Budget Amendment ID: FY2022-S3-375

EHS 375

Lyme Disease Working Group

Messrs. Tarr, Keenan and O'Connor moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting after section _ the following:-

"SECTION_. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary there shall be within the Department of Public Health a Lyme and Tick-borne diseases working group. Said working group shall be comprised of the secretary of health and human services or their designee, the commissioner of the department of public health or their designee, the commissioner of the the department of conservation resources or their designee, Four members of the public appointed by the governor one of whom shall have a background in one of the following areas, Infectious diseases; General practitioner; Mental Health; Entomology; Epidemiology; Health Insurance; health advocacy with a focus in tick-borne diseases;  one of whom shall have a background in one of the following areas, Infectious diseases; General practitioner; Mental Health; Entomology; Epidemiology; Health Insurance; health advocacy with a focus in tick-borne diseases. Said working group shall vote on chair and co-chairs of the working group. Said working group shall hold at least one public hearing annually and shall meet at least quarterly.

The working group shall review current best practices for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Lyme and all tick-borne diseases, as well as any reports or recommendations from the local medical community. Working group shall also provide recommendations on improvements to the delivery of care for patients and suspected patients of Lyme and tick-borne diseases, collaborate with the department of health and human services; department of environmental protection; and local governments in promoting effective strategies to combat Lyme and Tick-borne diseases, help streamline state efforts to combat the spread of Lyme and tick-borne diseases, identify all federal opportunities and nonprofit/private organization opportunities where the state may collaborate for projects related to Lyme and tick-borne diseases, collect data and report to the secretaries of the General Court of the Commonwealth on Lyme and tick-borne disease as it appears in the commonwealth annually.

The working group shall annually file a report on a their findings with the clerks of the house and senate, and the department of public health and said report shall be electronically available for the public to view."