Cold War Patriots, a nonprofit organization of nuclear weapons-complex workers and uranium miners who have suffered health issues, held a Resource Fair for current and former nuclear workers Thursday at Shawnee State University.

“This event has 17 different vendors,” said Tim Lerew of Cold War Patriots. “It’s a real variety of medical, financial, legal resources, government spokespeople and the rest that assist claimants through the Energy Resource Program to really take those workers that have sacrificed their good health as part of their work out at the Portsmouth Diffusion Plant, and try to put them together with the resources they might need.”

If someone worked for a year at the Diffusion Plant, Lerew said, and have certain forms of cancer, they are likely eligible for a compensation program of up to $400,000 tax free.

“It doesn’t affect Medicare or Social Security. It also gives them uncapped free medical care,” Lerew said.

Lerew said a person in northern Ohio has had a double lung replacement, which was completely paid for under the program.

“We have patients here in southern Ohio that receive skilled nursing visits at no charge, others that needed things like a hospital bed or a motorized scooter, all that kind of thing taken care of,” Lerew said. “But it’s not automatic. They have to apply. So we have people here from the Energy Resource Center run by the Department of Labor that can help with initial claims.”

Doreen Barbee, a registered nurse, and regional director of clinical operations for Professional Case Management, was talking with potential clients who attended the fair.

“We’re a home health agency that exclusively offers health care to clients who have a disease related to the work that they did at the nuclear plant and uranium workers across the United States,” Barbee said. “If they got a disease related to the work that they did, they get what is called a ‘White Card,’ and that’s an insurance card from the Department of Labor. And that qualifies them for free health care for them. We do home health from four hours a month — kind of like a maintenance visit — to 24/7.”

Lerew said A-Plant workers with lung problems, kidney failure, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s might be eligible for compensation and medical benefits, if they know how to apply. He said anyone wanting to contact his office may call (888) 886-2281.

FRANK LEWIS may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232, or flewis@heartlandpublications.com.