An eighth-grade student in Connecticut used information obtained from Harlan County sources to win a History Day competition in her home state.

Mia Porcello, a student at St. Timothy Middle School in West Hartford, Connecticut, took first place with her exhibit which included some of the history of Appalachian Regional Hospital as well as coal mining history.

“We were required to write a 500 word paper to explain how you chose your topic, how you approached the research, why you decided on a particular category (exhibit, paper, performance, website or documentary) and how the topic relates to the annual theme,” Porcello explained.

The topic for this year’s contest was “Conflict and Compromise.”

According to Porcello, Mark Bell of Harlan ARH Hospital was instrumental in procuring information for her winning project.

“Mr. Bell provided me with materials from the hospital systems’ archives, and I interviewed a former coal miner and Black Lung patient from the area, Bennie Massey,” Porcello said. “Mrs. Rhonda Khania from Beckley Hospital (part of ARH) in West Virginia was also very helpful. As the daughter and sister of coal miners as well as an ARH employee, she provided different points of view.”

Porcello’s project focused on the Krug-Lewis agreement.

The United Mine Workers of America website at http://umwa.org states the Krug-Lewis agreement was a deal struck between the United Mine Workers of American and the United States Government. Once accepted by the coal operators, the agreement ended a nationwide strike following the end of World War II.

“Krug-Lewis had a huge impact on not just coal miners, but rural America and medicine,” Porcello said. “ARH’s Beckley hospital helped identify coal miner’s pneumoconiosis and shaped Black Lung legislation, providing sick miners and their families (including mine) with lifetime benefits.

“The UMWA hospitals built in Appalachia recruited doctors and were open to the whole community. The UMWA tested managed care on a large scale, and also created new rehabilitation techniques like stretching which were used for lots of other medical conditions. Many of the themes of Krug-Lewis remain important today when see the news about coal mining and other conflicts, including the ability to compromise and providing access to healthcare.”

Porcello — whose family has a coal mining history — said the project was a learning experience for her.

“Overall, the project really helped me to understand and appreciate my coal mining roots… and the sacrifices that miners made for the growth of the United States,” Porcello said.