UPDATE
January 2014
Dr. Jones estimates that he will need to raise $23,000 by next Wednesday, January 15 in order to keep his office open. He apologizes for having to issue yet another urgent plea of this nature, and wishes that he could be checking in simply to wish you a happy new year.
Charles Ray Jones, M.D.
Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine
Lyme Disease
111 Park Street, First Floor
New Haven, CT 06511
Tel: (203) 772-1123
Fax: (203) 772-0682
November 23, 2013
Dear Friends,
My update for the community is overdue. I'm happy to report that my
leg finally is healing well, and that the rather large basal cell
carcinoma on my face has been successfully removed. I'm now awaiting
cataract surgery, and very soon will be ready to run marathons again!
(well, maybe only a half-marathon...)
The need to take care of these matters prevented me from presenting at
the ILADS conference in San Diego this year, but I'm delighted that I
had a second opportunity to share important information as a speaker at
the recent conference on PANDAS/PANS in Providence on November 9-10.
Dr. Jeanne Hubbuch and I presented on the role of Lyme disease in these
disorders. I am proud and humbled to have shared the podium with some
of the leading researchers in the field, including Dr. Madeleine
Cunningham and Dr. Susan Swedo. I have become passionate about the
potential impact of infection-induced autoimmune encephalopathy on many
Lyme sufferers, especially our children, triggering a range of
neuropsychiatric symptoms. As Madeleine Cunningham has said, work of
this nature has the capacity to revolutionize how we think of
psychiatric illness!
I also am delighted to report that, because of your support, I have
continued to be able to maintain my office and clinical practice,
despite the need to cut back my hours. This has allowed me to
investigate these disorders, as well as to treat the children. The
monitoring of my practice is scheduled to end in March, 2014. Happily,
no infractions have been reported by the monitor. The monitoring
requirement been very stressful for my office, however, with
preparation for the monthly visits over the past four years taking
hours of time and energy. I am grateful to my colleagues for their
establishment of a fund to assist with the very high monitor fees.
In my previous updates, I have explained the several factors which have
resulted in a reduction in my income, including the medical procedures
that I have needed to have done, and highly complex pediatric cases
that require lengthier appointments and treatment planning. As a
result, I see fewer patients on many days, and this situation is likely
to be ongoing. After a careful assessment of our financial viability
going forward, I estimate a revenue shortfall of $25,000 per month. In
order to keep the practice open, I will require continued financial
support, which you have been providing so generously over the past
several, very challenging years.
It pains me deeply to have to reach out to you on such a frequent
basis, when you already have been so generous. But I have taken to
heart your many letters, phone calls and other expressions of support,
including the requests that I keep the community informed and allow you
to participate in the decision to keep my office open. My hope for a
long-term solution is the creation of a not-for-profit organization
that will be dedicated to research and the treatment of these complex
diseases, so that your children are able to receive the medical care
they require.
Under these circumstances, if you would like to help by making another
donation, please send it as soon as possible because, once again, our
bills are due. If you are in a position to donate on a monthly basis,
as some of you do already, please indicate your commitment to do so
when you make your donation, or send us a reply email stating “monthly
donor” in the subject line. In future letters, I will keep you
informed about my financial situation and let you know when and if
additional funds are no longer needed.
Donations may be sent to me in one of two ways:
Option #1: Checks may be sent to the following address: - be sure to
note "gift" in the memo field:
Charles Ray Jones, M.D.
111 Park Street - 1st Floor
New Haven, CT 06511
(Note “gift” in the memo field)
Option #2: Paypal: Donations may be made online through a link which
is available on the Facebook page for the Children’s Lyme Disease
Network, which goes directly to my Paypal account. You must have
access to Facebook in order to utilize this link:
https://www.facebook.com/childrenslymenetwork.
Again, thank you for all of the caring and support you have extended to
me and to my office staff over these past several years. I wish you a
very happy Thanksgiving, and look forward to hearing from you as soon
as possible!
With gratitude,
Dr. Jones
Charles Ray Jones, M.D.