Kansas City, MO – Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety and Heath, John Shaw today participated in a ceremony commemorating the opening of a new medical screening program for former U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) production and construction workers at the Kansas City Plant. The new program, part of the DOE’s Former Worker Medical Surveillance Program, will offer an estimated 20,000 former Kansas City Plant employees free medical examinations to determine if possible exposure to harmful substances during their employment resulted in subsequent illness.
“Secretary Bodman feels a deep commitment to the former workers who led America to victory in the Cold War,” Assistant Secretary Shaw said. “These screenings are the first step in improving the quality of life for our former workers. By accessing these services, former workers may be eligible for additional benefits, including medical care, through the Department of Labor's Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP)”
On February 9, 2005, Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman announced the expansion of the Former Worker Medical Surveillance Program and the Department of Energy’s commitment to open additional screening centers throughout the country. The Kansas City screening center is part of the expansion announced earlier this year. Since its inception in 1996, the former worker program has screened over 30,000 former workers.
For more information, former construction workers should call 1-800-866-9663 or visit www.btmed.org
Former Kansas City Plant workers who no longer live in the area will be offered screening near their current residence through the National Supplemental Screening Program. To assist these workers in locating the closest facility or service provider, the Department of Energy has established a toll-free number: 1-888-580-1746.
The Kansas City Screening Center is funded by the Department of Energy, directed by the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council and managed by a consortium led by The Center to Protect Workers’ Rights (CPWR).
