Hyde Park, NY With zero new dollars included in either the Assembly or Senate One-House Budget Proposals to combat the spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases (TBDs), Senators Sue Serino, Daphne Jordan, and Alexis Weik today joined researchers, patients, and advocates from across New York in a virtual press conference to urge legislative leaders to invest in research, education and prevention initiatives in this year’s State Budget. The coalition is pushing for at least $1.5 million to be included in the final enacted budget that is slated to pass by April 1st.
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A New York state senator from the Hudson Valley is calling for the state budget to include funding for Lyme and tick-borne diseases research, education and prevention initiatives. It comes as other lawmakers and advocates share her hope that the COVID-19 pandemic is not distracting from other health issues, like Lyme.
Republican state Senator Sue Serino’s 41st District includes a large portion of Dutchess County and part of Putnam County areas with high incidents of Lyme and tick-borne diseases.
“Approximately 8,000 of Lyme disease and more than 1,200 cases of other tick-borne diseases are reported to the New York state Department of Health each year,” says Serino.
Calls for Budget Funding, Works to Raise Awareness
HYDE PARK, NY With this year’s Executive Budget Proposal including no funding expressly dedicated to combating the spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases (TBDs), (TBDs), Senator Sue Serino today brought lawmakers, researchers, and advocates from across the state together at a virtual press conference to put a spotlight on the need to invest in research, education and prevention initiatives. The coalition is asking the state to commit at least $1.5 million to the cause in the final enacted State Budget.
At the event, Serino pointed to the fact that after years of fighting for acknowledgement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently updated its reporting measures and now estimates that approximately 476,000 Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year, a significant increase from their previous estimate of approximately 300,000. Serino argues that with New Yorkers sp