Personnel from the Nevada Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (Nevada RESEP) at UNLV will host an informational meeting on Saturday, July 8, from 3 - 5 p.m. at the West Las Vegas Library, Conference Room A & B.

The session will cover the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which is scheduled to sunset on July 10, 2024, after being extended for two years by the RECA Extension Act of 2022. Information on potential bills further amending RECA will be provided, included one that would extend the downwind area to include all of Clark County, Nevada. Downwinders or their surviving family members can file a claim for $50,000 if they were diagnosed with certain cancers. 

With grant funding, Nevada RESEP provides free assistance with filing compensations claims under RECA. The program also provides no-cost medical screenings and education to individuals who were affected by U.S. atmospheric nuclear testing (1951-1962), including downwinders, onsite participants and uranium industry workers. In Nevada, downwind counties include White Pine, Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Nye and northeast portions of Clark that do not include Las Vegas. Many Utah and Arizona counties are also considered downwind.

Each RESEP clinic offers an array of services aimed at improving the health and knowledge of Nevadans who were exposed to radiation, including a complete physical exam, fecal occult blood test, select lab services and periodic X-rays.

The Kirk Kerkorian School of medicine at UNLV, Department of Family and Community Medicine, is currently the only institution to offer free medical screenings to Nevada residents who were exposed to radiation from aboveground nuclear testing. Under the direction of Laura K. Shaw, MD, and with funding through a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, the Nevada RESEP program is now in its 18th year.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Nevada RESEP at 702-992-6887 or email at nevadaresep@medicine.unlv.edu.

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Nevada RESEP is administered by Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, Department of Family & Community Medicine in Las Vegas. This project is supported by the Health Resources & Services  Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $671,865, with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of HRSA.