Business Spotlight: A Healthy State of Mind

 severe asthma attack at a young age set the course for Gary Meek’s career.

“My dad called a chiropractor he knew. He was pretty desperate,” Meek says of the Sunday episode when he was just 2 years old. “He adjusted my upper back, and my breathing went to normal and haven’t had a problem since.”

Chiropractic care stayed with him throughout childhood, and he says family members practiced and were longtime patients, which shaped his view of the field.

“It’s just been a way of life,” he says. “I’ve wanted to do this since I was in grade school.”

This year marks the doctor’s 20th in practice, and in October, Meek Chiropractic turns 10 years old. The last three years, Meek’s practiced in Plaza Shopping Center space he invested $1.3 million to purchase, gut and infill to his specifications.

With four staff doctors, the 10,000-square-foot chiropractic clinic features six adjusting rooms, including one for kids, two rehabilitation and therapy areas, four exam rooms and a massage room. In the lobby, patients check in with touchscreen computers, and staff members communicate via earpieces powered by two-way radios.

“We do a lot of rehab in our office,” Meek says, noting the initial step for most patients is getting their pain under control, what he calls the relief phase.

Then, it’s on to the corrective phase for rehab and stabilization, followed by wellness care with periodic adjustments for prevention of future injuries.

Patient problems
Over the years, Meek and his staff have treated some 16,000 patients. Today, the doctors handle 350-400 patient visits a week, he says.

Most patients enter with back or neck pain, headaches or sciatic complaints. Painkillers just aren’t cutting it.

“They’re trying to find a natural way to make themselves function better and control their neck and back complaints,” he says.

Social Marketing Director Clint Cunningham is tuned in to the issue of “tech neck,” which describes the poor posture from faces buried in smartphones or tablets.

“It causes a lot of problems, especially in young kids,” Cunningham says.

The average person spends over two hours a day on a handheld device, according to Meek.

“We’re seeing a lot of forward head posture problems, which leads to neck and upper back and headache complaints,” Meek says, adding untreated it can lead to arthritis in the spine.

Businesspeople are not immune to posture problems.

Cunningham coordinates with corporate wellness partners, such as MaMa Jean’s Natural Market, Sumits Hot Yoga and Ollis & Co., to put on healthy cooking or shopping classes and lectures to handle stress. Last year, for instance, Meek twice gave his “Sitting on the Job” lecture to staff members at American National.

“We’ll go in and analyze a workplace setup,” Cunningham says. “You’d be surprised how many people are not sitting correctly, and that is torture on your body all day.”

Meek recommends sedentary workers review the ergonomics of their workstations and set a timer for “microbreaks” every 30-45 minutes.

At Ollis & Co., Wellness Director Cameron Black says Meek’s advice is often easy to follow but goes against the norms.

“For example, not to carry your wallet in your back pocket – every guy does that,” Black says.

When Ollis remodeled its office a few years ago, Black says staff members consciously chose adjustable-height computer screens after listening to Meek’s presentation on back health and ergonomics.

Chiropractic competition
Meek estimates over 75 chiropractors practice in the Springfield market.

Last year, Dr. Steven Loehr broke out on his own and started Loehr Chiropractic and Acupuncture LLC. Meek says 2014 was a year of doctor turnover as two others on his staff moved out of the market. He’s reloaded with Drs. Josh Barney, Dani Engle and Kelly Kadolph. Meek Chiropractic typically has carried four or five doctors on staff.

Meek predicts more chiropractors will share offices.

“I think there will be fewer offices to split overhead and cost,” he says, noting Meek Chiropractic closed its Marshfield office last year, in part, due to increased compliance under the Affordable Care Act. “We were spread too thin.”

The office generated nearly $1.3 million in 2014 revenue, and Meek says profitability climbed a bit despite cost pressures under ACA.

He projects a revenue increase this year based on the growing interest in personal health.

Citing research by health care journals, Meek estimates 75 percent of health care costs are related to lifestyle choices that lead to the treatment of diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer.

“People have neglected things and I think we’ll see people take better care of their health,” Meek says. “The goal is to be healthy. Too many people are managing their problems instead of trying to be healthy.”