Doc Harassment - Please Read

[Guest guest]

Please add Dateline to your mailing list for our writing campaign to

have the Office of Professional Medical Conduct investigated in order to

stop physician harassment.

Dateline

30 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10112

  e-mail is dateline@...

I am reposting the original action alert below and adding dateline, so

you have all the information together:

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  ACTION ALERT - PLEASE READ

As many of you know, the New York State group of Lyme disease advocates

has just met to outline a plan of action to protect our right to

treatment. We have been getting good response to our e-mail campaigns,

but the following is our urgent recommendation for action at this point.

We are urging that the state legislature investigate the bias of the

Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) which has revealed their

bias in favor of short term antibiotic treatment in Dr. Marks' letter of

12/21/99.   is lobbying for us in Albany.

ESSENTIAL THINGS FOR YOU TO DO NOW:

    We are asking all of you, NO MATTER WHAT STATE YOU LIVE IN

to write as many letters as possible to the designated officials (below)

and letters to the editors of newspapers. Only a flood of letters will

enable us to be heard.

  We are also asking NYS residents to visit their state legislatures

to get our story out. (more information below).

CONTENTS OF LETTERS:

  In both the letters to the officials and the letters to the

editors, please focus on the fact that the OPMC of NYS Department of

Health would limit our treatment to 3 weeks of antibiotics, despite

considerable medical evidence that this can be inadequate.   Add that

we urge the legislature to hold public hearings to determine the

impartiality of the OPMC on Lyme disease. Also, include your individual

story e.g., how long to get diagnosed , what happens when treatment is

stopped, what shape you are in, etc. For instance, I myself was treated

with the three week " cure " 10 years ago and spent the last several years

mostly bedridden as a result. It is ok to use the names of the

physicians under attack when communicating with officials.   (In

dealing with the PRESS, however,   only Dr. Burrascano has given

permission to use his name).

OFFICIALS TO WRITE TO:

1) Hon. Kemp Hannon

    Chairman, Senate Health Committee

    Room 609 LOB

          Albany, NY 12247

2) Hon. Gottfried, Chairman

    Assembly Health Committee

    Room 822 LOB, Albany, NY 12248

3) Hon. Sam Colman

     New York Assembly

     Room 946, Albany, NY 12248

4) Hon. ph Bruno

      NYS Senate Majority Leader

      909 LOB, Albany, NY 12247

5)   Antonia C. Novello, MD

       NYS Commissioner of Health

       Corning Tower, Albany, NY 12237

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

  I am including the addresses of only the NYC newspapers, but

please write to the letters to the editor of any paper you know of.

Unfotunately, you will need to compose a slightly different letter for

each, because some newspapers demand exclusivity. Make it 2-3 paragraphs

and emphasize how the potential of loss of treatment affects you

personally. Let your emotion about this issue show. Be sure to include

name, address and daytime phone number. Dr. Burrascano has given

permission for his name to go to the newspapers, but NO OTHER MD BEING

INVESTIGATED HAS GIVEN PERMISSION FOR HIS NAME TO GO TO THE MEDIA.

1) The New York TImes

     229 West 43rd St

     NewYork, NY 10036

2) New York Newsday

     235 Pinelawn Road

     Melville, NY 11747-4250

3)   New York Daily News

      450 West 33rd Street

      New York, NY 10001

4) The New York Post

      1211 Avenue of the Americas

              New York, NY 10036

5)   THe Village Voice

      36 Square

      New York, NY 10003

            Att: Ron Plotkin

6) Dateline

     30 Rockefeller Plaza

     New York, NY10112

     dateline@...

MEETING WITH NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATORS; To find the name and phone

number of your assemblyman's and state senator's local office, just call

the League of Women Voters (phone book) .   Call to make an

appointment, but since the legislators themselves might not be

available, ask to see whichever aide is interested in health care

issues.

  At the appointment let them know you are there to ask for

legislative oversight of the OPMC which thinks your treatment should be

limited to two-three weeks. We will soon have an information packet

available, but until then give them a print out of Art Doherty's

annotated bibliography on persistence of infection.

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/persistence-special.html.

TELL THEM YOUR LYME STORY AND TELL THEM WHAT LOSING YOUR LLMD WOULD MEAN

TO YOU.

  If you are unsure what to say, e-mail me for a practice session.

(I don't know what to say either,but gave us some ideas. She also

said that the legislative aides are usually thrilled that someone wants

to speak to them at all, which made the whole experience seem less scary

to me.)

Thanks all. Go get 'em.

Ellen