URGENT!! IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED! ALL VIRGINIANS!

[Guest guest]

URGENT!! IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED! ALL VIRGINIANS!

BILL CURRENTLY IN COMMITTEE!!

Please pass on!!

DOCTOR PROTECTION BILL

This Bill is in committee. This committee can make or break the bill. We need

all Virginians to contact members of the committee and encourage them to support

this Bill 512.

More information on Bill 512:

http://www.natcaplyme.org/index.php?module=Pagesetter & func=viewpub & tid=10 & pid=1

To email the committee members for HB 512, you can cut and paste the following

addresses into the " to " section of your email and copy and paste the Sample

Letter in the link (scroll to bottom). It might be best to copy and paste each

member in a separate email to avoid Spam Folders:

DelBOrrock@...; DelJOBannon@...;

DelCAthey@...; DelMBaCote@...;

DelDBell@...; DelRBell@...;

DelACrockett-Stark@...; DelAEbbin@...;

DelDEnglin@...; DelSGarrett@...;

DelPHope@...; DelAHowell@...;

DelJMassie@...; DelDMerricks@...;

DelJsey@...; DelSNixon@...;

DelDNutter@...; DelCPeace@...;

DelBPogge@...; DelMSickles@...;

DelLSpruill@...; DelCStolle@...

SAMPLE LETTER

----------------------------------------- Copy Text Blow

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Copy the text below by highlighting it and right-clicking to Copy the text.

Then paste it in your word processing program, add your information, and e-mail

it to your delegate.

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I am writing to make a most important request for your support. Please support

Bill H.B. 512, introduced by Delegate Tom Rust, and consider becoming a

cosponsor. This bill addresses the critical aspects of diagnosis and treatment

of Lyme and tick-borne diseases and deserves bipartisan support.

Lyme disease has become a problem of epidemic proportions in Virginia. Many of

your constituents are afflicted with chronic forms of tick-borne diseases.

Without the protection afforded by this legislation, treatment options for these

victims are severely restricted and many infected with tick-borne disease are

unable to obtain proper treatment. This bill is desperately needed to provide

physicians with the protection they need to treat based on their legitimate,

good-faith medical judgment.

I have read the language of this bill and recognize how clearly this bill is

designed to help my loved ones, friends and me. I am asking you to cosponsor and

commit your support to Bill H.B. 512.

Thank you for your help and support.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Your Address

Your Contact Information

________________________________

From: R S <listspub@...>

Sent: Wed, January 20, 2010 11:38:52 PM

Subject: [ ] Re-do/ Urgent!! Fwd:

NatCapLyme-VA-HB-512-Press-Release

 

So Sorry for those posts. Did not realize the forward would come out that bad.

One more try:

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.natcaply me.org/index. php

Download the Press Release Here:

http://www.natcaply me.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