PCM Clients Advocate for Fellow Workers with Similar Conditions

Calvin and Lisa worked at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (A-Plant)

Calvin and Lisa worked at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (A-Plant) site in Scioto Township, Pike County, Ohio for 20 years. Both are Cold War Patriots members and have worked with nuclear weapons workers to help them find and receive the benefits they have earned.

Lisa and Calvin began their advocacy journey when Calvin was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer following his diagnosis of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (BSHL) with tinnitus and vertigo. When Calvin started speaking with former members of his Special Response Team (SRT), he and Lisa noted almost all the men who had BSHL also had prostate cancer. Lisa began documenting the illnesses and cancers of the team members and noted there was a statistical anomaly in the incidence of illnesses in that department.

They contacted Dr. Michelle Morone, Director of the Environmental Health and Sciences department at Ohio University. Dr. Morone was very knowledgeable about the A-Plant site and agreed to look at the material that had been compiled. Dr. Morone and her team then conducted extensive research which was peer reviewed and published. They found that trichloroethylene, the same chemical that caused BSHL, was also a known carcinogen and specifically known to cause prostate cancer.

Calvin and many of his team members had previously filed for prostate cancer, under radiological exposures, and had been denied by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Armed with this new evidence, Calvin contacted the advocate organization Energy Employee Advocates (EEA) to reopen his case. With the new letter of causation and the published study, Calvin was successful in the new adjudication of his case with the U.S. DOL. Calvin and Lisa are informing men who have BSHL to be diligent in having their Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels checked, as many cancers may begin as prostate cancer and, if undetected, may metastasize to other parts of the body. There are now several former SRT personnel working with EEA to have their claims reopened.

Calvin and Lisa are grateful for the excellent care and management of their illnesses that they have received from Professional Case Management (PCM) since 2021. PCM’s mission is to bring hope, healing, and the highest level of quality care directly to workers – all in the comfort of their homes.