Dr ' Case Update

[Guest guest]

This is posted at _www.lymecommunity.com_ (http://www.lymecommunity.com) ,

BUT I'm posting it EVERYWHERE....please share will every group, forum and board

you know....this is VERY CRITICAL....if we loose Dr the lymecommunity

will have lost 1/2 the war.....PLEASE HELP....

CRITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN DR. JONES' CASE:

The Connecticut Medical Board has stepped up its assault on Dr. : they

have dug up additional cases which involve divorced or estranged parents

fighting over their kids' medical care, and want to add them at this late date

to the current charges. The Board also is bringing the father in from Nevada,

in the hopes of discrediting his ex-wife, who is the mother of the two

children in the current case. It is likely he will try to paint a

Munchausen-type

picture of her, to negate the powerful testimony that she gave during her

appearance at the hearing.

In response to these developments, it is time for the Lyme community to

mount a powerful, visible, vocal, yet respectful response. The Connecticut

Department of Public Health must hear that Dr. has been a highly valued

practitioner whose dedictation and expertise with pediatric Lyme disease has

been

a blessing and a lifesaver to thousands of children and their families.

It is critically important to support Dr. not only because of his

direct contributions to children with tick-borne disease and their families.

If

the CMB is allowed to prevail, it will pave the way for similar charges to be

brought against other physicians who treat Lyme comprehensively in

Connecticut and, ultimately, elsewhere. This situation, together with the

recent

publication of the newly revised, draconian IDSA guidelines, poses another

direct threat to availability of appropriate care and patients' right to

informed

consent in the area of tick-borne disease. The Lyme community must express a

unified, coherent and powerful message regarding our presence and

determination with regard to these issues.

Additional Developments:

1. The state has made a request to allow the father to testify by telephone;

Dr. ' attorneys have opposed this request;

2. The state has called another expert witness for the proscecution, Dr.

Lawrence Zemel, a pediatric rheumatologist affiliated with Connecticut

Children's Medical Center in Hartford, CT.

3. It seems that the Board is determined to add the new cases (mentioned

above) to the current charges and proceeding against Dr. .

WHAT TO DO:

1. Attend (any and all) one or both of the upcoming sessions: Offer rides

and organize carpools. Bring your family and friends, as well as your

children. Some of us who have helped to publicize the previous sessions are

going

to be away on one or more of the next two hearing dates. This, together with

the uncertainty of winter weather conditions, increases our concern about

ensuring strong attendance at these next two sessions.

2. Media Coverage: We are now seeking as much media coverage as possible

for these hearings - newspapers, TV, etc. Is this an arena that you or anyone

you know could help with? Please come forward if you do. Your ideas and

contacts are vital!

Due to the short time frame and other factors, we weren't able to generate a

formal press release for this set of hearings. We welcome your continued

suggestions and assistance in this regard, and hope that ideas for media

coverage may be utilized more effectively in the future.

3. Help to spread the word: Please do what you can to support Dr.

and to get the word out that attendance is more crucial than ever, etc.

4. Formal Protest: For several reasons, this was not deemed appropriate at

the present time. Instead, we have been asked to focus on encouraging

strong attendance at the hearings themselves. Please also note the following

new

addition:

5. Letter Writing Campaign: Folks who support Dr. are encouraged to

write letters to Governor Jodi Rell of Connecticut (you may wish to copy

Attorney General Blumenthal of Connecticut as well). We hope that this will

provide a voice and a vehicle for so many of you who are unable to attend the

hearings. Governor Rell maintains a website which you may utilize to email

her,

instead of or in addition to hard copy letters:

_Click here: Governor Rell: Voice Your Opinion - (PMG)_ ()

_Click here: Governor Rell: Biography of Governor M. Jodi Rell (New)_ ()

5. Donations to Dr. ' Legal Defense Fund: Due to the comlexity of the

case and the issues at hand, the cost of Dr. ' legal defense has been

quite high. We are lucky that Dr. has promised that he won't quit, that

he has assembled a top-notch, committed legal defense team, and is determined

to defend both his license and the right to treat Lyme comprehensively.

This could entail an even lengthier appeal process and even wind up in civil

court. If we want him to prevail, we must remember that his fight is our

fight: this is about much more than one physician's medical license.

To donate to the Ray , M.D. Legal Defense Fund, please go to

_http://www.lymesite.com/Dr-_please_send_a_contribution_to_th.htm_ ()

For information on current/ongoing fundraisers for Dr. ' legal defense

fund, go to _http://www.lymesite.com/LLMD_FUNDRAISER.htm_ ()

Please continue to check your email for more information and details. Mark

your calendars for these two important dates. Thank you for your attention,

your ideas and your support!

Sincerely,

Sheila

Sheila M. Statlender, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychologist

53 Langley Road, Suite 330C

Newton Centre, MA 02459

617-965-2329

Coughlan, President

MA Lyme Disease Awareness Association

P.O. Box 1916, Mashpee, MA 02649

(508) 564-7445