Former Worker Screening Program Reps Explain Participation Benefits

The topic for the Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation’s (DEEOIC) for April’s webinar was information about the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Former Worker Medical Screening Program (FWP).

Congress passed the law to create the FWP in 1993 with DOE as the administrator of the program.  The screening is done by “…third-party providers to ensure an objective evaluation of the health of former DOE workers…”.  All former workers from all DOE sites are eligible for free medical screening.

There are two national programs:

National Supplemental Screening Program (NSSP)

Conducted by Oak Ridge Associated Universities and covers production workers from Hanford, Kansas City Plant, Pinellas, Rocky Flats, Savanah River Site.

All workers from Argonne National Lab, Fermi, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and also workers from sites not covered by regional projects, regional projects have phased out, or former workers who no longer live near the regional screening clinics.

Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed)

Conducted by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.

Construction/building trades workers only, from 35 sites.

DOE also administers four regional programs:

The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Tyler – All workers from Pantex

Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health – All workers from Los Alamos National Lab, Sandia National Lab (NM)

 Worker Health Protection Program (WHPP) – Conducted by Queens College City University of New York – All workers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Nevada National Security Site, Sandia National Lab(CA) – Production workers from K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, Portsmouth, Idaho National Lab, Brookhaven National Lab, Fernald, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, Mound.

University of Iowa College of Public Health – Workers from Ames, Iowa Army Ammunition Plant

Jonathan Corbin, Director of Clinical Screening and Outreach for the Worker Health Protection Program, presented a summary of their program.  WHPP partners with medical clinics located near the plant sites, the United Steel Workers, and Atomic Trades and Labor Council.

Trish Quinn, Program Director, and Kim Cranford, Medical Program Manager, represented the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed).  BTMed is a service provided by Center for Construction Research and Training.  They partner with Duke University for Occupational History, Industrial Hygiene, Statistical Q/A and Epidemiology, the University of Maryland School of Medicine for medical advisors, and Zenith-American Solutions for Operations.

Both organizations stressed the importance of the free screening program.  They offer medical testing that the average personal physician may not be aware of, such as the Beryllium Sensitivity test.  The former workers are seen by medical professionals who specialize in occupational disease.  The results of the screening can be used for claims under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.

Most importantly, the program saves lives!  For instance, both WHHP and BTMed offers Low-Dose CT lung scans.  This scan can catch lung cancer in the very early and more treatable stages.

To find out more about these programs contact:

WHHP – 1-888-241-1199 or email [email protected]

BTMed – www.btmed.org

DOE – http://energy.gov/ehss/services/worker-health-and-safety/former-workermedical-screening-program