posted
Hi folks, Well, we did it!! This has been quite a fight, and the extent to which everyone has pitched in is exciting and encouraging. I don't think this bill would ever have gotten through the legislature without the pressure from the Lyme community. Thanks to all who worked so hard. And for those who were physically unable to do so, hopefully things will improve for our community until we can all take part.
Now the bill goes to the Governor. The next action alert you see will be to write to Gov. Cuomo. But for right now, pat yourselves on the back, do a little dance if you can, and enjoy a piece of gluten/sugar free cake and alcohol free wine.
Ellen
--------------------
Posts: 819 | From New York, NY | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
On Wednesday and Thursday, the Lyme Disease Protection Bill passed unanimously in both the NYS Senate and Assembly and is on its way to Governor Cuomo for his signature. Still it’s not over until it’s over! Ten years ago, a similar bill was vetoed by then-Governor Pataki.
All interested readers should call or write Governor Cuomo and urge him to sign S7854-A7558B. The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York State NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 (518) 474-8390 http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php
The Press Release and Report by the NYS Senate State Lyme Disease Task Force is astounding in its breath of important initiatives proposed for combating this scourge, including adopting “a resolution calling on the Centers for Disease Control to reevaluate its guidance on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and for the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies to provide more funding for these diseases.” I am posting links to both below.
Our work is just beginning to hold the NYS legislature to its commitment on these important initiatives, including addressing insurance denials and the need to update our physicians on important new research, such as evidence that supports persistence of infection and polymicrobial infection as reason that many patients remain ill after short-term treatment.
One particular interest of mine is the fact that many of the innovative new tests that are available to Lyme patients in all of the other 50 states are denied to NYS residents. As a result of this short-sighted policy, I had to go out-of-state to get many important tests that helped our physicians to properly diagnose and treat the multiple tick-borne illnesses affecting my family members. The Task Force Report recommends that “the Department of Health re-evaluate the tests and facilities it authorizes for Lyme and other Tick-Borne diseases in order to help facilitate earlier diagnoses, and better outcomes, across the State.”
New Task Force Report & Recommendations to Address Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Posted by Majority Press on Wednesday, June 18th, 2014
posted
Please help to spread the word about the NY Lyme Protection Bill and the amazing NYS Senate Task Force Press Release and Report by liking and commenting on these articles:
Here is an article in the Albany Times Union that includes the full Senate Press Release and Report:
Senate takes on Lyme disease Posted on June 18, 2014 at 4:33 pm Rick Karlin, Capitol Bureau
“Today, the Senate is adopting a resolution — another initiative — calling on the Centers for Disease Control to reevaluate its guidance on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and for the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to provide more funding to fight these diseases.”
The Poughkeepsie Journal:
Bill protecting longer Lyme treatments heads to Cuomo
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic