WEST PALM BEACH, FL-- Another case, another brain tumor, another family desperate for answers. "The fear that everyone has strikes a chord."
Acting Palm Beach County Health Department chair Dr. Alina Alonso was there Wednesday when a packed crowd of Acreage residents voiced their fears and frustrations to Florida Senator Bill Nelson.
Dr. Alonso said she took it all in then took it straight to Tallahassee.
"I expressed the urgency...we need to have this done now and don't want to wait around."
From that morning phone call immediate action according to Alonso. First, there will be a new methodical way to plot, track and research every single tumor case. Until now, the health department was relying on residents to fill out forms
"They're actually going to look at all of the zip codes in the Acreage and all the cancers and tumors based on a tumor registry that exists so that will catch everyone."
Another result of Alonso's call, a better plan for communication. The state plans to launch a website with updates focused solely on the Acreage possible cancer cluster.
"It hasn't been developed yet, but I talked to D.O.H. this morning and it was thought that would be helpful to ourselves and public."
Alonso also says Florida's health officials will ask the E-P-A and C-D-C to bring their investigators "here" to conduct their research. But as aggressive as Alonso says she would like to be, she warns it will all take time..
"Senator Nelson said it wasn't rocket science and he's absolutely correct it's much more difficult than rocket science if we're gonna get to an investigation that can identify cancer and tumors and really analyze and get a common denominator...you have to do that carefully and thoroughly."
Alonso says because there have been so many different types of tumors involved in this...researchers have to go back and classify or rate every single one in essence study the in's and out's of every single case and that she said will take time. After that, D.O.H. will look at possible triggers. She says there is an entire department in Tallahassee now dedicated to this very delicate work.
