Walcott's Burt Chiropractic Clinic takes on a new role

For two decades, Dr. Mickey Burt has supplied chiropractic care to patients in Walcott, as well as from many nearby towns.

Until almost two years ago, Dr. Michael DeBlois provided traditional medical care to many of those same patients. But when poor health prompted him to step down, it left Walcott residents without a medical doctor and created a gap in the Walcott health-care scene.

That gap soon should be filled, and Dr. Burt and his clinic will play an important role in the quest for a new physician in Walcott.

Dr. Burt, long a civic leader who was mayor pro-tem when then-mayor Leon Downing left office, now is a co-chairman of the town's economic development committee.

When members of the committee said people really wanted an M.D. in Walcott again, Dr. Burt agreed to be responsible for the search, which involves looking at resumes and interviewing family practice physicians.

And, since there wasn't a clinic available for a new physician, he said he would build onto his clinic.

Dr. Burt said he has envisioned a clinic for years that included chiropractic and allopathic (traditional medicine) in one location, and that he thinks the time is right to try such an arrangement.

"Patients have been demanding it," said Dr. Burt, "And they say it's past time for chiropractors and medical doctors to work together for the patients' benefit.

"Until about 1986, physicians were discouraged from referring patients to chiropractors," he said. "But since then, there's been a big change in attitudes towards chiropractic -- even within the medical community."

He said the biggest problem facing a chiropractor and an M.D. trying to work together is that each lacks understanding as to what the other does for patients.

"The whole focus of chiropractic is preventative health care," Dr. Burt said.

Allopathic, on the other hand, tends to focus on treating illness and injury after they occur.

Whatever differences exist, Dr. Burt sees an opportunity to build understanding and create cooperation between two health-care disciplines.

For now, though, he is concentrating on expanding his clinic to welcome a new tenant.

"The doctor's office will have its own entrance and parking lot," he said. "It includes a reception area, five examination rooms, the doctor's work area, a lab and an insurance area."

The total project comprises an addition of about 3,000 square feet. The present chiropractic clinic will gain between 800 and 1,000 square feet in the expansion.

If all goes as planned, the residents of Walcott stand to gain much more.