NY Senate/Assembly Pass Doc Protection

In an end of the session surprise move, the New York Senate passed on June 18 a doctor protection bill, S7854, introduced by Senator Kemp Hannon, a recent supporter of the passage of doctor protection legislation in New York. The Senate version of the bill was not the same as the one which recently passed the Assembly, so the Assembly had to vote on the new Senate version, which it passed on June 19. The NYS Coalition on Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases, a coalition consisting of NYS Lyme groups, is primarily responsible for the current efforts to get doctor protection passed in NYS. The  doctor protection bill has been sent to the Governor of New York who will most likely sign it into law. 

See link to the bill text and language which memorializes the OPMC memo on protection which has been in place in NYS.      

https://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S7854-2013

The Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) memo that has been in place since 2005, was put into place after extensive meetings in Albany in an effort led by the LDA, the Hudson Valley LDA, and NY Lyme partnering with then Assemblymen Joel Miller, Adam Bradley and Nettie Meyersohn to obtain doctor protection legislation. At that time, the governor and legislature did not want to pass the protection legislation which we felt was needed, so the compromise was a memo that was sent to the OPMC staff  reminding them that there were already principals in place protecting physicians who provide non-conventional treatment and specifically mentioning Lyme disease. 

The NY Task Force on Lyme also released its recommendations.

https://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/new-task-force-report-recommendations-address-lyme-and-tick-borne-diseases