Senator Amedore Named to Serve as Member of Task Force on Lyme and Tick Borne Diseases

Senator George Amedore has been named to the New York State Senate Task Force on Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases. The Task Force was created in 2013 to identify issues that need to be addressed in order to better prevent, detect, and treat tick-borne diseases throughout New York State. 
 

“Lyme and other tick-borne diseases continue to rise at an alarming rate throughout New York State, particularly in the Hudson Valley. “These diseases can be debilitating and often life-threatening – it’s a health issue that needs to be addressed. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on solutions to help prevent, detect, and treat these diseases.”
 

Over 95,000 cases of Lyme Disease have been confirmed in New York, in every region of the State, since 1986 according to the State Department of Health. The Task Force will work to examine ways to increase detection, encourage prevention initiatives, and facilitate better treatment.
 

Since its original creation, Task Force members have reviewed research, consulted with experts, heard from the public, worked to develop legislation, and advocated for additional resources to address the spread of Lyme in New York, which culminated in the creation of a comprehensive report with 19 recommendations.
 

One of the legislative accomplishments that came from the Task Force’s work was the adoption of legislation to help people who may benefit from innovative and effective alternative medical treatment. It prevents the state from charging medical professionals with misconduct when the sole issue is providing or recommending treatment for Lyme and other illnesses that is not universally accepted by the medical community.

Another Task Force recommendation included the creation of a learning collaborative to partner counties in the state that have been at the epicenter of the Lyme epidemic with counties that are just beginning to experience outbreaks. DOH recently announced that it is hosting a Tick-Borne Disease County Learning Collaborative meeting on February 25-26 in Rensselaer County to encourage the sharing of best practices for surveillance, investigation, and education. The report also recommended convening a statewide conference to bring together state health officials and the research community at universities and institutes across New York, which has been scheduled for March 24-25 in Albany.
 

Last year, the Senate succeeded in including $500,000 in the FY 2015 state budget, as well as an additional $100,000 for the state’s disease elimination and reduction efforts.

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