also recognize that, as a result of sharing administrative teams, members of both organizations will see some added benefits with this move.


But first, a little explanation of how we got into this position. In 2023, the OCA’s longtime executive director left the organization to pursue other opportunities. An association management company was hired to manage the day-to-day aspects of the OCA, but several limitations quickly became apparent. The AMC that was hired managed multiple other organizations and could not have staff dedicated solely to the OCA. Additionally, they did not specialize in healthcare-oriented associations. That AMC indicated their intent not to renew their contract for 2026 and beyond, and so the OCA started looking for new management.


At the same time, one of my standing directives as the WSCA executive director is to ensure the long-term financial viability of the association by diversifying our revenue sources. When I learned of the OCA’s need for new management, I engaged in conversations with their Board, assessed their needs, their budget, and the administrative capacity of the WSCA and determined that we could provide a mutually beneficial solution to the OCA by taking over their management. We engaged in a competitive bidding process and, in mid-December, were awarded the OCA contract.


By leveraging economies of scale and our existing expertise and leadership within the chiropractic community, we have been able to streamline many processes, lower costs for both associations, provide full-time staffing for Oregon chiropractors, and secure a critical long-term revenue stream for the WSCA independent of member dues. So, what does this mean for you as WSCA members? Well, a lot actually.


Not only will you be able to apply your WSCA member discounts to OCA products and events, you’ll also get access to their on-demand webinar catalog. This will more than double the size of our current on-demand catalog. And just as you benefit on the national level from the WSCA’s involvement with ChiroCongress, this arrangement further solidifies Washington’s influence on nationwide chiropractic policy.


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But I’m also aware of the concerns some of you may have. Among those, I recognize that there is concern over conflicting scopes of practice, staff time, and the perception of this being a merger. I would like to dispel these concerns up front—Washington and Oregon have different scopes of practice, but there is no intent to combine our policy agendas or seek congruent scopes.


Staff have had to alter our daily routines slightly, but much less than you might imagine. Many of you are aware of the steps we took during the pandemic to ensure all chiropractors—member and nonmember—had access to the association’s important daily guidance. What you may not know is that we provided that guidance to any chiropractor who wanted it, whether or not they were in Washington. As a result, Oregon chiropractors were already well acquainted with the WSCA staff. We’ve shuffled our calendars, but the additional manhours are easily within our staff’s current bandwidth.


And with regard to the perception of this being a merger, I can only say to keep watching. You will find that we are remaining two very separate (but complementary) entities, and the only crossovers you are going to see between us is discounted access for members of both organizations to participate with the other and more collaboration and cost-sharing.


Many, if not most of you, are entrepreneurs yourselves. We at the WSCA staff share your entrepreneurial spirit and are leveraging it to improve the services we already offer you, and hopefully much more. And finally, if you’re one of the dual WSCA/OCA members we already have, you can expect to see some functional changes in the coming months that will morph your OCA membership experience into something that resembles your WSCA experience. Greater regularity, consistent messaging, cost cutting, and a more personalized approach to member engagement.


The WSCA is Helping Chiropractors Help Patients, and now, we’re helping Oregon chiropractors do that too!


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