There is also a lack of healthcare facilities capable of doing the screenings in many small, rural Kentucky communities, which is another barrier for many miners. Health professionals need to become more involved in information and screening information. They need to stress the importance of early screening and regular screening, and they need to create educational resources for the miners, so they can take steps to avoid black lung. Health care professionals who deal with patients suffering from black lung could also become more involved with creating legislation that would regulate the coal mines more effectively. Currently, there are ways to prevent black lung, but the coal mining industry has resisted attempts to alter or create stricter regulations, and so far the state and federal governments have not really attempted to push the issue. Health care professionals could help push the issue by sharing their own experience treating patients with the disease, and how they suffer before they die.

They need to overcome the miners' opposition to testing by making screenings more accessible, even in small,...

Public service announcements and an educational campaign could help get the word out, but education in the schools and other public outlets could help, too. Social workers could become involved by educating people receiving benefits, and by educating public service organizations, such as United Way, the Red Cross, and other organizations that could create training and educational resources for these hard-hit communities. It is health care workers responsibility to help educate and inform the public, and this situation requires health care professionals to act accordingly and educate their patients.
References

Lyndersen, K. (2006). Companies leave coal miners gasping for health payments. Retrieved 20 April 2009 from the New Standard.net Web site: http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3942.

Ungar, L. (2009). Black lung: Dust hasn't settled on deadly disease. Retrieved from the Louisville Courier-Journal.com Web site: http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/blacklung/index.html.