Updates

10/01/2000 -- New York, NY. Meeting on Friday, September 29th at the Interchurch Center in Manhattan, representatives of a half dozen leading metro area health freedom organizations and several church leaders exchanged views on ethical issues involving Freedom of Choice in Health Care. They resolved to establish a Metropolitan Emerging Therapies Coordinating Committee (METCC) to pursue their mutual concerns. Ralph Fucetola, JD (www.vitaminlawyer.com) and Dr. Lydia Bronte, Ph.D., were asked to coordinate the establishment of the alliance.

Full details of the background of the METCC alliance can be found at its temporary home page, www.lifespirit.org/wilton.html.  The Wilton Declaration is at wiltondec.html.

The new movement started in July 2000 when, at the invitation of Drs. Warren Levin and Serafina Corsello, two of the metro areas leading alternative physicians, representatives of health freedom groups met in Wilton, Connecticut. The meeting adopted the Wilton Health Freedom Declaration -- the Right to Heal and Be Healed (www.lifespirit.org/wiltondec.html) and began to seek allies in the struggle for greater Freedom of Choice.

As there was a natural affinity between Freedom of Choice advocates and church activists who are also concerned with Freedom of Choice issues, and since religious practices and the healing arts intersect in many ways, Bishop Nicholas Lambrou, Primate of the HEOC of the Americas, invited Wilton group participants and other health freedom activists to meet with representatives of several church groups to explore common concerns.

The meeting resulted in the formation of METCC. The first two areas in which there was a consensus were (1) the adopting of a Minnesota style Alternative Therapy Access Law by the tri-state area legislatures and (2) the defense of practitioners, licensed MD's and others alike, who are being persecuted for providing emerging therapies.

Dr. Rebecca Carley, MD (www.drcarley.com) and Dr. Serafina Corsello, MD, both of whom are currently under investigation by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) told how, although not one patient of either has suffered harm from complementary and alternative therapies, they are each being subjected to such OPMC inquisitions as to seriously impact their abilities to provide services to the public. More about these healers and others under attack will be posted at the METCC internet site.

The new alliance intends to continue communication among the participants through conference calls (sponsored by the New York Natural Health Coalition) and an internet bulletin board which will be sponsored by the Institute for Health Research - http://www.inhere.org/.

For further information please contact METCC c/o Ralph Fucetola at ralph.fucetola@usa.net or Lydia Bronte at LBronte1@aol.com.

UPDATES

2001 UPDATE: The Institute for Health Research has established a Bulletin Board relating to Alternative Modalities, 9/11 and Bioterrorism which can be accessed through www.inhere.org 

2003 UPDATE:  METCC has continued as an informal grouping of activists working in various venues.  Further contact can be made through the Institute for Health Research, www.inhere.org.