LIBBY - Millions of federal health care dollars arrive in Libby this month, providing treatment and health screenings for a town widely contaminated by asbestos.

"Help has arrived on the ground for folks in Libby who are victims of asbestos-related disease," Sen. Max Baucus said last week in a prepared statement.

In June, the Montana Democrat succeeded in having a "public health emergency" declared in Libby. It was the first - and last - time in the nation's history that such a declaration had been made, and Baucus called the move "truly historic."

The designation unleashed the weight of the federal government in terms of both cleanup and treatment - including an initial

$6 million health care grant finalized this summer. That money will be put to work starting Nov. 9, for treating patients with asbestos-related disease, and on Nov. 16, for screening community members for possible asbestos problems.

"It's imperative that people exposed to vermiculite asbestos get screened to identify any asbestos-related disease," Baucus said. "If diagnosed with asbestos-related disease, Libby residents deserve to get the very best treatment possible."

The contamination stems from decades of operations at the W.R. Grace and Co. vermiculite mine, located not far from town. Alongside the vermiculite, miners unearthed deadly asbestos fibers, carrying the toxic dust home and spreading it to entire families. The asbestos-laced vermiculite also was used as ground cover at local ballfields and schools.

Federal officials now say Libby residents suffer asbestos-related health problems at a rate 40 to 60 times the national average, and contract rare asbestos-related cancer at a rate 100 times the average. Hundreds are thought to have died from asbestos-related disease, with many more affected.

The town was named a national Superfund site in 2002, which was the same year Environmental Protection Agency brass decided not to declare a public health emergency. That denial surprised many who had been told to expect the declaration, and Baucus was among those who blamed political meddling from the Bush administration.

A new White House administration - and new EPA leadership - brought new results, however, and in June agency head Lisa Jackson made the declaration "based on the best science we can muster."

Jackson, who called Libby's toxic legacy "unique," said at the time she did not expect the designation to trigger similar declarations at other sites around the nation. Libby, she said, was different, due to the communitywide spread of contamination as well as the limited health care options in the rural town.

Those options improve markedly next month, when treatment and screenings begin with the Department of Health and Human Services grant. The funding is administered by the Lincoln County Health Department and a consortium of health care providers. A Web site, www.libbyasbestos.org, has launched updated information about the newly available health services.

"These services," Baucus said, "are a result of a long fight to get Libby residents the resources they need to move forward towards a bright future."

Reporter Michael Jamison can be reached at (406) 862-0324 or at mjamison@missoulian.com.