Center for asbestos related disease funding

To the Editor:

Recently there have been letters to the editor (Oct. 5 and Oct. 19) about asbestos and The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) funding sources.

I would like to set the record straight. CARD is a stand alone, non-profit, tax exempt organization that is in no way affiliated with W.R. Grace. We have never received any money from W.R. Grace and quite frankly, the CARD clinic is just getting by financially. We have been working closely with Senators Baucus and Tester to get some financial help. Their recent proposal for some funding for CARD, if approved, is definitely a positive step to help us to continue providing services to our community members and patients.

However, long-term solutions for funding healthcare are still a major objective of CARD and our community - as evidenced by the efforts of the Libby Area CAG committee.

The CARD has also branched out into research - a logical endeavor to discover how this rare type of asbestos affects the human body so we can find treatments, improve the quality of life for patients, and find a cure. We need funding to hire additional staff so we can dedicate resources to healthcare and resources to research. Funding would also allow us to further develop our infrastructure so that we can entertain a variety of research projects. The CARD staff and board of directors are working very hard on all fronts to help our community and all people affected by Libby amphibole asbestos, but without proper funding we simply won't be able to. Thanks for your support!

Michael S. Giesey,

President

Board of Directors

Center for Asbestos

Related Disease

Libby