tdtid
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10276
posted
ACTION ALERT:
Dear Members of the Lyme Community,
The New Hampshire Lyme Legislation Committee is working with state Representatives Gary Daniels (R), Carol Vita (R), John Cebrowski (R), Robert Perry (D) and Claudia Chase (D) to pass House Bill 1326, which protects physicians' and patients' rights in the treatment of Lyme disease.
The bi-partisan support of our bill is growing. To pass this bill, however, these brave legislators need our help contacting their legislative colleagues to discuss the importance of this crucial bill.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
I. Please contact your town and county representatives and ask them to vote Ought to Pass (OTP) when the bill comes before the House on Wednesday, February 17. Ask your friends and family to do the same. It is critical that representatives across the state hear from those who elected them into office, and who are the most severely impacted by this disease. Your calls have already made a difference! We urge you to set aside time to make these personal appeals.
II. Come to the State House on Wednesday, February 17th. Arrive by 10a.m. The House will convene at 10 a.m. in Reps Hall, which is located in the State House in Concord, 107 North Main Street. We expect HB 1326 will be heard before 12:30 p.m., though, as many of you know, we are not certain. Please consider wearing green to show your commitment to this cause. A big turn-out will have a large impact.
For directions to the State House follow this link:
Follow this link: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/wml.aspx. Click on the representative's name. This will take you to his/her website, where a home phone and email are listed. Please do not call homes after 7 or 8 p.m.
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR CALLING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE:
``I am calling today as a registered voter in _______ town/county. I am asking you personally to support House Bill 1326, which will allow thousands of patients like myself who have been seriously debilitated by Lyme disease to have access to the full spectrum of care that is available to treat chronic Lyme.
There are two evidence-based standards of care for treating Lyme. Right now New Hampshire doctors are under pressure from the medical community and insurance companies to treat according to guidelines from the Infectious Disease Society of America, which severely restricts the definition of Lyme disease and treatment options. The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) has published evidence-based guidelines that include a broader definition of Lyme and expanded treatment options.
HB 1326 does not legislate medical care, nor ask legislators to choose between the two sets of guidelines. It is instead, a reaffirmation of the legislature's commitment to strong relationships between doctors and patients. It will give our physician's the freedom of choice to make Lyme disease-related treatment decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Nothing in this bill would protect physicians who are negligent in treating patients. What the bill would protect is the patients' right to receive appropriate treatment, and the physicians' freedom to determine what the appropriate length of treatment is.
Similar legislation was passed in Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and California, and is being considered in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Minnesota. New Hampshire, which has the highest incidence of Lyme Disease per capita in the country, should be at the forefront of fighting this pandemic.
Thank you for your time, and for paying attention to this very important public health issue.''
We thank each of you for your time, energy and passion.
Cathy Kettmann,
The New Hampshire Lyme Disease Legislation Committee
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Any news for us td?
There are so many actions going on it is hard to keep up and I know you are working yourself simple trying to help!
tdtid
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10276
posted
Yes Tincup. It went before the House today. We WON. It was 300 to 58. A huge victory for this state since we went in being told it just wasn't possible.
Next stop is the Senate but this was a HUGE stumbling block so we are keeping our momentum going.
Cathy
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
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