Nearly $2 million in federal funds will be awarded to West Virginia to help support the state’s black lung clinics.
West Virginia is expected to receive $1,954,576 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin made the announcement in a Friday news release.
The funding will support the West Virginia Black Lung Clinics Program, which aims to provide primary and specialized health care services for coal miners and their families.
These clinics conduct outreach and education in the communities where they operate to provide holistic care to those suffering from black lung and other respiratory illnesses.
According to an NPR investigation in 2018, at least 2,000 former coal miners are suffering with Black Lung Disease across the United States, with many of those cases found in Central Appalachia.
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