Improving Lives Today Begins with Education. Regardless of age, education, or experience, learning is the catalyst for change.You cannot influence a process, mindset, or required skill without learning what needs improvement and how to accomplish it. That is why credentialed medical providers are required to refresh and expand their knowledge base. The advent of the devastating coronavirus is the current catalyst that now demands that providers learn how to diagnose and manage complex multisystem illnesses.
The Bateman Horne Center (BHC) does not have the capacity to see every person with these complex illnesses. We do have the educational and resource tools to help accelerate the ability of providers to meet the expanding needs of impacted patients. This is the core of BHC’s strategic mission: to educate providers and patients to improve access to evidence-informed care. In 2021, BHC’s educational programs will reach over 700 medical professionals in four different countries through live and virtual lectures. Each healthcare professional reached is a touchpoint for change. Patients have long been misdiagnosed and met with disbelief when living with these complex illnesses. We are proactively shifting that landscape by applying clinical and research experience to educate patients and providers and equip them with tangible and actionable intervention tools.
Our educational mission is funded entirely through grants and generous donations. Supporting BHC is supporting our ability to impact change. And change means improved care and less patient isolation and suffering. While not every aspect of these illnesses can be fixed or completely managed, expanding the network of knowledge affords patients an opportunity for validation, proper diagnosis, increased manageability and function, and improvement in their quality of life. Our educational work is essential in changing lives for the better – today. As you, your friends, and loved ones are considering charitable contributions, please consider the timely and critical educational programs of BHC as worthy of your support.
Rob Ence, Executive Director, and Tahlia Ruschioni, Education Director
Mission Possible Campaign
November kicks off the giving season. Now through December 31st donations will be matched dollar for dollar. To sustain our work we have a goal to raise $550,000.
Supporting BHC is supporting our ability to impact change. Donate today and see below for additional ways to help.
Lives Improved by BHC Today
“The Bateman Horne Center’s clinical care, research, and education all work together to help me feel seen, heard and understood.”
Members of the community shared personal messages about the impact BHC has on their lives. Whether it’s increased function from learning how to manage orthostatic intolerance, receiving better care from a clinician who attended a medical presentation or breaking the isolation by joining support groups, members of this illness community are experiencing changes now as a result of our work.
Read these messages at the top of the page (here).
We want to hear from you!
(Continued from above.) Email your personal message to [email protected], with the following: impact statement (1-2 sentences), where you live (state or country), how you wish to be identified (anonymous vs. first name/initials/ or pw ME/CFS, FM, LC) and an image of yourself (optional).
These messages will be shared with BHC staff and publicly. We look forward to receiving your impact message!
Amazon Smile
Don’t forget to Smile! 😀 At no charge to you, Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to a charity of your choice. Simply go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and select Bateman Horne Center as the charity you wish to support. Amazon will automatically send a percentage of your purchase amount to BHC. Be sure to bookmark smile.amazon.com for your holiday shopping!
BHC News
Medical Professional Education
This month, Drs. Bateman and Yellman are presenting at the following conferences: 1) Homecare & Hospice for Utah and New Mexico, respectively, 2) Utah Center for Rural Health & Rural Opioid Healthcare Consortium, 3) National Center for Neuroimmunology & Emerging Diseases (international conference)
We will share the recordings once they become available.
A Comprehensive Examination of Severely Ill ME/CFS Patients
The special issue journal, ME/CFS-The Severely and Very Severely Affected, recently published another paper. “Here, we report a comprehensive examination of the symptoms and clinical laboratory tests of a cohort of severely ill patients and healthy controls. The greatly reduced quality of life of the patients was negatively correlated with clinical depression.” Dr. Bateman is a co-editor on the journal. Read the paper here.
BHC Research News
In 2017 the NIH awarded funding to The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), Columbia University, and Cornell University for ME/CFS Collaborative Research Centers (CRC). The initiative established a network of centers to work collaboratively to advance research and knowledge about ME/CFS.
BHC is involved as the Clinical Core for JAX CRC and works with Columbia on a clinical project to assess the 10-Minute NASA Lean Test, we recruit the research participants, conduct clinical evaluations and collect biological samples which are then shared with JAX and Columbia.
Columbia University and JAX have each submitted manuscripts for peer review and as part of the submission process, have uploaded the manuscripts to the bioRxiv.org preprint server. Drs. Bateman and Vernon are co-authors of these papers.
We’ve provided a high-level summary and a link to the pre-print below. The pre-print has not been peer-reviewed.
We thank the research participants for giving their time and precious energy. Without them, this work would not be possible.
Multi-omics of host-microbiome interactions in short- and long-term ME/CFS
This JAX study suggests that patients sick <4 years had more microbial dysbiosis, and patients sick >10 years had more metabolic abnormalities. Click here for Jackson Lab’s blog post about the research. Click here for the full paper.
Deficient butyrate-producing capacity in the gut microbiome of ME/CFS patients is associated with fatigue symptoms
This Columbia study suggests that fatigue symptoms in ME/CFS may be associated with a deficiency in butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut. (Butyrate is a bacterial metabolite that regulates energy metabolism, inflammation, and intestinal barrier function.) Access the paper here.
BHC In the News
Long COVID Doubles Burden of Mystery Illness Few Doctors Treat
Bloomberg Law interviewed Dr. Bateman and other ME/CFS experts about the connection between ME/CFS and Long COVID. “ME/CFS may well explain the symptoms described by many people who are still ill months after having COVID-19. The condition, which can leave its victims bedridden, can be triggered by or follow an infectious disease.” Read here.
ME/CFS Alert
ME/CFS AlertJournalist Llewellyn King interviewed Dr. Bateman on his popular YouTube channel, ME/CFS Alert. King talks with Dr. Bateman about how she became involved in ME/CFS research, accelerating that research, and why she feels hopeful. She also speaks about ME/CFS specialists’ heavy patient loads, and her hope that more doctors (perhaps as a result of seeing Long COVID patients) will enter the field. Watch the video here.
BHC November Virtual Events
Online Support Groups
Online Support GroupsBoth groups are designed to include pw ME/CFS, FM, Long COVID, and co-existing conditions. Supporters are also welcome!
November 9th at 1 pm MT: Honoring Self & Balancing Demands
November 16th at 1 pm MT: Relaxation, Boundaries, Sensory Overload
Lunch & Learn: November 18th @ 11:30 MT
These friendly virtual sessions include a brief presentation on an illness related topic and break-out groups to discuss the “get to know you question.” Individuals with ME/CFS, FM, Long COVID, co-existing conditions, and their supporters are invited to join.
Reminders
The Coding Problem: Why No American Can Develop ME/CFS, Including After COVID
The Coding Problem: Why No American Can Develop ME/CFS, Including After COVIDMary Dimmock, Advocate and Cofounder of the US ME/CFS Clinician Coalition, is leading the call to modify the medical code for ME/CFS so that it can no longer be lost in an unspecified bucket of chronic fatigue due to any precipitating factor. Read Mary’s blog to learn more and SIGN THE PETITION.
Chronic Illness Survey Adventure
Chronic Illness Survey Adventure#MEAction has launched a survey that will lead to a robust amount of data on various aspects of ME/CFS, Long COVID, POTS, MCAS, and hEDS. Dr. Bateman is participating as a clinical partner on the project.
By completing this survey, you can help ensure that patient-described symptoms move from the patient voice into the scientific literature.
Lucinda Bateman, MD, is a renowned clinician, researcher, and educator. Her Johns Hopkins University Medical School training instilled an approach to care that she has employed throughout her career - the patient comes first and the unknown or unexplained does not equate to a lack of proper and compassionate care. Since starting her own practice in 2000, she has served on six boards or committees, been the principal investigator for 45 studies, authored/coauthored 40 journal articles, served as adjunct instructor and adjunct assistant professor in the University of Utah Departments of Preventative Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Anesthesiology, and lectured around the world.