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By BOBBIE GREEN
The Progress
Intermountain Health Care RECA Program Director Rebecca Barlow stands next to Attention Downwinders sign at an informational meeting held at the Mesquite Library last week. Additional meetings were held in Bunkerville, Moapa and Moapa Valley as well. PHOTO BY BOBBIE GREEN/The Progress.Informational meetings relating to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) were held on Friday May 7 at the Mesquite Library and Saturday May 8 in Bunkerville and Moapa Valley.
The meetings were hosted by Intermountain Health Care RESEP Cancer Clinic staff. Their purpose was to notify people of the impending sunset of the RECA law and to help qualified people in filing claims.
All claims must be submitted and paid by July 9, 2022.
“We want to do as much outreach as we can to the downwind communities in Nevada, Arizona and Utah, so people can get their claims in and be processed by the deadline,” said Intermountain Health RECA Program Director Rebecca Barlow . “It takes about three months to get a claim processed.”
Barlow explained that eligible people receive free cancer screenings and follow-up services. RESEP is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There is no charge to patients who qualify.
Eligible persons must have lived in an area considered to be “downwind” from the Nevada Test Site for at least one year from 1951 to 1958 or July of 1962 during the above-ground nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site.
These areas include Washington, Iron, Kane, Beaver, Millard, Piute, San Juan, Sevier, Wayne, or Garfield counties in Utah; Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Nye, White Pine, an northeast Clark counties in Nevada; and Northern Mohave, Coconino, Apache, Gila, Navajo, and Yavapai counties in Arizona.
Nevada Test Site Workers during an atmospheric detonation and uranium Industry Workers, miners, ore transporter, or millers of uranium for at least one year from 1942 through 1971 also qualify for assistance under the RECA law.
Those who may have eligible family members who have already succumbed to a cancer, claims can still be filed in their behalf.
“My grandparents and my father were downwinders,” said Mesquite resident Kirsten Pearson, who attended the May 7 meeting.
Pearson added that she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38, along with 15 other women from Mesquite. “This outreach is a good thing to do,” Pearson said.
If you missed the meetings, or are not sure if you, or a loved one, qualifies for assistance, call 435-251-2875 for information.
I’m a downwinder baby. Almost every one in my fam have had cancer and died. My mom and dad both died in their young 60’s. The government is responsible for me and my grandkids not getting to spend time with my parents. If it’s stopping next year, what do we do if we get cancer?? It doesn’t seem right for it to end until all exposed people are dead. Why are they stopping it.? It isn’t like they can’t afford it, look how much the government is spending!! This is Ridiculous.
I’ve had several family members die from cancer because they (and I) were living in a marked area. I’m 68, what if I get cancer after this expiration date?