{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399941", "<span class =\"kicker\">Asbury Park Press News Article on Smiths Lyme Disease Efforts; 'Big news for chronic Lyme disease sufferers'</span>'With the help of Rep. Chris Smith and a Wall advocate, the House passed breakthrough legislation on the hot-button is", "2016-12-01", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "By Jerry Carino, APP Staff Writer - \r\n  \r\nFor decades, Wall resident Pat Smith has implored the medical establishment to acknowledge the existence of chronic Lyme disease. On Wednesday, her quest took a big step forward.\r\nThe House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act, a comprehensive health care bill that would establish a national working group\u00a0on Lyme disease. The 14-member panel\u00a0would include physicians with experience in treating tick-borne diseases, Lyme patients and advocates for those suffering from the condition.\r\n\u201cThis is really groundbreaking,\u201d said Smith, president of national nonprofit Lyme Disease Association in Wall.\u00a0\u201cPrior to this we\u2019ve never had anything at the federal level that permitted patients to be at the table with federal officials. It\u2019s desperately needed.\u201d\r\nLyme disease affects nearly 400,000 people per year in the U.S., most of whom live in the northeast. For many who are diagnosed promptly, the standard month-long course of antibiotics mitigates the illness. But detection is difficult, and for thousands of folks, the symptoms continue for months or years.\r\nTo date, the influential Infectious Diseases Society of America has declined to recognize chronic Lyme in its clinical practice guidelines. Chronic Lyme advocates say that omission has caused a domino effect of needless suffering.\r\nRELATED: As Lyme controversy rages, 7 prevention tips\r\n\r\nRep. Chris Smith, R-N.J.\u00a0(Photo: File photo)\r\n\r\nRepresentative Chris Smith (R-4th) has been pushing for a federal panel to address the issue since the early 1990s. The Senate is expected to pass the Cures Act, which got through the House by a vote of 392-26, in the coming days.\r\n\r\n\u201cMany have suffered for decades with this debilitating disease, only to be told that their illness does not exist,\u201d Chris Smith said in a statement. \u201cEnactment of the Cures package will move us one step closer to acknowledging and addressing the root problems of chronic Lyme.\u201d\r\nRELATED: Chris Smith on Lyme disease 'culture of denial'\r\nThe issue was first brought to Rep. Smith\u2019s attention by Pat Smith. In the late 1980s\u00a0Lyme disease afflicted two of her daughters, one of whom missed four years of school. For years, she\u00a0and Chris Smith (no relation) worked in vain to get federal recognition of chronic Lyme.\r\n\u201cThe continued dissemination of outdated guidelines . . . has contributed to medical community\u2019s denial of\u00a0chronic Lyme disease and the denial of coverage by insurance companies of treatments for chronic Lyme disease,\u201d Smith told the Asbury Park Press in a wide-ranging interview on the subject in May.\r\nNew Jersey ranks second among all states in Lyme cases, with 4,855 reported in 2015. Since the condition is known to be under-reported because it can be difficult to detect, the actual number of cases in the Garden State is believed to be closer to 50,000.\r\n\u201cHaving knowledgeable people at the table\u00a0will put the focus on the research, and there is a huge amount of brand-new research that shows there are (Lyme) cells that are left over after regular treatment,\u201d said Pat Smith, who was involved in drafting the language establishing the working group. \u201cThis may be the root of the problem.\u201d\r\nIn addition, she said, the Cures Act \u201cwill cause these federal agencies to have to talk about all of this in public.\u201d\r\nFor both Pat and Chris Smith, it marks a victory after prior attempts to create a national task force were rejected.\r\n\u201cMy original legislation ensured the individuals impacted by federal policies would have a seat at the table when the decisions are made,\u201d Chris Smith said. \u201cIt has taken many years and several drafts, but thankfully today\u2019s Cures package includes similar language that will begin the process of addressing the great unmet needs in the Lyme community in an open and transparent manner.\u201d\r\nFor more information on the Wall-based Lyme Disease Association, visit www.lymediseaseassociation.org. \r\n\r\nThis article was originally published by the Asbury Park Press on Page A3 of the Dec. 5, 2016 \u00a0print edition, and online on Dec. 1, 2016. It can be viewed online at:\r\nhttp://www.app.com/story/news/health/2016/12/01/big-news-chronic-lyme-disease-sufferers/94713520/?hootPostID=2a89f1136079142e4068ff2a5c2885ff", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399941"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7599568925797939, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}