Time Is Running Out to Receive
Downwinder Cancer Payout By Lisa Larson Cancer. It’s nearly impossible to find a person who hasn’t been impacted by the word in some way. But if you lived in parts of southern Utah, northern Arizona, or eastern Nevada during the 1950s and 1960s, there may be an additional risk. They’re known as Downwinders, a term identifying the thousands of individuals exposed to nuclear testing at the Nevada Test site in the 1950s and ‘60s. In 1990, the federal government formally recognized the increased cancer risk for this group by enacting the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act for qualifying individuals to receive a one-time payout of up to $50,000. This act was amended in the year 2000 to add a few more types of cancer and additional counties, but time to file for this compensation is running out. That’s where Becky Barlow and the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Clinic (RESEP) at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital come in. It is Barlow’s job to get people screened and through the paperwork in time to qualify for the money they are owed. “Unless the law is amended, it is due to expire in 2022,” Barlow said. “It’s important for us to get as many people who qualify their compensation before the deadline runs out.” Barlow said she absolutely thinks the law needs to be extended, particularly since the youngest 22 www.sghealthandwellnessmagazine.com
Becky Barlow
