State Sen. Andrew Dinniman (D-19)
WEST CHESTER – State Senator Andy Dinniman and the Pennsylvania Lyme Disease Awareness Committee will host a screening of “Under Our Skin”, an award-winning documentary about the challenges facing patients with Lyme disease and the doctors struggling to treat them.
The screening is set for Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m. at West Chester University’s Sykes Student Union on Rosedale Avenue. It is open to the public
Dinniman, who is a strong supporter and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 210, the Lyme and Related Tick-Borne Disease Education, Prevention and Treatment Act, will discuss Lyme disease prevention and treatment legislation prior to the film.
After the screening, Doug Fearn, President of the Lyme Disease Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, will take questions from the audience.
“The Commonwealth has the highest number of Lyme cases in the nation, and that number is growing,” Dinniman said. “Furthermore, Lyme is most prevalent right here in southeastern Pennsylvania and poses a serious threat to our health and quality of life. I encourage everyone to come out to see this important and eye-opening documentary.”
The early clinical diagnosis and appropriate treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne disorders can greatly reduce their health risks. Left untreated, Lyme can cause a number of signs and symptoms which can become quite severe and affect every system and organ in the body.
Senate Bill 210 will help promote greater public awareness and education of Lyme disease for the public and physicians. It also calls for providing insurance coverage for long-term antibiotic treatment of Lyme disease as well as ensuring that physicians have a right to diagnose and treat Lyme based on clinical judgment. Senate Bill 210 also protects health care providers from professional misconduct proceedings solely for prescribing long-term antibiotics.
“Part of the difficulty with treating Lyme disease is that cases are underreported and symptoms often go misdiagnosed or ignored. The disease requires a clinical diagnosis and medical guidelines have established multiple standards of care,” Dinniman said. “Senate Bill 210 will go a long way in raising awareness of the broad spectrum of scientific views and treatment options for Lyme disease, while helping ensure that patients have access to the medical care they need.”
For more information on “Under Our Skin”, or to watch a trailer of the film, visit www.underourskin.com.
For more information contact Senator Dinniman’s District Office at (610) 692-2112, or e-mail acirucci@pasenate.com.
