Supervisors Lindsey Horvath, Third District, and Holly Mitchell, Second District, recently introduced a Motion to declare June as “Silicosis Awareness Month” to increase understanding of the negative health effects of silica. Among the directives, the motion requires several departments to identify strategies to engage workers in the stone industry to understand the risks of silica exposure and protective measures, as well as promote screening and treatment for individuals who may be symptomatic.

You can read more about how Dr. Nader Kamangar, the Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine at Olive View-UCLA, and Dr. Jane Fazio identified the patterns in symptomology and the cluster of patients at the Continuity Care Clinic Model at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center here: Vigilant Olive View-UCLA Medical Center Physicians Identify Rare Occupational Lung Disease – Health Services Los Angeles County (lacounty.gov).

The patients’ remarkable stories received media attention for the innovations implemented by the physicians and their commitment to providing excellent, compassionate care to their patients.