Tick-Borne Illness Center of Excellence

The Aspirus Tick-Borne Illness Center is the foremost center in the Midwest for identifying and treating tick-borne illnesses and advancing medical knowledge. The Center features state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and advanced research methodology, and works collaboratively with patients, referring physicians and regional specialists.

Lyme Disease alone infects over 427,000 Americans a year (10x more than previously reported), but it is bigger than Lyme. Ticks can also cause many other diseases such as Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis or Anaplasmosis, Bartonella, and Powassan Virus – bringing estimates of those infected by all Tick-Borne Illnesses to over 600,000. Due to the complexity of these diseases, mainstream medical methods for dealing with tick-borne illness do not always generate appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The Aspirus Tick-Borne Illness Center will treat and research tick-borne illnesses and will break the cycle with a unique patient centered, precision medicine methodology.

Objectives
Our objective is to create a place where people who believe they may have a tick-borne illness can be effectively diagnosed and treated. The Center will perform the following functions:

• Patients who have been suffering for some time from an undiagnosed illness can receive a clear plan for treatment and follow-up care.
• Patients can participate in research to improve the ability to diagnose and treat tick-borne illnesses.
• Clinicians and researchers share information and findings in a highly collaborative environment.
  
  

Our Partner
To find a partner, Howard Young Foundation (HYF) researched the top centers for tick-borne illness treatment and research in the country. As a result of this comprehensive research, we have decided to partner with the Open Medicine Institute (OMI), a leading independent precision medicine clinical and research organization. OMI’s precision medicine model customizes health care to each individual patient based on their genetics, environment, and lifestyle. Through their unique combination of patient care and research, OMI has generated substantial insight including a more thorough understanding of complex, neglected conditions, as well as attributes of an individual’s particular case that point to treatment strategies more beneficial for them. Most organizations established to deal with tick-borne illnesses are either research or treatment facilities, but not both.

Now that the Center is staffed and running at full capacity, Aspirus has assumed operations. The entire team including Dr. Samuel Shor, Ashley Johnson, NP-BC, and Kathy McCaughn, transitioned to Aspirus as well, and have made every effort to ensure the continuity of care for patients. The Center is located in the Howard Young Medical Center to allow patients to leverage other services under one roof. This transition will make it even easier for patients to get a referral to specialists that will greatly improve their treatment plan.  For the first time, patients that have gone undiagnosed and untreated will have a better-informed diagnosis, a clear treatment plan, consistent medical oversight, an opportunity to participate in research, but most importantly – hope that they can get better.

Who We Will Serve
The Aspirus Tick-Borne Illness Center will has the ability to directly serve over 2,000 patients from around the Midwest per year, as the closest tick-borne illness center that is dedicated to combining research and treatment of these diseases is 1200 miles away.

We appreciate your contributions.

The goal to make this project possible is $3,500,000. Please help us make a difference in our community.