The Black Lung Association will hold a free webinar at 11 a.m. ET Monday, April 25, to discuss the medical care needed by miners with black-lung disease.
From the website: "Incidents of black lung have increased sharply over the past 20 years, especially in Appalachia. Caring for the miners afflicted with this progressive and deadly disease is challenging, meaningful, and very necessary work. Join us in April to learn from an expert panel about how the disease is contracted, how it affects the body, how it is diagnosed and treated, and how you can support ailing miners professionally and personally."
A recent study found that black-lung disease is becoming more common and more severe among younger miners in Central Appalachia because of industry shifts that have increased exposure to silica dust. At the same time, the federal Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, which helps pay for many miners' medical care, is at risk of insolvency.
The panel will feature:
- Jerry Coleman, coal-miner and president of West Virginia's Kanawha County Black Lung Association
- Leonard Go, pulmonologist with the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University
- Susie Criss, black lung claims counselor at Cabin Creek Health
- Debbie Johnson, licensed practical nurse and black-lung program director at Bluestone Health
- Brenda Halsey Marion, registered nurse, long-time Black Lung Association organizer, and former director of New River Breathing Center
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