Bruce A. Lutes: Unfair that Ceres High athletes must see out-of-town doctors for physicals

As a local Ceres chiropractor, I have provided sports physicals for students attending Ceres Unified School District high schools over the course of the past 20 years – until now. I recently learned that the school district, under Superintendent Scott Siegel, has adopted a policy that allows only medical doctors to do physical exams, excluding chiropractors.

This escalates what is already a conflict of interest for the district into a “financial” conflict. The public school superintendent is also a vice president of Ceres Unified School District’s health insurance carrier, Central Region School Insurance Group, in Modesto.

Siegel does not “play for the home team.” The Modesto health insurance company that Siegel is an executive official of profits from being Ceres Unified School District’s insurance carrier and the city of Modesto benefits from added revenue instead of the city of Ceres. Doctors from Turlock’s Romeo Medical Clinic have recently given sports physicals to Ceres students while visiting on campus. This means potential revenue for the city of Ceres is going to the city of Turlock.

As a chiropractic health specialist, businessman, civic patron and former Ceres student, I vigorously seek justice.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Bruce A. Lutes: Unfair that Ceres High athletes must see out-of-town doctors for physicals."