If you’re not then you should be! Today I had the pleasure of meeting Joel Tyner, a Dutchess County Legislator, with some others who are working on the ‘Paint May Lyme Green’ awareness campaign. It was an absolutely beautiful day here in New York, we were right on the Hudson River enjoying the sun (and worrying about ticks) as spring is slowly chasing away winter.
Beyond the specifics of the project, Mr. Tyner discussed a resolution he had just introduced to the Dutchess County Legislature regarding Lyme disease. This is a 4 point resolution that begins with protection of doctors who treat Lyme disease for more than the current 28 day guidelines. It also touches on the rights of the Lyme disease patients to have their treatment properly covered by insurance companies, following in the footsteps of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Next it calls upon the Infection Diseases Society of America (IDSA) to recognize chronic Lyme disease, allow doctors who treat chronic Lyme disease to be a part of the guidelines, as well as to comply with the terms of Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal’s antitrust settlement agreement. Lastly it calls for the creation of a Hudson Valley Lyme Disease Task Force to consist of county and state legislators, Lyme disease experts as well as those who suffer from the disease. This task force would consist of Dutchess, Ulster, Putnam, Orange, Columbia, Greene, Westchester and Rockland counties.
It was exciting for me to be a part of this and be able to hear some of the political side of what is currently being undertaken to confront the countless issues that are associated with Lyme disease. I’m including the link to the petition, where you can read it for yourself as well as sign it. It can only be signed by residents of New York state, so if you are a resident PLEASE sign this petition. If you are not in New York, please send this to anyone you know who does live in New York. Change has to start somewhere, and from there it can spread. As is referenced in the resolution, change has begun in other states and it is time for us in New York to bring that change here for the thousands of lives who are depending on it.
