NEWS: Details of Blumenthal's August 30 Lyme hearing in CT
Lyme experts, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and Lyme patients will testify at the University of Connecticut in Stamford.
.
.
.
.
Press release from Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office:
BLUMENTHAL CHAIRS SENATE HEARING IN STATE ON LYME DISEASE PREVENTION, WILL HEAR FROM SENATE COLLEAGUE, PATIENTS AND EXPERTS
(Hartford, Conn.) – On Thursday, August 30th, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) will host a U.S. Senate field hearing on the federal response to Lyme disease. Blumenthal has been a leader in the fight against Lyme disease throughout his career, and is a strong advocate for patients affected by Lyme. Most recently, he introduced the bipartisan Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act (S. 1381), which would increase awareness about Lyme disease and provide more resources to study the illness. This hearing, which Blumenthal will chair in his capacity as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, will explore what next steps the federal government must take to combat Lyme, and how the patient perspective can assist in this effort.
The hearing will include three panels. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will speak on the first panel. As a powerful voice against Lyme disease, Gillibrand will deliver testimony on what legislation is needed to fight Lyme disease from her perspective as a legislator representing the state of New York, which has one of the highest incidences of Lyme disease in the country. Following Senator Gillibrand, three patients – Mark Hopwood of Trumbull, Dwight Harris of Burlington, and Katy Reid of Ridgefield – will speak on a second panel and discuss their experience as Lyme patients and the need for a patient voice in the prevention, research, and treatment discussion.
The third panel will include three Lyme disease experts from Connecticut who will share their perspective:
• Dr. Kirby Stafford, Ph.D.: Dr. Stafford is a medical-veterinary entomologist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Dr. Stafford’s research focuses on the control of the blacklegged tick, which transmits the agents of Lyme disease, human babesiosis, and human ehrlichiosis.
• Dr. Amiram Katz, M.D.: Dr. Amiram Katz is an assistant clinical professor of neurology at the Yale University School of Medicine. He practices in Orange, CT, specializing in neurology, neurophysiology, vascular physiology, epilepsy, sleep medicine, Lyme disease, telemedicine and medical devices. Dr. Katz received an M.D., Cum Laude, from Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. He fulfilled a postdoctoral training fellowship in EEG research and sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, and a postdoctoral training fellowship in epilepsy at Yale University. He published and presented dozens of scientific papers in his areas of expertise. Dr. Katz is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the American EEG Society and the American Medical Informatics Association.
• Dr. Ramin Ahmadi, M.D.: Dr. Ahmadi is the Director of Research and Medical Education at Danbury Hospital. In this capacity, he oversees the Western Connecticut Health Network Lyme Disease Registry, which aims to better understand the spread and manifestations of Lyme. Board certified in internal medicine, Dr. Ahmadi completed his Internship, Residency, and Fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
STAMFORD, CT
Thursday, August 30, 2012
10 AM
Gen Re Auditorium
University of Connecticut – Stamford
One University Place
Stamford, CT 06901
So good to know that Sen Blumenthal is on the sides of those of us who have children inflicted with this terrible disease. I would like to know if this hearing is open to the public.
Many thanks!
katz is a Yale doctor it will not go well. You may as well have all those others from Yale too.
Katz is out of the box – he is a great doctor. just because he comes from Yale do not assume the worse
What do you mean if they are from Yale it is bad for the success of Lyme awareness? I’m fairly new to this game (1 year) so I’m not aware of Yale having any particular stance.
Katz is not like others from Yale. He is a good one.
Katz is outstanding lyme doctor you are lucky if you can find another doctor like him to go to bat for you .
I was a patient of Katz for years. Nice guy; but not progressive enough for this panel. Could think of 2 others immediately off the top of my head that would be much better suited to take this on.
As a chronic lyme disease patient: I was told by my infectious disease doctor..I was only able to get 1 (one) 30 day treatment of intraneous antibotics due to the FDA not approving an aggressive treatment. Although some symptoms are gone..most are still here… Do I wait until the state has to pay for my hospital bills and disability before I can get the correct treatment?? And, I was originially diagnosed while pregnant in 1991 unbeknown to me 21 years later..I am now a chronic lyme disease patient..are these diseases recorded and or followed??
It took me two years, two months and ten days of IV to get better. After one month, I didn’t feel any better.
No don’t wait! Listen to your body and search til you get to a Dr whom will help you. Though the pool of Drs is small their are many who practice with truth and who are eager to help patients. Four years of aggressive treatment for me and I am starting to feel more like myself, not 100% there but closer than I have been and not in miserable agony daily, thanks be to Jesus!
Lyme disease we infected so badly should start SUEING FOR TREAT!ENT!I have to pay and have been paying CASH Aetna dienes IV Rochephin which now left me unable to WALK!THIS HAS TO STOP WE NEED HELP!I don’t need Aetna ” board of directors telling me over MY DR what I need and do NOT need!WE NEED TO GET TOGETHER AND SUE SUE SUE OUR Congressmen and women, SUE our President SUE DC ,for NOT cRing for us SUE CDC and their BS Guidelines which makes doctors AFRIAD to treat you!I am SUEING for LOSING. 4 years of MY LIFE TO misdignoses for lack of treatment, for NOT be able to afford MY medicine for being defined Medicial and medicines as Plaquinel cause Aetna says you don’t have Mylaria,HOW STUPIS STUPIS are they and wtf are THEY and OUR Governement to NOT TREAT LATE STAGE CHRONIC LYME!!!! So I am IN MY dr’ s BOOK I am the real deal,!I have Mny reports I am SUEING and I ADVISE ALL US Lyme suffers to SUE the CRAP out of our government for allowing this disease to GROW! To allow CDC and health insurance to DICTATE the care,lack of it! SUE THE BASTARDS OUR DC Goverment , a BILL is sitting on president Obama’s desk may be when he gets his BUTT off the golf course he will sign it!WE need HELP we NEED N DESERVE IT NOW ! Also better blood labs , quest lab Corp missed my diagnoses if they had caught it I wouldn’t be in bad shape!I BLAME their lame insensitive proffesional labs! I blame dr’s AFRIAD to treat us!I blame OUR WASHINGTON DC LEADERS BOTH sides! WE will SUE you all!!!!!!!