Sample Phone Blurbs / Ltrs for Lyme bills 2011-12

To help give you the information to make this simple 5 minute call or email. Numbers DO Count!

SAMPLE phone blurb asking House Members for bill support.

I am calling to urge the Congressman/woman to co-sponsor HR 2557, the Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Bill that was introduced by Congressman Christopher Smith of NJ.

Lyme disease has become an epidemic spreading across the country.   People are sick and more people are developing Lyme disease, and the tests aren’t accurate.  The government needs to help these patients and to help find a cure! Patients, and those who treat them, also need a voice in this process. Only you have the power to make that happen. Please co-sponsor HR 2557 today. Thank you. (Give your name, address, phone number)

SAMPLE phone blurb asking Senators for bill support.

I am calling to urge the Senator to co-sponsor S 1381, the Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Bill that was introduced by Senator Blumenthal of CT.

Lyme disease has become an epidemic spreading across the country.   People are sick and more people are developing Lyme disease, and the tests aren’t accurate.  The government needs to help these patients and to help find a cure! Patients, and those who treat them, also need a voice in this process. Only you have the power to make that happen. Please co-sponsor S 1381 today. Thank you. (Give your name, address, phone number)

SAMPLE letter asking House Members for bill support.

Month, day, year

Dear Congressman/woman xxxx:

Please co-sponsor HR 2557, “To provide for the establishment of the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee.”

Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, is usually contracted by the bite from an infected tick. The problem that exists today, however, is much more than just Lyme disease. There are many diseases (some life-threatening) carried by ticks that can complicate tick-borne disease diagnosis, treatment and recovery, e.g. babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI), ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, tularemia, and bartonellosis.

In humans, infection with Lyme disease bacteria alone can lead to early symptoms such as severe headaches, debilitating fatigue, joint pain, and skin rashes, while long-term symptoms can lead to problems related to the central nervous system including the brain, heart, joints and other musculo-skeletal problems. Symptoms of Lyme disease vary for each individual patient, and also vary in intensity over the course of the disease.

The Lyme disease bacterium has the ability to enter the brain less than 24 hours after a tick bite. Lyme is called the “great imitator,” because it can mimic MS, ALS, fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic fatigue, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and even autism.  At the highest risk of acquiring this debilitating disease are our children, ages 5-14.

According to CDC, about 10 percent of cases that meet its surveillance criteria are reported. That translates into more than a quarter of a million new cases of Lyme disease each year.

The medical resources available to help our family members, friends and neighbors with Lyme disease are far from adequate.  A person with Lyme can test negative and still have the disease. Treating doctors think tests miss 50 % or more of patients.

The long-term cost of Lyme disease to families, school systems, the health care system, and the economy is astounding. Mothers and fathers are losing their jobs and their homes and many seek disability because they cannot get treatment. The federal government is footing the bill for many of the chronic cases that slip through the current system and the numbers continue to grow.

Federal legislation is important because it will create a federal advisory committee which will help coordinate the actions taken against tick-borne diseases by federal agencies.  Additionally, it will provide a patient voice in the process, which other diseases already have.  Please cosponsor HR 2557 today and actively promote it to your colleagues.

Sincerely,

Your name
Street Address
City, State and Zip Code
Phone Number
SAMPLE letter asking Senators for bill support.

Month, day, year

Dear Senator xxxx:

Please co-sponsor S 1381, “To provide for the expansion of Federal efforts concerning the prevention,
education, treatment, and research activities related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, including the establishment of a Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee.”

Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, is usually contracted by the bite from an infected tick. The problem that exists today, however, is much more than just Lyme disease. There are many diseases (some life-threatening) carried by ticks that can complicate tick-borne disease diagnosis, treatment and recovery, e.g. babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI), ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, tularemia, and bartonellosis.

In humans, infection with Lyme disease bacteria alone can lead to early symptoms such as severe headaches, debilitating fatigue, joint pain, and skin rashes, while long-term symptoms can lead to problems related to the central nervous system including the brain, heart, joints and other musculo-skeletal problems. Symptoms of Lyme disease vary for each individual patient, and also vary in intensity over the course of the disease.

The Lyme disease bacterium has the ability to enter the brain less than 24 hours after a tick bite. Lyme is called the “great imitator,” because it can mimic MS, ALS, fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic fatigue, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and even autism.  At the highest risk of acquiring this debilitating disease are our children, ages 5-14.

According to CDC, about 10 percent of cases that meet its surveillance criteria are reported. That translates into more than a quarter of a million new cases of Lyme disease each year.

The medical resources available to help our family members, friends and neighbors with Lyme disease are far from adequate.  A person with Lyme can test negative and still have the disease. Treating doctors think tests miss 50 % or more of patients.

The long-term cost of Lyme disease to families, school systems, the health care system, and the economy is astounding. Mothers and fathers are losing their jobs and their homes and many seek disability because they cannot get treatment. The federal government is footing the bill for many of the chronic cases that slip through the current system and the numbers continue to grow.

Federal legislation is important because it will create a federal advisory committee which will help coordinate the actions taken against tick-borne diseases by federal agencies.  Additionally, it will provide a patient voice in the process, which other diseases already have.  Please cosponsor S 1381 today and actively promote it to your colleagues.

Sincerely,

Your name
Street Address
City, State and Zip Code
Phone Number