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For Distribution: Posted on behalf of Dr. Jones:
The next session before the Connecticut Medical Examining
Board will take place on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 9:00
a.m. at the Department of Public Health located at 410
Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT., Hearing Room C. At that time, the
Department will finish its examination of Dr. Zemel, its expert witness,
and Attorney Pollack is scheduled to cross-examine
him.
At the last session on May 9, we heard testimony from one of the fathers
involved in the current set of charges against Dr. Jones. The other
witness who was scheduled to testify was Dr. Harwin, the
retired pediatrician who had served as the expert in pediatrics for
the Department of Public Health (DPH) in the last case. He did
not appear, however. We learned from Attorney Tilles, the prosecutor for
the CT DPH, that Dr. Harwin will
not testify at all in this case. Those of us who were
able to attend this previous
session were struck by some of the insightful questions asked
by the hearing panel.
Dr. Jones extends a warm invitation to all who
are interested to attend the next hearing session on June
10. For those of you who aren't able to make the trip, please know how very
much he appreciates your support and good wishes from afar.
For those of you who can't attend in person and would like
to support Dr. Jones, a number of opportunities currently are
available for contributing to the Charles Ray Jones, M.D. Legal Defense
Fund:
1. Purchase a book or other item from Amazon.com by accessing
the link through Kay Lyon's website, and 4% of your total purchase will
be donated to Dr. Jones' fund: http://www.lymesite.com/amazon%20fundraiser.htm
2. Book signing and sale of Cure Unknown
by Pamela Weintraub, science journalist: hosted by Drs.
Russell Donnelly, Sheila Statlender and Family on Saturday, June 7,
2008 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. 50% of the proceeds from book
sales at this event will go to Dr. Jones' fund. For those who
can't attend, it will be possible to order a copy which we will mail to
you. Watch for more information, or email SStatlende@aol.com to
place an order for this book.
3. Donate directly to the Charles Ray Jones, M.D. Legal Defense
Fund (note new instructions below):
Make Donations payable to " Pullman & Comley Trust Account-for Dr. Charles Jones" Mail to: Elliott Pollack c/o Pullman & Comley, LLC 90 State House Square Hartford, CT 06103-3702 Note "gift" in the memo field
If you are a patient of Dr. Jones and would like
to
write a note of support, please send your letters to him at:
Charles Ray Jones, MD
Madison Towers 111 Park Street, 1st Floor
New Haven, CT 06511
Thanks very much for your attention, concern and support!
Warmly,
Sheila
HEARING, FRIDAY MAY 2nd! Here is the corrected information regarding the location of Dr. Jones'
hearing this Friday: Judge Postpones Reprimand In Jones Case
Most people know that after the decision of the Connecticut Medical
Board
in December, Dr. Jones' attorney filed an appeal. Here is a summary of what happened--all good news for the community, particularly the staying of the new four-part standard of care test inserted into the medical board opinion: The Connecticut Superior Court stayed the reprimand and the two years probation. The civil penalty, $10,000, was placed in a trust account pending appeal. Although the monitoring factor remains in place, the monitor is not permitted to use the newly enunciated four-part standard of care test (diagnosis of a condition that had a low risk, non-specific history, non-specific symptoms, and negative test) in that monitoring. Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA CALDA
http://tinyurl.com/2p3osl
[Open in new window] Judge Postpones Reprimand In Jones Case By William Hathaway | The Hartford Courant 4:00 PM EST, February 26, 2008 A Connecticut Superior Court judge has put a reprimand temporarily on hold by state health officials of Hamden pediatrician Dr. Charles Ray Jones, whose license had been put on probation for diagnosing Lyme Disease in two out-of-state patients he had never seen. The case drew national attention because advocates for Lyme Disease patients say Jones courageously prescribes antibiotics for the tic- borne disease, which they says is often missed by doctors and existing diagnostic tests. However, many mainstream doctors have argued that Jones and other "Lyme doctors'' often overlook more likely causes of fatigue, joint pain and neurological deficits when they diagnose chronic Lyme infection, a condition they argue is rare. The medical examining board in December fined Jones $10,000 and put the 81-year old doctor on probation for two years for prescribing antibiotics to two Nevada children before he ever examined them. Jones' lawyers then filed an appeal of the decision. Under the order dated Feb. 20, a New Britain Superior Court judge Henry S. Cohn stayed the fine and probation until Jones' appeal could be heard. Lawyers for the Connecticut Health Department had argued that Jones acted inappropriately when he prescribed antibiotics to two children in Nevada, a state with a very low incidence of Lyme Disease. CRITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN DR. JONES' CASE:
The Connecticut Medical Board has stepped up its assault on Dr. Jones:
they have dug up additional cases which involve divorced or estranged parents
fighting over their kids' medical care, and want to add them at this
late date to the current charges. The Board also is bringing the father in
from Nevada, in the hopes of discrediting his ex-wife, who is the mother
of the two children in the current case. It is likely he will try to
paint a Munchausen-type picture of her, to negate the powerful testimony that
she gave during her appearance at the hearing.
In response to these developments, it is time for the Lyme community to mount
a powerful, visible, vocal, yet respectful response. The
Connecticut Department of Public Health must hear that Dr. Jones has been a
highly valued practitioner whose dedication and expertise with pediatric
Lyme disease has been a blessing and a lifesaver to thousands of children
and their families.
It is critically important to support Dr. Jones not only because of
his direct contributions to children with tick-borne disease and their
families. If the CMB is allowed to prevail, it will pave the way for
similar charges to be brought against other physicians who treat Lyme
comprehensively in Connecticut and, ultimately, elsewhere. This situation,
together with the recent publication of the newly revised, draconian IDSA
guidelines, poses another direct threat to availability of appropriate
care and patients' right to informed consent in the area of tick-borne
disease. The Lyme community must express a unified, coherent and
powerful message regarding our presence and determination with
regard to these issues.
Additional Developments:
1. The state has made a request to allow the father
to testify by telephone; Dr. Jones' attorneys have opposed this request;
2. The state has called another expert
witness for the prosecution, Dr. Lawrence Zemel, a pediatric rheumatologist
affiliated with Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, CT.
3. It seems that the Board is determined to
add the new cases (mentioned above) to the current charges and
proceeding against Dr. Jones.
WHAT TO DO:
1. Attend (any and all) one or both of the upcoming
sessions: Offer rides and organize carpools. Bring your
family and friends, as well as your children. Some of us who have helped
to publicize the previous sessions are going to be away on one or more of
the next two hearing dates. This, together with the uncertainty of
winter weather conditions, increases our concern about ensuring strong attendance at
these next two sessions.
2. Media Coverage: We are now seeking as much
media coverage as possible for these hearings - newspapers, TV,
etc. Is this an arena that you or anyone you know could help with?
Please come forward if you do. Your ideas and contacts are vital!
Due to the short time frame and other factors, we
weren't able to generate a formal press release for this set of hearings. We welcome
your continued suggestions and assistance in this regard, and hope that ideas
for media coverage may be utilized more effectively in the future.
3. Help to spread the word: Please do what you
can to support Dr. Jones and to get the word out that attendance is
more crucial than ever, etc.
4. Formal Protest: For several
reasons, this was not deemed appropriate at the present time. Instead,
we have been asked to focus on encouraging strong attendance at the hearings
themselves. Please also note the following new addition:
5. Letter Writing Campaign: Folks
who support Dr. Jones are encouraged to write letters to Governor Jodi
Rell of Connecticut (you may wish to copy Attorney General Blumenthal of
Connecticut as well). We hope that this will provide a voice and a
vehicle for so many of you who are unable to attend the hearings.
Governor Rell maintains a website which you may utilize to email her, instead
of or in addition to hard copy letters:
5. Donations to Dr. Jones' Legal Defense Fund: Due
to the complexity of the case and the issues at hand, the cost of Dr. Jones'
legal defense has been quite high. We are lucky that Dr. Jones has
promised that he won't quit, that he has assembled a top-notch, committed
legal defense team, and is determined to defend both his license and the right
to treat Lyme comprehensively. This could entail an even lengthier
appeal process and even wind up in civil court. If we want
him to prevail, we must remember that his fight is our fight: this
is about much more than one physician's medical license.
To donate to the Charles Ray Jones, M.D. Legal Defense Fund, please go to http://www.lymesite.com/Dr-Jones_please_send_a_contribution_to_th.htm
For information on current/ongoing fundraisers for Dr. Jones' legal defense
fund, go to http://www.lymesite.com/LLMD_FUNDRAISER.htm
Please continue to check your email for more information and details.
Mark your calendars for these two important dates. Thank you for
your attention, your ideas and your support!
Sincerely,
Sheila
Sheila
M. Statlender, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
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