NatCapLyme-VA-HB-512-Press Release

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If you live in VA please  write your representatives immediately.

 

This bill is currently in committee and soon to come out dead or alive. Please,

if you are in Virginia, contact your representatives and most importantly at

this moment, contact the members of the committee even if they are not your

representatives. Instructions in the link below. Just click and follow. We are

at a crucial stage and this is very time sensitive. Thank you!!

 

More Information:

 

http://www.natcaplyme.org/index.php

Download the Press Release Here:

 

http://www.natcaplyme.org/downloads/NatCapLyme-VA-HB-512-Press-Release.pdf

Press Release

 

For Immediate Release:

 

CONTACT: Monte Skall- 703-821-8822

 

New Lyme Law Proposed to Protect Virginia Doctors Treating Lyme Disease

 

U.S. Physicians Fear Losing Medical License for Treating Lyme Aggressively

 

(Richmond, VA) - A new bill, introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates by

Tom Rust, Delegate, 86th District ®, seeks to protect physicians in Virginia

who provide extended antibiotic therapy to patients diagnosed with chronic Lyme

and other tick-borne diseases. Currently doctors treating Lyme disease

aggressively with long term antibiotics are targeted by medical boards and

insurance companies and face losing their license.

 

Lyme disease is the fastest growing infectious disease in the United States

today. This disease, caused by the bite of a tick, has reached epidemic levels

in many counties in Virginia. Most experts agree that reported cases are likely

to represent only a tenth of the actual number of cases.

 

Delegate Rust introduced this bill to empower physicians to provide effective,

desperately needed patient care. " Doctors should be able to treat patients based

on their best medical judgment, without fear of retaliation. " Delegate Rust

added, " If Lyme disease is untreated or not treated aggressively it can have

far-reaching implications - not only for patients' health but also for

healthcare costs, disability compensation and worker productivity. These costs

far exceed the expense of paying for therapeutic antibiotics to treat the

infection and its symptoms. "

 

The National Capital Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Association, an organization

with over 1800 members, including affiliated chapters across the state in

Central Virginia, Fairfax, Hampton Roads, and the Shenandoah Valley endorses the

bill. Executive Director Monte Skall said, " House Bill 512 is necessary to

improve treatment options for patients. Our hotline receives dozens of calls

every day from patients seeking a doctor knowledgeable in the treatment of

tick-borne diseases, often reporting they have had to drive hundreds of miles to

receive care, frequently out-of-state. I am confident that passage of HB 512

will result in many more physicians willing to treat Lyme patients with the

standard of care they believe most appropriate. "

 

Dr. Shor, an internist in Reston, Virginia who studies, researches and

treats Lyme disease said: " physicians are finding, and the literature supports,

the need for long term antibiotic therapy when treating certain cases of Lyme

disease. The treatment guideline limited to four weeks of antibiotic treatment

is seriously flawed. In fact, a two year investigation by the Connecticut

Attorney General resulted in a reevaluation of that guideline, yet it remains

the de facto standard. " " It is interesting, " he noted, " doxycycline often used

for the treatment of Lyme disease is commonly used long-term by dermatologists

for acne. "

When detected early, the disease is considered curable with a limited course of

antibiotics, typically 30 days. Unfortunately, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme

disease are often hindered by the limited sensitivity of current tests, and

physician lack of awareness of the prevalence of the disease in Virginia.

 

Early symptoms of Lyme may include headache, stiff neck, fever, muscle aches,

and fatigue. If left untreated, the disease is thought to become chronic with

more serious complications such as: joint pain and swelling; heart disease;

neurological problems such as Bell's Palsy; dizziness; irritability; ADHD-like

symptoms; cognitive dysfunction; and muscle weakness.

For more information on HB 512, please contact Monte Skall at 703-821-8822 or

visit the NatCapLyme website at

http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=17833244 & msgid=308693 & act=9F9Z &

c=241665 & destination= http%3A%2F% 2Fwww.natcaplyme.org%2F