As promised earlier this week after I spoke with Dr. B., I am writing a list of things that need to be done to help Dr. B. and the other LLMDs under the gun here in NYS.

• Since it is the NYS government which can stop the OPMC harassment of our doctors, the direct political lobbying action at this time must come from New York State residents.  We are, therefore, asking anyone who lives in New York State to sign up with us immediately to help lobbby member of the NYS Senate to call for a Senate hearing into OPMC bias against LLMDs.  If you have friends or family who live in NYS, please contact them to see if they would be willing to sign up with Voices of Lyme to help lobby our State Senators.  They do not have to have Lyme disease; they just need to be willing to help us.

Please sign up by sending your name , phone number and address with zip code to nylyme@yahoo.com.   You will receive an e-mail from the nylyme list (Voices of Lyme) explaining how to lobby and helping you connect with others who can help you lobby.  People who do not have e-mail should call Eva at 631-858-6657 to sign up.

Fortunately, Dr. Burrascano's concern that the legislators we have already lobbied have forgotten about us is not warranted..  New Yorkers have done anincredible job lobbying and enlisting the support of many Assembly members for an Assembly hearing into OPMC bias against our docs.  The many State Assembly members we have contacted ARE still very much on our side.  This frees New Yorkers to now focus on lobbying the State Senate.
 

• We know that people outside of NYS are very eager to help fight for Dr. B. and our other LLMDs.  Although people are eager to know whom to write to, at this point in time our best information tells us that the New York politicians will only respond to letters from New Yorkers.

SO the most effective way that people from outside New York State can now help is by fundraising for desperately needed legal fees for our doctors.  This is a vital part of our fight to save our doctors!

Considering the devastation that has occured in our country in the past month, it may be hard for people to ask others for money to save our Lyme disease treatment. I keep having to remind myself that we are, in fact, trying to save lives here.   We are trying to stop an injustice that will unnecessarily cost many more lives in the future, and I think we just have to keep reminding ourselves how important this mission is.  Whether by actually holding fundraisers or by contacting friends for donations, please try to donate to the following Legal Defense Funds:
 

1. Dr. Burrascano Legal Defense Fund

  c/o Monica Miller
  PO Box 410
  Kinderhook, NY 12106
Please make checks out to the Dr. Burrascano Legal Defense Fund.
2. Dr. Orens Legal Defense Fund

  c/o Asher Fensterheim, Esq.
  555 White Plains Road
  Tarrytown, NY 10591
Please make checks out to Asher Fensterheim, Esq, with Dr Orens Legal Fund written in the memo section of the check.
As most of your know, Dr. Orens was the first LLMD in NYS to have his license REVOKED .   This decision was overturned by an appeals court, but the OPMC has gone ahead against him.  It is essential that the Lyme community not let the OPMC prevail against a doctor who we believe was targetted because he treats chronic Lyme disease!
 
• Also, please donate to the Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine (FAIM).   If you have not yet joined (as per the recommendation from Dr. B) please do so at their website at www.faim.org.

If you are able to make additional donations, please send them to:

FAIM
PO Box 7016
Albany,NY 12225-0016
FAIM has been extremely helpful in fighting OPMC bias against our doctors.  Monica Miller from FAIM has worked with us constantly during the last year and a half.  Among the many things she has done with or for us are Lobby Day and the press conference with Dr. B's patients protesting the use of their cases to charge Dr. B with professional misconduct.  She is now working with us promoting legislative hearings and legislation to reform OPMC.  We cannot afford to lose Monica's help , which would happen if FAIM is forced to close its offices due to lack of funds - which is becoming a real possibility.  Please join and contribute to FAIM.
 
• Voices of Lyme is now concentrating on getting legislative hearings into OPMC bias.  Although we organized the November 9th rally last year and Lobby Day this year, we want to be sure that people understand that we will not have the ability to organize any further rallies about OPMC harassment of our docs.  We hope that if people feel that a rally about NYS OPMC bias is indicated, someone (can be from any state in the country) will volunteer to organize it.  HOWEVER, we ask that anyone who takes this on contact me first to make sure that any rally about the OPMC does not backfire and impact negatively on what is happening politically in NYS.

• Non-New Yorkers who are able to do some of the clerical work involved in lobbying, please contact me at ellenluba@yahoo.com.  We urgently need people to make phone calls, to do mailings and to be available for any similar tasks we might need help with.  (Voices of Lyme is totally grassroots,so unfortunately, there is no money to give to people for their phone or mailing costs).

So that is about it - except that we are making much progress with the NYS Assembly , which we are hoping we will be able to soon say has led to our success in getting a hearing into the OPMC bias against Lyme disease doctors.

Thanks all,

Ellen