Mesothelioma Treatment for Libby Residents Remains Funded by W.R. Grace

W.R. Grace & Company has recently announced their renewal of a $250,000 donation to the St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in Libby, Montana. Grace, who operated an asbestos-contaminated vermiculite mine in the area, is contributing the donation for the tenth consecutive year.

St. John’s is a charitable medical facility that provides healthcare to all the residents of South Lincoln County. Over the past 10 years, the donations have accumulated to more than $2 million and have been used to establish a clinic for those affected by asbestos-related diseases.

One such illness is malignant mesothelioma, which is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. This particular cancer usually affects the lining of the lungs, but it can also occur in the lining of the heart and abdomen.

In addition to establishing a clinic, the donations have been used to train medical staff, purchase equipment and treat those with medical conditions. New devices for a state-of-the-art laboratory have been purchased as well.

St. John’s CEO Bill Patten recently said, “As the sole hospital in the area, we have had to continually increase our services to meet the needs of the community. We are thankful to Grace for its financial support over the past 10 years.”

Grace also funds another medical program for current and former residents of Libby suffering from asbestos-related conditions. Grace has contributed more than $17 million to the Libby Medical Program, which has over 1,000 patients enrolled.

According to the Libby Medical Program’s Web site, “Libby Medical Program became effective on April 3, 2000 and was created to provide former employees of the Grace Libby Mine and Mill, their dependents and others who live (or lived) in the Libby area, who suffer from asbestos-related conditions and illnesses, with medical care coverage for medical treatment necessary to treat those conditions and illnesses.”

In a recent trial, a jury acquitted Grace and three of its former executives of knowingly exposing mine workers and Libby residents to asbestos. With annual sales of more than $3 billion, Grace employs about 6,200 workers and operates in more than 40 different countries.