Health Resources and Services Administration
http://newsroom.hrsa.gov
Thursday, July 01, 2010
The Health Resources and Services Administration today announced more than $7 million to hospitals and other health care entities to help coal miners with black lung disease. The grants, funded through the Office of Rural Health Policy, will improve the health status of coal workers by providing services to minimize the effects of respiratory and pulmonary impairments of coal miners.
“Black Lung Clinics help coal miners with respiratory ailments regain quality of life by teaching them ways to improve their breathing and endurance,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. “Early diagnosis and medical care can often make a difference in the lives of the patients and their families.”
These 15 grants--awarded to state health departments, health care organizations and hospitals--provide services to coal miners, whether they are currently involved in mining or not. Services are available to patients and their families regardless of their ability to pay.
Services include:
- Outreach and education,
- Primary care (including screening, diagnosis and treatment),
- Patient and family education and counseling (including anti-smoking education),
- Patient care and coordination (including individual patient care plans for all patients and referrals, and
- Pulmonary rehabilitation.
The grants listed below were awarded through a competitive process:
| Organization | City | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Health Care for the Homeless Coalition | Birmingham | Ala. | $218,267 |
| National Jewish Hospital & Research Center | Denver | Colo. | $427,000 |
| Shawnee Health Service | Carterville | Ill. | $872,405 |
| Cook County Hospital | Chicago | Ill. | $301,262 |
| Coal Miners Respiratory Clinic of Greenville | Greenville | Ky. | $353,471 |
| Mountain Comprehensive Health Corp. | Whitesburg | Ky. | $582,993 |
| Miner's Colfax Medical Center | Raton | N.M. | $321,876 |
| Ohio Department of Health | Columbus | Ohio | $661,909 |
| Altoona Hospital | Altoona | Pa. | $260,086 |
| Alveoli Corporation | Canonsburg | Pa. | $149,656 |
| Centerville Clinics Inc. | Fredericktown | Pa. | $333,403 |
| Regional Education and Community Health Services | LaFollette | Tenn. | $191,097 |
| St. Charles Health Council Inc. | St. Charles | Va. | $567,663 |
| West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources | Charleston | W.Va. | $1,504,940 |
| Northwest Community Action Program | Worland | Wyo. | $300,657 |
| Total: $7,046,685 |
|||
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov.
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news.
