00:00Hi, I'm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., your HHS Secretary.
00:03I'm joined today by my good friend, actor, and patient advocate, Dennis Quaid.
00:09Today we're announcing bold new actions by the Trump administration to improve care,
00:14accelerate research, and speed innovation for Americans living with Lyme disease, with
00:20Alpha-Cal syndrome, and other tick-borne diseases.
00:23Too many Americans spend months or even years searching for answers.
00:27Too many are misdiagnosed, and too many go and treated.
00:31We're changing that.
00:32Nearly half a million Americans are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease annually.
00:38Behind every one of those numbers is a person, a family, and a community looking for answers.
00:44I know how devastating that search can be.
00:47My good friend, the late Chris Christopherson, spent years living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's
00:53disease.
00:53But Alzheimer's wasn't the problem.
00:55He actually had Lyme disease, and when doctors finally diagnosed him correctly in 2016 and
01:02started the right treatment, his symptoms did improve.
01:06His story isn't unique, and that's exactly why these new actions matter.
01:11That's why HHS is investing millions in innovation to develop AI-powered tools that improve patient
01:18care, enable earlier diagnoses, and accelerate research to help eradicate Lyme disease and
01:25other tick-borne illnesses.
01:28And we're already delivering results.
01:30Over the past two years, HHS has worked with the LymeX community to help bring two improved,
01:36FDA-cleared Lyme diagnostics to market, giving clinicians better tools and helping more patients
01:43get an accurate diagnosis sooner.
01:46And we're also making it easier than ever for patients, that's you out there, to help move the science forward.
01:52If you've had Lyme disease and recovered, or if you were diagnosed with Lyme disease but still suffer lingering symptoms,
01:59please share your experience through CureID.
02:03That's the free FDA and NIH app and website that collects real-world treatment information.
02:10And every story shared gives researchers more data, strengthens future clinical trials,
02:16helps eliminate misdiagnosis, and improves care for the next patient.
02:20And if you don't yet have a trusted Lyme clinician, we've made that easier, too.
02:25Visit HHS.gov slash Lyme and use the Lyme Clinician Locator to find experienced providers near you using your zip
02:36code.
02:36Together, we can advance science, improve care, and give more patients the answers they deserve.
02:43We want to get back to a country where families can enjoy the outdoors again, where kids can spend their
02:49summers
02:49exploring the woods, camping, fishing, hiking, and playing outside.
02:53And parents don't have to wonder whether a single tick bite could change their child's life forever.
03:00That's how we make America healthy again.
03:03Thank you very much.
03:06Produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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