Rubber, meet road
Ya know how Rubbertown smells like your microwave caught on fire and you put it out by peeing on it? That, plus the fact that people tend to die there a lot, makes some people think the air and water in Rubbertown might not be healthy. So in 2005, the state announced plans to test 30,000 residents for cancer, heart disease, and other health problems, using a $1 million water-pollution settlement with MSD to fund the screenings. Unfortunately, the MSD money will cover screenings for only about 10,000 residents. Now the state has pledged to find the money to conduct health screenings for all 30,000 residents – if that many agree to the screenings -- by June 2008 and to refer any ill residents to health services. The Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness will conduct the tests. With the Governor's goal of "creating a healthy community," the final cost of providing health services could dwarf the initial MSD outlay and would require some serious political and corporate courage: something Rubbertown hasn't seen much of in the past half century.