By CARLA WESTERMAN
The Kennett Paper
November 16-22, 2000
More than a dozen Chadds Ford area residents
traveled to New York City
last week to show support for a doctor charged with improper
treatment of
Lyme disease. "We went because we feel this is a
critical problem for our
area," said Harvey Kliman, a Supervisor in Chadds Ford. Both
Kliman and his
wife, Debbie, are being treated for the tick-borne disease, and
they worry
that future treatment may be affected by the outcome of this
case.
"There are some doctors in this area who are not accepting
patients with Lyme
because of fears of being investigated," said Debbie Kliman,
who contracted
the disease in 1989 and was [possibly] reinfected two years ago.
The Chadds Ford group - most of whom are battling chronic Lyme
disease -
joined nearly [more than] 400 other supporters of Dr. Joseph
Burrascano,
whose use of long-time antibiotics in treating Lyme is under
investigation.
The Long Island doctor has been charged with improper treatment
of nine
patients by the New York State Office of Professional
Misconduct. Depending
on the outcome of the hearing that began this month, Burrascano
could have
his medical license revoked or suspended.
An article in The New York Times on Nov. 10 said the heart of the
dispute is
long-term versus short-term use of antibiotics to treat the
disease. While
specialists debate which course of treatment is most effective,
insurance
companies and managed-care groups have a vested interest in
seeing the
shorter, 30-day course of antibiotics prevail.
Debbie Kliman said many area doctors who
prescribe long-term antibiotic
treatment for Lyme patients have been questioned by insurance
companies and
local licensing boards. "They feel distinctly
threatened," she said. The
Times article quoted a speaker at the rally, New York lawyer
Michael
Schoppmann, who said, "The treatment of Lyme disease and its
financial
implications are the insurance industry's worst nightmare.
No one dies from
Lyme disease, no one is cured, and many patients require years of
expensive
treatment."
Like most Chadds Ford residents, the Klimans' house is surrounded
by trees
and shrubs that are the favored habitat of the deer tick.
Although she has
not given up her favorite outdoor activities, Debbie Kliman says
her
experience with Lyme has made her a lot more cautious. She
has lost 80
percent of the hearing in one ear, and sudden dizzy spells have
curtailed her
practice as a licensed psychologist. "People who have
not been exposed to
Lyme don't understand the impact it has on your life," she
says.
The rally in New York City will be a topic at the first meeting
of the Lyme
and Associated Diseases of the Brandywine Valley group to be held
on Tuesday,
Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Po-Mar-Lin Firehouse on Route 82 in
Unionville. For
information, call 6 10-347-1329.
