Former Worker Medical Surveillance Program

1
Former Worker Medical Surveillance Program
2
FWP Background

• History
• Established following the issuance of the FY 1993
  Defense Authorization Act, authorizing DOE to
• establish and carry out a program for the
  identification and
• on-going medical evaluation of current and former
  DOE employees
• who are subject to significant health risks as a
  result of the exposure of
• such employees to hazardous or radioactive
  substances during such
• employment
• First former worker projects initiated in 1996
  following the issuance of an RFA and competitive
  selection of proposals. Initial projects served 7
  defense nuclear facilities.
• Program now serves all former workers from all
  DOE sites in locations close to their residences.

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FWP Background (cont.)

• FWP Program Components Include
• For All Former Federal, Contractor, and
  Subcontractor Employees
• Comprehensive, exposure-based screening through
• Site-specific projects using occupational health
  clinics near DOE sites
• National Supplemental Screening Program using a
  network of over 10,000 occupational health
  clinics nationwide - serves workers from sites
  not covered by existing site-specific projects or
  workers who no longer reside in close proximity
  to the regional screening clinics
• For a Subset of Former and Current Federal,
  Contractor, and Subcontractor Employees
• An Early Lung Cancer Detection Program for high
  risk populations from the Portsmouth, Paducah and
  Oak Ridge K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plants, Fernald,
  Mound, Y-12, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  using low-dose helical CT scans
• Congressional earmark in FY 2008 budget
• For Former Employees of Defunct DOE Beryllium
  Vendors
• Beryllium sensitization screening

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FWP Background (cont.)

• Mission
• Identify and notify former workers at risk for
  occupational disease and
• Offer them medical screening that can lead to
  treatment.
• Status
• Over 455,000 former DOE federal, contractor, and
  subcontractor employees have been invited to
  participate over 51,000 have received screening
  and over 5,700 have received rescreening.

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Current/UpcomingInitiatives

• FWP Screening Ongoing at Most Sites
• Consortia of unions, universities, and
  occupational health clinics providing medical
  screening (see FWP Implementing Organizations.pdf
  for site-by-site listing).
• Projects follow standardized medical screening
  protocol.
• Customize screening according to individuals
  work history and likely exposures.
• Individuals with abnormal findings are referred
  to their personal physicians and/or to EEOICPA
• Recent Program Improvements
• Streamlined IRB process
• Initial review conducted by service providers
  IRB, DOE-site IRB, and CBeIRB.
• Continuing reviews (without modifications to Be
  component) conducted by service providers IRB
  and DOE-site IRB.

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Current/UpcomingInitiatives (cont.)

• Request assistance from HSWG in reviewing current
  IRB policy for FWP projects
• HS-15 Recommendation
• Existing FWP projects since most have received
  multiple DOE-site and CBeIRB reviews, recommend
• If no changes - continuing reviews to be
  conducted solely by service providers IRB (with
  a courtesy copy to CBeIRB, DOE site IRB, and
  HS-15).
• If changes to beryllium component review to be
  conducted by service providers IRB and CBeIRB
  (with a courtesy copy to DOE site IRB and HS-15).
• If substantive changes to non-beryllium component
  review to be conducted by service providers
  IRB and DOE site IRB (with a courtesy copy to
  CBeIRB and HS-15).
• New FWP projects recommend initial review by
  service providers IRB, DOE-site IRB, and CBeIRB
  continuing reviews as outlined above.