Tick-Borne Illness Center of Excellence: Now Seeing Patients

For roughly a decade, Scott has been plagued with headaches, fatigue and muscle pain. He searched for answers and relief for his condition, consulting doctors and specialists only to be told there was nothing to be done. In March of 2018, he tested positive for anaplasmosis, a tick-borne illness. Unfortunately, even with the conclusive test results and a 30-day course of antibiotics, Scott was still left searching for help to restore his health. 

Then he entered the Open Medicine Institute & Howard Young Foundation’s Tick-Borne Illness Center of Excellence, and his request for help was heard and answered. The Center officially began seeing patients on September 24, 2019, and Scott was among the first patients to receive treatment there. 

“Complex, acute and chronic illnesses can be devastating to patients, particularly when a disease itself is poorly understood,” said Dr. Andy Kogelnik, director of the Open Medicine Institute and the Tick-Borne Illness Center of Excellence. “At the Center we have specialized tools unavailable in many traditional clinical settings. These tools let us deliver and exceed the standard of care.”

Patients at the Center receive a caring, individualized and advanced approach to their problems. They are listened to by a caring team who deliver a comprehensive personalized treatment and follow-up plan to move them from illness back to health regardless of what their trouble is.

“At the Center we believe that the current state of medicine just touches the tip of the iceberg in terms of our understanding of human biology and disease especially around ticks, their bugs and the immune system,” Dr. Kogelnik explained. “We think it's critically important for each of us to help build that knowledge at every step of the way so we can improve diagnostic tools and treatments.  It's a way to give back to the community and deliver the best treatment plan for each patient.”

Dr. Kogelnik spent over an hour with Scott during their initial meeting. According to Scott, it was the first time he left a medical appointment with hope, feeling believed and feeling like there was a plan and course of action.

“Dr. Kogelnik was very thorough in trying to understand my symptoms and discussing what potential treatments would address those symptoms,” Scott said. “I felt that if I’m going to get better, this is the person that's going to help me get there because he wants to help, and he has a different mindset than than the previous doctors I have seen. He's a partner in trying to find a positive solution.”

The staff at the Center use their knowledge and experience to create a personalized treatment plan, informing the patient about what to expect every step of the way. It is definitely not a “one-size-fits-all” approach. 

“Connie was with me throughout treatment, monitoring my vitals and charting my progress every day,” related Scott. “I had to have seven back-to-back days of treatment, one and one-half hours each, that started on a Tuesday, which meant she came in on the weekend to provide me care. It seems exceptional to me for an out-patient to be seen on the weekend.”

Scott recently finished a short course of IV antibiotics. He and Dr. Kogelnik are giving it a little time to see how the different symptoms respond before determining the next steps in his treatment plan.

“The Center is here to help,” said Dr. Kogelnik. “We help patients first and foremost, and we help physicians and researchers understand and address the epidemic of tick-borne Illnesses. It will take a community effort to succeed.”

“The Center gives patients who are coming in the opportunity to be heard, understood and helped,” Scott stated. “And if there's a course of action or treatment that's going to be successful, it's going to come from here.”

Please support tick-borne illness diagnosis, treatment and research by donating to the Howard Young Foundation’s Tick-Borne Illness Fund today.