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Wlaf1450CHET has the only Black Lung Clinic in the State of Tennessee
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WLAF)- Representatives from Community Health of East Tennessee’s (CHET) Black Lunch Clinic visited the nation’s capital on April 14 for the National Coalition Black Lung Respiratory Clinics Washington, D.C. meeting.
The purpose of the Coalition meeting was to “share educational materials with our Congressmen and Senators,” according to CHET’s Regina Tackett.
“We attended to spread awareness about our program which is a nonprofit and awareness that black lung is still a health crisis in our nation but there is help available,” Tackett said.
CHET continues to have the only Black Lung Clinic in the State of Tennessee and is one of only 15 in the entire country. This clinic is federally funded, and its services are at no cost to the miner, including the Department of Labor exam and mileage reimbursement if travel is required. Services to coal miners include benefits counseling and lay representation to navigate the claim process.
If a miner is found to be totally and permanently disabled by Black Lung, they are entitled to an award of benefits which the miner keeps 100% of the award. Medical examinations for coal miners are conducted at CHET’s Health Clinic and consist of chest x-rays, pulmonary function studies, and arterial blood gas tests.
Please reach out to CHET if you or a loved one could be suffering from this condition. Black lung clinics seek out and provide services to coal miners, whether they are currently involved in mining or not. Services are available to patients and their families regardless of their ability to pay.
Services include:
-Outreach
-Primary care (Located at our Health Clinic in Lafollette, TN)
-Patient and family education
The Health Clinic/Black Lung Clinic is located at 130 Independence Lane at La Follette, behind the CVS, and can be reached by calling 423.562.1705. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-04/28/2026-6AM-PHOTOS SUBMITTED)