As this unprecedented year draws to a close, NatCapLyme would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our community and our friends around the country, for your generous support whether it was by financial donation, volunteering, or supporting our many activities and projects. Through it all, we have continued to conquer, evolve, and meet those new challenges together.

As one of the leading national non-profits dedicated to Lyme and tick-borne diseases, our organization’s efforts are focused on helping people with tick-borne diseases through education, support services, advocacy activities, legislation, and innovative research. NatCapLyme strives to give hope and purpose to patients and families dealing with tick-borne illnesses.

Here are some of the accomplishments we are particularly proud of during 2020:

LEGISLATION

NatCapLyme along with other advocacy groups worked hard this past year to act as a “watchdog group” over the HHS Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG) trying to ensure that the proceedings were fair and transparent. We testified twice during 2020 and brought your concerns, as well as ours, to the TBDWG’s attention.

We worked with county public health officials to promote Lyme disease awareness, prevention, and treatment through special educational programs in VA, MD, NC and DC, and encouraged public officials to declare the month of May as “Lyme Disease Awareness Month.”

GRANTS

For the 7th year NatCapLyme funded scholarships to first-time attending physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to a one-day CME course titled “Lyme Disease Fundamentals” at the ILADS 2020 annual Virtual Scientific Conference titled “One Health Lyme” Lyme Fundamentals.

Review from scholarship recipient — Dr. Matthew Bernstein –  “I appreciated that the speakers discussed the evidence behind the clinical recommendations. I feel like I was able to build a foundation of knowledge that will allow me to build on from now on. It was great timing to be able to begin building on the foundation the very next day. I especially benefited from the more clinically relevant lectures and especially the ones focusing on neuro-borreliosis and mental health manifestations.” – Dr. Matthew Bernstein, September 2020.

EDUCATION

Presented educational programs on Lyme and tick-borne diseases to civic associations, and at health and wellness events. Exhibited and participated in the 2020 Annual Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners Conference, the Maryland Academy of Physician Assistants Conference, and the 9th Annual Virginia Physician Assistants Conference.

Created and produced a new Tick Busters – Wanted Dead or Alive video to complement our educational children’s series of printed materials on ticks and tick-borne diseases. The story booklet and video are currently available for distribution to the public, as well as to schools, camps, libraries, and physician offices free of charge.

LEGAL

Our legal team frequently presents on medical practice management principles for physicians who treat Lyme patients. These courses help to protect physicians in the event of medical board investigations. In 2020, along with New York attorney Jacques Simon, NatCapLyme was involved in assisting in the defense of a Virginia physician whose medical license was jeopardized by the Virginia State Medical Board.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Committed 5,000 Tick Busters – Wanted Dead or Alive booklets to the Little Free Library Book Exchanges www.littlefreelibrary.org.  We have learned that books in the hands of children can have a meaningful impact on improving literacy and make it more likely a child will learn to love to read.

A big part of community service is reaching out and helping others. We were happy to lend a helping hand to several other advocacy groups to draw attention by partnering and supporting their event named The Green Envelope Project Lyme March 2020/Unite to Fight. As part of this event, participants were asked to send messages to their lawmakers, utilizing the VoterVoice online platform provided and funded by NatCapLyme.
http://www.greenenvelopeproject.org/.

This year NatCapLyme continued its in-house internship program by reaching out to local teens ages 16-18 at Supervisor Pat Herrity’s (Springfield District, Virginia) annual 2020 Fairfax County Teen Job Fair. First jobs are important, and these events help prepare our youth for the workforce. NatCapLyme welcomes volunteers of all ages!

In response to our membership’s request, we converted our Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia in-person support group meetings to an on-line Zoom venue.  These Zoom meetings are an important aid in helping patients regain their health by providing life skills for dealing with daily challenges and illness-related social problems, as well as providing information about disability and insurance issues. They are free, ongoing, and open to everyone.

ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

In 2021, we will again be partnering with Dry Home Roofing and Siding (www.dryhome.com) for the 10th year celebration of the Finish Lyme 5K-10K-1K Fun Run, the largest run for Lyme and tick-borne diseases in the country, with as many as 1,500 attendees and 15 states represented. The event is our biggest fundraiser of the year. Unfortunately, in 2020 we had to cancel the run due to the pandemic, but we are working to make it happen in 2021.

In summary, we are proud to have increased awareness about ticks and the diseases they carry over the past year. We work hard to reach educators, healthcare workers and our partners from around the country on this important task.

Our work would not be possible without your support, and that makes you our most important partner. Together, as a team, we can and do make a difference.  Please consider supporting NatCapLyme’s mission to conquer Lyme and tick-borne diseases through education, awareness, advocacy, legislation, and research.

In this season of giving, we want to thank you again for your continued support and friendship. Holiday donations can also be mailed to NatCapLyme at P.O. Box 8211, McLean, VA 22106.

Wishing you and your family good health in the new year!!!

Click here to donate to help ensure that we can continue our important work.

#NatCapLymeStrong