DSA TO REVIEW GUIDESLINES JULY 30TH

What you can do:

• Tie Ribbons “round your old oak tree” or wherever visible in front of your local media outlets — TV/ radio/cable stations and newspapers headquarters — on Wednesday,  July 29, 2009 to bring attention to the Lyme Treatment Guideline Review Hearing, on Thursday, July 30, 2009, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The IDSA (Infectious Diseases Society of America) will webcast its hearings of 18 presenters from the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.  The ribbons will serve as the Lyme community’s way of drawing attention to this important event.   An explanatory press release should be sent to the media to accompany the display of ribbons.  We will send you a suggested press release, asking for coverage of this event.  Edit and use this for your own organization along with your contact information.
• Plan an Event to view the webcast on July 30th and use it to educate people about Lyme, including doctors, educators, and politicians.    ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) will have a live stream in the J.W. Marriott across from the hearings, where reporters will be invited and patients, advocates, and doctors will be interviewed.  We encourage everyone across the county to plan a gathering in their neighborhood to watch the hearings.   We are making a special request to our NatCapLyme members to attend the Lyme Watch Media Center at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, 1331Pennsylvania Ave. NW, anytime during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 30th.  Parking is available and the location is Metro accessible.  
• Twitter-Chat to let us know your comments during the hearings.  ILADS and On The Marc Media will host a live all-day twitter conference from the Lyme Watch Media Center.  They will be twittering from just outside the IDSA hearings to people all over the world about the proceedings happening across the street, and Lyme patients everywhere will be able to watch the hearings.  We encourage everyone to participate with comments and opinions.  During the lunch break, hearing attendees will offer their impressions of proceedings.  Please do all you can to ensure that your community and local media do not overlook this important event.   Instructions for joining the twitter are below.

Background:   The IDSA will hold hearings in response to the 2008 settlement of an antitrust suit by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.  In the settlement, the IDSA agreed to review its 2006 guidelines limiting the use of antibiotics to treat the disease.

This hearing is very important to the Lyme community, which has advocated for more flexible guidelines recognizing a physician’s right to determine whether patients could benefit from longer term treatment without the threat of losing their licenses.  The Governor of Connecticut recently signed into law legislation  that would permit physicians to determine what treatment is best, effectively overruling the current IDSA guidelines in that state.