Program for early detection of certain medical conditions related to environmental health hazards
Program establishment
The Secretary shall establish a program in accordance with this section to make competitive grants to eligible entities specified in subsection (b) for the purpose of—
screening at-risk individuals (as defined in subsection (c)(1)) for environmental health conditions (as defined in subsection (c)(3)); and
developing and disseminating public information and education concerning—
the availability of screening under the program under this section;
the detection, prevention, and treatment of environmental health conditions; and
the availability of Medicare benefits for certain individuals diagnosed with environmental health conditions under section 1395rr–1 of this title.
Eligible entities
In general
Types of eligible entities
The entities described in this paragraph are the following:
A hospital or community health center.
A Federally qualified health center.
A facility of the Indian Health Service.
A National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.
An agency of any State or local government.
A nonprofit organization.
Any other entity the Secretary determines appropriate.
Definitions
In this section:
At-risk individual
The term “at-risk individual” means an individual who—
as demonstrated in such manner as the Secretary determines appropriate, has been present for an aggregate total of 6 months in the geographic area subject to an emergency declaration specified under paragraph (2), during a period ending—
not less than 10 years prior to the date of such individual’s application under subparagraph (B); and
prior to the implementation of all the remedial and removal actions specified in the Record of Decision for Operating Unit 4 and the Record of Decision for Operating Unit 7; or
meets such other criteria as the Secretary determines appropriate considering the type of environmental health condition at issue; and
has submitted an application (or has an application submitted on the individual’s behalf), to an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section, for screening under the program under this section.
Emergency declaration
Environmental health condition
The term “environmental health condition” means—
asbestosis, pleural thickening, or pleural plaques, as established by—
interpretation by a “B Reader” qualified physician of a plain chest x-ray or interpretation of a computed tomographic radiograph of the chest by a qualified physician, as determined by the Secretary; or
such other diagnostic standards as the Secretary specifies;
mesothelioma, or malignancies of the lung, colon, rectum, larynx, stomach, esophagus, pharynx, or ovary, as established by—
pathologic examination of biopsy tissue;
cytology from bronchioalveolar lavage; or
such other diagnostic standards as the Secretary specifies; and
any other medical condition which the Secretary determines is caused by exposure to a hazardous substance or pollutant or contaminant at a Superfund site to which an emergency declaration applies, based on such criteria and as established by such diagnostic standards as the Secretary specifies.
Hazardous substance; pollutant; contaminant
Superfund site
Health coverage unaffected
Funding
In general
Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Secretary, to carry out the program under this section—
$23,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2010 through 2014; and
$20,000,000 for each 5-fiscal year period thereafter.