We have shared with legislators the issue of ``two standards of care'' and the fact that the medical community is divided regarding the best approach for treating Lyme disease, namely the use of long-term antibiotics. Please take the time to share your story and show your support for this legislation.

We need letters to be mailed or faxed as soon as possible in support of AB 592. We have attached a form letter for you to fill out and fax or mail ASAP to Assemblyman Yee and the legislative consultant Tracy Rhine (fax and mailing address below).

If you have time, please add a personal paragraph to the letter about your battle with the disease. The details about the bill follow.

The letters need to be in a week prior to the hearing. Therefore, the deadline for submitting a letter is this coming Tuesday, April 5th. Letters should be sent to:

Tracy Rhine, Consultant

Assembly Business and Professions Committee

1020 N Street, Room 124

Sacramento, CA 95814

Fax number: 916/319-3306

The author is Assemblyman Yee:

The Honorable Leland Y. Yee, PhD.

Speaker Pro Tempore

State Capitol, Room 3173

Sacramento, CA 94249-0012

Fax number: 916/319-2112

As you know, there are too few physicians in California and elsewhere willing to treat this debilitating disease and many of these dedicated doctors have come under scrutiny by their respective medical boards.

The California Legislature is hesitant to address any one particular disease in legislation, therefore, this bill does not address Lyme disease specifically.

You may recall that the legislation we passed last year to make Lyme disease reportable by laboratories, which will in fact commence for the first time in April, did not specifically address Lyme disease either.

AB 592 is set to be heard April 12th in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee (B&P). The current form of the bill uses the term ``innovative care'' but will be amended in committee to read ``emerging medical care''.

The bill will also be amended to include at the end of (4)(b): ``or in the case of emerging medical care that it is also published in evidence-based guidelines derived by an expert panel of medical reviewers who are in actual clinical practice.''

And (4)(c) will be added to read: ``Since the National Institute of Medicine has reported that it can take up to seventeen years for a new best practice to reach the average doctor, it is prudent to give attention to new developments not only in general medical care, but in the actual treatment of specific diseases, particularly those that are not yet broadly recognized in California.''

The bill in its current form can be found at:

California Assembly Bill 592

You can use the following form letter. Adding a paragraph about your own experience would be very good. If anyone wants a copy in Word format, send me an e-mail and I will send it to you as an attachment. Thanks!

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Date

The Honorable Leland Y. Yee, PhD.
Speaker Pro Tempore
State Capitol, Room 3173
Sacramento, CA 94249-0012

Re: AB 592

Dear Assemblyman Yee:

I am writing this letter in support of AB 592. This amendment to Business and Professions Code 2234.1 provides critical protection to California doctors who treat persistent Lyme disease from the threat of Medical Board action.

It is difficult to find a treating physician for persistent Lyme disease because physicians are afraid that if they step forward to treat this disease they may lose their license or be forced to defend against an enforcement action by the Medical Board.

I appreciate your effort to secure the patient's ability to obtain treatment by protecting the physicians who treat them.

Very truly yours,

cc: Tracy Rhine, Consultant
Assembly Business and Professions Committee
1020 N Street, Room 124
Sacramento, CA 95814

This is great, but you forgot one important thing....an EMAIL addy for those of us out of state who wish to participate without spending money on postage, etc.

If this can be done, I'd be more than happy to help Calif. lymies! Best wishes.

I don't have the e-mail. Plus, I think for this one they really only want California voters to reply. I'm not positive, though, because I am just passing it on.

If you want, you could e-mail CALDA and send the letter to them. That way they could pass them on if it was going to be useful.

[email protected]

Thanks for your willingness to always go to bat!

I'm sure they'll be counted. Stories like yours are just what they need to hear. People shouldn't have to travel so far to get treatment, or struggle so hard to be diagnosed.

Give my best to your husband, and I hope to be hearing soon of his improvement.

So anyone who would like to support this bill would be more than welcome to write to Assemblyman Lee.

Thanks!

P.S. because timing on this is getting short, if you absolutely can't snail mail or fax this, please try:
[email protected]

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Sonoma County Lyme Support
[email protected]