CDC grant allows city to expand 9/11 Health Programs

 

Treatment for health-impacted victims of the World Trade Center disaster will be expanded under a new federal grant to New York City. This is the first time the federal government has funded 9/11 health services for people who are not eligible for treatment at the WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program which serves first responders, workers, and volunteers involved in rescue, recovery and clean-up operations.

 

The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will provide up to $30 million over the next three years to the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). HHC operates the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC) at Bellevue and Gouverneur Hospitals in Manhattan and Elmhurst Hospital in Queens.

 

The city’s 9/11 health programs expands monitoring and treatment services to downtown area residents, area workers, and students who suffer problems as a result of the World Trade Center disaster. Currently, only workers involved rescue, recovery, and clean-up operations are eligible for services though the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program, which operates centers in Manhattan, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island, and in Piscataway, NJ.

 

“With this grant, we’re anticipating doubling the size of our current program from 3,000 to 6,000.” said WTC EHC Executive Director Terry Miles. He noted the program will be adding a screening component through partnership with the World Trade Center Health Registry and said new specialty services would be included.

 

“We will increase the number of different specialties that we identify that need to be part of our program – like neurology and pulmonary radiology,” he said. “As we learn more about our patients, we have learned that these services should, in fact, be a routine part of our program.”

 

The grant will be administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Christine Branche, the acting director of NIOSH, said, “This funding ensures that more people will have access to health assessment examinations, diagnosis, and treatment for health conditions associated with the attack on the World Trade Center.”

 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the grant was “an important step toward ensuring that everyone whose health was affected by these attacks gets the treatment they need.” In early September, Bloomberg withdrew support for a federal bill in the House that would have provided permanent funding for 9/11 health programs. He said then that the proposed legislation did not give the city the control over spending that it needed in such a bill. His action killed the bill in the House for the last session, and supporters are working on a revised 9/11 bill to be introduced in the new session next year.

 

 

 

Asthma among WTC children: registry yields first child health report, By Cynthia Washam, Environmental Health Perspectives, 10/22/08

 

The World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR), comprising persons most likely to have been heavily exposed to traumatic events and air pollution related to the World Trade Center attacks of 11 September 2001, includes 3,184 children under age 18 years who were living or attending school in lower Manhattan at the time, who were otherwise near the World Trade Center that morning, or who assisted in recovery efforts. In the first report of children enrolled in this registry, researchers observe that preschoolers exposed to smoke and dust from the collapsing towers had asthma rates twice the national average following the 9/11 attack, whereas asthma rates in exposed older children remained about average [EHP 116:1383–1390; Thomas et al.]. Children in certain ethnic groups also experienced disproportionate asthma rates, although the reasons for this are unclear.

 

Data were collected in 2003 and 2004 by telephone interviews with parents of younger children or the children themselves if they had turned 18 since the attacks. More than half the children reported having respiratory symptoms after the attacks, including cough and sinus problems. Nearly 6% of all children reported having asthma diagnosed after 9/11. At the time of the interviews, 16% of children then aged 2–4 years had been diagnosed with asthma, more than twice the average of 7% for children that age in the Northeast. Asthma rates in older subjects, however, were just slightly higher than the Northeast rate.

 

Childhood asthma normally develops in a child's first five years of life, often after exposure to an environmental irritant. Smoke and dust from the collapsing towers might have acted as such an early trigger in susceptible preschoolers. The researchers speculate that older youngsters could have had fewer new diagnoses because most susceptible children had been diagnosed before 9/11.

 

The researchers noted racial disparities in asthma rates. Black and Hispanic children in the WTCHR were twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma as whites or Asians, both before and after the attacks. Reasons for the racial disparities are unclear, although prior studies on ethnic disparities in asthma suggest that both genetics and environment may play a role in etiology of the disease. Children of all ages and ethnicities were more likely to develop asthma if they were caught in the cloud of cement dust created by the collapsing towers, as pulverized cement dust is known to irritate mucous membranes.

 

The WTCHR data have several limitations, including lack of information on how long after 9/11 symptoms appeared and the presence of co-factors for asthma. Despite these limitations, findings from the WTCHR, which constitutes the largest collection of post-disaster data of children, could have broad impact, given that tens of thousands of New York City children may have been exposed to smoke and dust on 9/11. Researchers also expect their data to improve understanding of risks to children exposed to other polluting disasters, such as the California wildfires.

 

http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2008/116-10/ss.html#asth

 

News from the WTC Health Registry

 

 

Deadline Extended for Child/Adolescent Follow-Up Survey

The deadline for parents and guardians to complete their child's follow-up health survey has been extended to December 1, 2008. If you haven't completed it, please complete it and mail it back today. For a copy of the survey, call (866) NYC-WTCR (1-866-692-9827) or email wtchr@health.nyc.gov.

 

9/11 Resource Guide

The new 9/11 Resource Guide contains detailed information about organizations, agencies and programs that offer medical treatment and other services to those affected by the World Trade Center attacks. It is available at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/wtc/downloads/pdf/wtc/wtc-resource.pdf.

 

New Report on 9/11 Health

The Mayor's WTC Medical Working Group released a new report highlighting the latest medical research on 9/11 health.

 

Update Your Contact Information

Email is the fastest and most environmentally friendly way to send you the latest 9/11 health news. To update your email or other contact information, visit nyc.gov/911health and click on WTC Health Registry.

Click here for more up-to-the minute 9/11 health news.

Thank you for being part of the WTC Health Registry.

Questions? Comments? Call (866) NYC-WTCR (1-866-NYC-WTCR) or email wtchr@health.nyc.gov.

 

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

OFFICE OF

SOLID WASTE AND EMERGENCY

RESPONSE

DATE: October 13, 2008

FROM: Cate Jenkins, Ph.D.*

Hazardous Waste Identification Division, OSW

jenkins.cate@epa.gov

 

TO: Jane Mason, Special Agent, Environmental Crimes Unit,

Federal Bureau of Investigation

26 Federal Plaza, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10278-0004

SUPPLEMENTAL EVIDENCE: FRAUD IN THE CONDUCT AND

DISSEMENATION OF HUMAN TISSUE CORROSIVITY DATA (pH tests)

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER

Attached please find a report which supplements my 5/6/07 request for an FBI investigation

 

Click here to read the full document in PDF format 

 

 

 

For Immediate Release: September 28, 2008

 

Contacts:         Jon Houston (Maloney), 202-225-3703

                        Ilan Kayatsky (Nadler), 212-367-7350

                        Jon Taets (Fossella), 202-225-3371

                        Carol Danko (King), 202-225-7896

 

9/11 Health Bill Fails to Move Forward

 

Washington, D.C., Sept. 28 – Today, New York Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Vito Fossella (R-NY), and Peter King (R-NY) announced their regret that H.R. 7174, the revised bipartisan 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, will not be able to move to passage during the last days of the current House session.

 

“We thank Speaker Pelosi and her staff as well as the House Energy and Commerce and House Judiciary Committees and their staffs for their tremendous effort to try to move this legislation through this session which would help those who, fully seven years after the 9/11 attacks, still don’t have the health care and support they need,” they said.

 

“We will work together in the future to try to address this failure and meet the sizable need to care for those who lived and worked in the immediate area around ground zero—not to mention those who helped in the immediate aftermath,” the Members concluded.

 

The lawmakers had made changes to the bill, H.R. 7174, to reduce its overall cost and pave the way for a House vote. The $10.9 billion bill had been fully paid for through revenue offsets.

 

Upon reintroducing the bill, the New York lawmakers had released the following joint statement:

 

“Thousands lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks, but in the years that followed thousands more lost their health.  This bill provided proper care to those who are suffering and demonstrates that America will not abandon its moral responsibility to care for those who were harmed by the terrorist attacks on our nation.  We thank Speaker Pelosi and our colleagues in the New York delegation for their commitment to the cause.”

 

###

 

For more information, including actual bill language, click here.

 

Fact Sheet on 9/11 Health Issues and H.R. 7174:

 

What is the problem?  

 

●          Thousands of first responders and others exposed to the toxins of Ground Zero are now sick and need our help.  These include New York firefighters, EMTs and police, construction workers, clean-up workers, residents, area workers, and school children, among others.

 

●          Although most of these people live in the New York/New Jersey area, at least 10,000 people came from around the country to help in the aftermath of the attacks.  They hail from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district.  Many are sick and others are very concerned about their health. 

 

●          Their illnesses include respiratory and gastrointestinal system conditions such as asthma, interstitial lung disease, chronic cough and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

 

●          More than 400,000 people are believed to have been exposed to toxins from the World Trade Center site.

 

●          Nearly 16,000 responders and at least 2,700 community members are currently sick and receiving treatment.  More than 40,000 responders are currently in medical monitoring.  71,000 individuals are enrolled in the WTC Health Registry.

 

●          Those who suffered economic losses as a result of their WTC-related illnesses need and deserve compensation, but have no alternative to the current litigation system.

 

●          The WTC Contractors and the City of New York are being sued by over 10,000 people who are sick because of Ground Zero toxins.  They face great financial loss because they were asked to help at Ground Zero in the country’s time of need.

 

H.R. 7174  would address the 9/11 health crisis by:

 

●          Providing medical monitoring and treatment to WTC responders and community members (area workers, residents, students and others) who were exposed to toxins released at Ground Zero.

 

●          Building on the existing monitoring and treatment program by delivering expert medical treatment for these unique exposures at Centers of Excellence.

 

●          Providing for research into WTC-related health conditions.

 

●          Reopening the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund to provide compensation for economic losses and harm as an alternative to the current litigation system.

 

●          Providing liability protections for the WTC contractors and the City of New York.

Event MONDAY, September 8th at 10:00 a.m.

 

Reps. Maloney, Nadler  Urge Action to Protect Health of

9-11 Responders from Around the Country Health

 

New York, NY – On Monday, September 8th at 10:00 a.m., U.S. Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold L. Nadler (D-NY), will hold a news conference to express their concerns about ongoing delays in the federal government’s program to provide health care to 9/11 responders and others sickened by the attacks who live outside the New York metropolitan area. 

 

In June, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) awarded a contract to Logistics Health Incorporated (LHI), a Wisconsin firm run by former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, to coordinate 9/11 medical monitoring and treatment services nationwide.  On September 4th, Representatives Maloney, Nadler and Fossella sent a letter to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt noting that LHI’s monitoring exams have not yet begun as orginally promised; that many, if not most, responders eligible for the program have yet to receive any information from LHI; and that sick responders are experiencing significant delays in getting appointments arranged, prescriptions filled, and phone calls returned.

 

 

WHO:             U.S. Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney, Jerrold L. Nadler

 

WHAT:           Protesting the U.S. government’s delays and inaction in meeting the health care needs of 9/11 responders from outside the New York metropolitan region

 

WHEN:           Monday, September 8th at 10:00 a.m

 

WHERE:        In front of 7 World Trade Center, Greenwich & Vesey Streets, Lower Manhattan

 

 

 

MEMORANDUM                                                                                

 

September 2, 2008

 

From: Reverend William Minson, 9/11 Chaplain

To: Speaker of the House, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Cc: Members of Congress

Re: James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Bill HR6594

 

The clock is ticking and time will tell when we'll lose our next Greg Quibell. The clock's ticking, who's the next responder to contract an illness from Ground Zero. After a Mt. Sinai check up, when I couldn't get rid of a cough recently I thought, could be me? The clock is ticking and passed time to face "our" responsibility to care for those who risked their lives on 9/11. The clock is ticking for a unanimous "yeah" vote on HR6594.

 

In nearly thirty years of service to GOD and his people it has been my assignment to be with dying people. I have prayed for them, sang for them, held their hands but never with a camera in my hand, chronicled their days leading to death. Please focus Members of Congress, focus as though Greg Quibell was a member of your family.

 

Because the James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Bill has been stalled we have produced SAVE THE BRAVE for you to look  into the lives of those who are suffering and need your help, your DVD will arrive Sept. 9 in Washington DC.

 

As we watch political campaigns spend enormous amounts of money to elect their candidates; as we watch incredible attorneys fees eat away at monies that should be allocated to sick and dying 9/11 responders we must ponder the order of our priorities when seven years later these heroes are with dignity asking for help, not wanting to. Greg Quibell's dying words to Congress were, "you have to pass this Bill"!

 

To chronicle the character of a man's life as he courageously prepared to die is still stunning to my spirit. We hope that you will take less than an hour to examine "first hand" the sick responders and workers from Ground Zero that you've heard about. We thank Reps. Diane Watson, Tim Bishop and Jerrold Nadler for appearing in SAVE THE BRAVE. We would like to arrange for first responders in your community to see SAVE THE BRAVE because it is a testament to the dedication, professionalism and service offered everyday by first responders coast to coast and in every American hamlet.

 

Please forward any comment you have regarding SAVE THE BRAVE to John Feal, President of the Fealgood Foundation and producer of SAVE THE BRAVE: Feal13@aol.com  As a 9/11 responder John lost half his foot working at the site and is a tireless champion for the rights and welfare of all 9/11 responders.

 

Seven years later, looking for additional ways to heal, I thank the Fealgood Foundation for the opportunity to produce and direct this documentary, because the clock is ticking!

 

As our prayers continue for all sick 9/11 responders and their families, they continue for you to see the suffering, have compassion, take action and vote "yeah" to HR 6594, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Bill. GOD Bless you & GOD bless America


Ground Zero volunteer loses fight for life

BY MELISSA GRACE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, August 29th 2008, 12:04 AM

A former state correction officer who fell gravely ill after volunteering at Ground Zero has died at age 54, his family said. Gregory Quibell of North Babylon, L.I., who was stricken with leukemia and pulmonary fibrosis after logging in hundreds of hours at Ground Zero, died Wednesday night, his family said.

"He stepped in and he did what he had to do," said Quibell's sister, Susan Zava. "He always told us he'd do it again without even thinking - in a heartbeat.

"He truly died a hero," she said. "He loved his country."

Quibell worked at Ground Zero for 22 days after the terror attacks, shuttling firefighters to and from the World Trade Center while the smoldering debris spewed toxins into the air. According to state Correction Department records, he logged 242 hours at the site between Sept. 12 and Nov. 22, 2001.

The 24-year veteran of the department died at Good Samaritan Hospital on Long Island, his family said. No autopsy will be performed, but Quibell's doctors confirmed he was sickened by toxic dust at Ground Zero, Zava said.

Quibell was featured in a new documentary about sick first responders, called "Save the Brave." It premiered last night in Bellmore, L.I. - just a day after he died. The movie, which also tells the stories of ex-FDNY Chief Jim Riches, EMT Charlie Giles and Firefighter John McNamara, will be given to members of Congress who blocked legislation providing more comprehensive health care funding for sick 9/11 workers.

"We're forgetting these men served this country seven years ago, before there was a war," said producer John Feal, who began the FealGood Foundation to draw attention to the health problems of hundreds of ailing Ground Zero workers.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens), a sponsor of the legislation, called Quibell's death a tragedy. "Greg's friends and loved ones should be incredibly proud of his service to our country," said Maloney.

The congresswoman is hoping to get the legislation passed next month - by the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

mgrace@nydailynews.com   

                                                                      
NYDISnet Alert     
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NYDIS Announces Closure of City’s Last Remaining 9/11 Recovery Program
The New York City 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable will close in October

July 27, 2008, New York, NY… The New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) 9/11 Recovery Program will close down on October 31st due to termination of major program funding.  The 9/11 Recovery Program administers the New York City 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable (Roundtable) and the 9/11 Coordinated Case Management Program, the sole remaining financial assistance and case management programs for World Trade Center (WTC) responders and other 9/11-impacted persons, both locally and nationally.

Since its inception in 2002, the Roundtable has distributed more than $7.5 million in cash assistance to meet the basic needs of more than 4500 9/11-impacted persons and their families, from 28 states and Canada.  Over 80 city human service agencies and 18 major donor partners have participated in the Roundtable to date. Without immediate new sources of charitable, city or federal funding to continue the Roundtable and 9/11 Coordinated Case Management programs, many WTC responders and other 9/11-impacted persons with disabling WTC-related physical and mental illnesses will be at risk of eviction or foreclosure and utilities shut-off.

Since 2005, NYDIS has funded and managed the 9/11 Coordinated Case Management Program, a community-based, intensive case management services program. The program serves both 9/11 survivors and health-impacted WTC responders and recovery workers. This program currently funds seven of only eight remaining 9/11 case managers in New York City.

Thousands of 9/11 survivors, responders, community residents, and area workers now suffer from disabling physical and mental health conditions related to a host of physical exposures and psychological stressors at the WTC site. Due to disabilities resulting from these 9/11 health impacts, many Roundtable clients struggle to meet very basic expenses, such as rent, mortgage, utilities, food, and transportation while awaiting the receipt of long-term benefits, such as Workers’ Compensation.  As a result, hundreds of clients annually lapse into mortgage or rental arrears, and some have suffered eviction, foreclosure, utilities shut-off, or the humiliation of being unable to afford food for their families. In order to access benefits, secure financial assistance while awaiting the resolution of these benefits, and create a sustainable, long-term recovery plan for themselves and their families, thousands of 9/11 health-impacted persons will continue to require the assistance of a community-based, culturally competent and language-specific, 9/11-trained case manager.

NYDIS’s 9/11 Recovery Program currently coordinates and provides community-based case management services for survivors and hundreds of other 9/11 health-impacted persons.  In addition, NYDIS is receiving an average of 53 new clients requesting services per month.  More than 70 percent of NYDIS clients are WTC responders.  Ninety-six percent of NYDIS clients currently suffer from 9/11 health impacts, and of those clients, 75 percent suffer from both physical and mental illnesses related to 9/11.
Absent philanthropic or governmental funding to continue the vital services offered at NYDIS, however, these ill clients will not receive the assistance necessary to prevent eviction or utilities shut-off, leaving them homeless or without essential services, such as electricity, heat, and gas.

“NYDIS is committed to the long-term administration of the NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable as well as case management coordination and the recovery assistance tool supporting the sustainable long-term recovery needs of direct victims and injured recovery workers,” said Peter Gudaitis, Executive Director and CEO. “We must now look toward our government to meet this increasing need to ensure the health and well-being of those who put themselves in harm’s way when New York City and this nation needed them most.”

Contact: Peter B. Gudaitis
Executive Director & CEO
Office: 212-669-6100
Email: pgudaitis@nydis.org


About NYDIS

Founded in 2003, New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) is a 501(c)(3)  faith-based federation of faith communities as well as disaster service organizations and philanthropies that work in partnership to provide disaster readiness, response, and recovery services for New York City. Our mission is to inspire, connect and share resources with New York City faith communities serving in disaster to create an urban environment that ensures social justice for all peoples. NYDIS and its members provide secular disaster human services to faith communities and individuals alike, regardless of membership or religious affiliation. In times of crisis, NYDIS convenes its leadership with government agencies and local, state, and national disaster management organizations. These partnerships facilitate the delivery of services, resources, and information to religious communities, under-served victims, and impacted communities

 

 

NIOSH Awards $9 Million to SBU 9/11 First Responder Program, Occupational Health and Safety, 8/11/08

 

Stony Brook University Medical Center's Long Island World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program was awarded $9 million from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for its medical programs during the next year, ending in mid-July 2009. The program has cared for thousands of 9/11 first responders, including firefighters, police, and other workers, many of whom continue to suffer from health issues related to their work at Ground Zero.

 

"We continue to see the need to care for and monitor these patients, as conditions such as respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases and post-traumatic stress disorder are common, sometimes chronic, and require long-term monitoring by healthcare professionals," said Benjamin J. Luft, M.D., Director of the SBUMC Program. "Furthermore, we are concerned about the development of new illnesses such as cancer and autoimmune disease, which may have resulted from the intense exposure to dust and toxins."

 

Luft added that the new funding will help the mission of the program, which is to treat the many conditions and diseases experienced by first responders and prevent other health problems. The program is equipped to help patients with specialists in areas such as pulmonology, psychiatry, radiology, orthopedics, neurology, gastroenterology, radiology, and neurology. "We offer a unique program that addresses the medical and psychosocial needs of our patients in an integrative manner," Luft said. "All of our healthcare providers receive special training to meet the myriad of problems that these patients are confronting."

 

The program will build on its various treatment programs, such as medical, psychiatric care and social work, as well as research analyzing data on the types of physical and mental difficulties experienced by first responders in the seven years since the attacks. In addition, new clinical locations are planned for other areas in Suffolk and Nassau County.

 

http://www.ohsonline.com/articles/66213/

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            Contact: Kimberly Flynn 917-647-7074
July 31, 2008                              Robert Spencer 212-686-1229


The World Trade Center Community-Labor Coalition Applauds H.R. 6594, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008

Urges Congress to Hold the Line on Further Cuts in Coverage

Today, the World Trade Center Community-Labor Coalition, a broad network representing hundreds of thousands of Lower Manhattan stakeholders, including community groups, labor unions, tenants associations and environmental and health advocacy organizations welcomed the introduction of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008, a bill that guarantees federally funded health care for residents, students, area and cleanup workers, and first responders suffering the negative health effects of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

On 9/11, when the World Trade Center was destroyed, more than 1.2 million tons of toxic dust, contaminated with asbestos, lead, PAHs, PCBs, mercury, fiberglass, silica and more, were released into the air. A massive collapse cloud engulfed Lower Manhattan and penetrated into buildings of all sorts – residences, workplaces, schools. The cloud was carried by the wind over western Brooklyn. Over the succeeding weeks and months, an acrid plume of smoke rose from fires that continued to burn at the site, hanging over neighborhoods near Ground Zero and well beyond.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which had responsibility for protecting the public from the toxic air, and for conducting indoor cleanup of buildings contaminated in the collapse, chose instead to lie about the dangers in the dust and smoke, announcing, within days of 9/11, that the air was safe to breathe. Downtown residents were told by EPA to follow the dangerous advice of the New York City Health Department to clean up the toxic WTC dust themselves "with a wet rag or mop." In separate reports, both the EPA Inspector General (in 2003) and the Government Accountability Office (in 2007) documented the serious flaws and gross inadequacies of the EPA's first and second test and clean programs.

9/11 was an attack on our nation. In a time of extraordinary need, first responders selflessly committed themselves to toiling for weeks and months at Ground Zero, doing what was necessary to rescue, recover and restore. Residents, area workers and students trusted government reassurances and returned to their workplaces, homes and schools, playing their part in quickly returning Lower Manhattan to a semblance of normalcy. The federal government has yet to return that commitment with a commitment of its own to funding the monitoring and treatment of their health needs.

We fully endorse the bill's approach of funding Centers of Excellence that will track and treat all patients, providing specialized care from the most knowledgeable doctors, and centralizing all patient data to gain a growing understanding of the nature and scope of WTC illness.

However, a number of aspects of the bill are cause for concern:

– The bill provides only for respiratory conditions and GERD as covered illnesses. Though we are pleased to see a mechanism within the bill for expanding this list of covered conditions, we believe that other conditions are already appearing and should receive treatment. Notably, the bill lacks any list of conditions specifically affecting children, a population especially vulnerable to environmental hazards. US Census data show that approximately 40,000 children 18 years old and younger, lived within a 2 mile radius of the WTC site on 9/11.

– The bill caps the number of treatment slots for residents, students and area workers at 35,000, less than one-tenth of the City's own estimate of the most heavily exposed population.

– The bill shrinks the geographic area for eligibility for an entitlement to 9/11-related health care from a 2-mile radius around the WTC site to Houston Street to the north and a half a mile into Brooklyn. We know that WTC dust and smoke permeated a wide geographic area and that the plume remained over neighborhoods for weeks on end.

Massive numbers of New Yorkers and many others from around the country were exposed in a variety of ways to a witches' brew of toxic chemicals at levels high enough to cause health effects. Some were caught in the initial collapse cloud; some were exposed and may continue to be exposed on an everyday basis to toxic WTC dust the EPA left behind in their homes, schools and offices.

It is imperative that, whatever illnesses may befall some or all of them, the Centers of Excellence will be there to provide the care they need and are entitled to.

We expect that some in Congress will want to see the present bill weakened with the number of treatment slots for residents, students and office workers reduced further or the geographic eligibility area for non-responders limited even more. We urge Congress to stand firm against these efforts to chip away at the bill's coverage.

It is a disgrace that nearly seven years after the 9/11 attacks, the federal government has yet to make a firm ongoing commitment to the long-term health needs of those injured by 9/11. It is long past time for the Congress and the Bush Administration to do the right thing.


==========================================================================

CONGRESSMAN

JERROLD NADLER

8th Congressional District of New York

 

Rep. Nadler Urges Swift Action on 9/11 Health and Compensation Act

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 31, 2008

CONTACT:  Shin Inouye, 202-225-5635

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), whose district includes Ground Zero, today appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health to urge lawmakers to adopt H.R. 6594, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008.

 

“This is the beginning of the end of a collective seven-year struggle in advancing this important issue,” said Rep. Nadler.  “This bill will ensure that the living victims of the 9/11 attacks have a right to health care for their World Trade Center-related illnesses and a route to compensation for their economic losses.  It will provide critical support for those affected by the attacks – be they our heroic first responders, area workers, resident, students or others – through a stable, long-term approach that builds on successful, existing programs.  I urge my colleagues to act quickly and adopt this measure.”

That bill was authored by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), Nadler, Vito Fossella (NY-13) and Peter King (NY-3) and will provide medical monitoring to those exposed to the toxic aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks and treatment and compensation to those who are sick or injured as a result. 

Rep. Nadler’s full statement before the Subcommittee follows:

I want to extend my thanks to Chairman Pallone, Ranking Member Deal, and the members of the Subcommittee for convening this hearing and inviting my colleagues and me to testify before you today.  I also want to thank Speaker Pelosi, the Chairmen of the Committees of jurisdiction, the bi-partisan members of the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut Congressional delegations, the Mayor of the City of New York, and the Governor of New York, the AFL-CIO, and numerous local community groups for working with us intensively over the past several weeks to sharpen the focus of the legislation before you today.

 

As you know, Congresswoman Maloney and I, along with Congressman Fossella and Congressman King have introduced H.R. 6594, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008, to ensure that the living victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks have a right to health care for their World Trade Center-related illnesses and a route to compensation for their economic losses.  We believe that the current version of this bill represents our collective best efforts to provide that critical support for those affected by the attacks – regardless of whether they are our heroic first responders, area workers, resident, students or others – through a stable, long-term approach that builds on successful, existing programs.  And it does all of this in a fiscally responsible manner.

 

We are hopeful that today’s hearing marks the beginning of the end of our collective seven-year struggle in pressing this case.  Those of us sitting on these panels have held so many press conferences, testified at so many hearings and released so many memos and reports about the environmental impacts and health effects of 9/11, that we can hardly keep track anymore.

 

We warned that the air wasn’t safe and that our courageous first responders were not properly protected from dangerous toxins as they were toiling on the pile to rebuild. We spent years working to try to convince public officials that the asbestos, fiberglass and other toxins had travelled far and settled into the interiors of residences, workplaces and schools, and that a proper testing and cleanup program would be required to eliminate the health risks to area residents, workers and students.  We demanded that the government acknowledge the fact, supported by a mountain of peer-reviewed research, that thousands of our nation’s citizens are today sick from 9/11 and that many, many more could become sick in the future.  We explained to whomever would listen that our 9/11 heroes were struggling to pay health care costs because they could no longer work and no longer had health insurance, or because they have had their worker's compensation claims controverted, and we have argued vigorously that the federal response to date has been dangerously limited, piecemeal and unstable – both in terms of preventing further health impacts from potentially persistent indoor contamination and, most notably, in terms of a lack of comprehensive, long-term approach to providing health care and compensation for those already affected. 

 

Thankfully, we believe that we have now finally achieved a much more widespread recognition of many of these problems, and nearly seven years after the attacks, we believe that Congress will do what is right for our heroes and our living victims, and pass H.R. 6594.

 

Though the devastating 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center occurred within the bounds of my Congressional district, we know that these were really attacks on our nation as a whole – figuratively and literally.  The President has repeatedly referred to them as such.  The victims can be found throughout the country.  Every member in New York’s downstate delegation represents hundreds, if not thousands, of people who live, work, attend school, or were otherwise present in Lower Manhattan and the affected parts of Brooklyn, and were exposed to a toxic brew of contamination.  Indeed, every member in this room represents a state that has people suffering from the negative health effects of 9/11. 

 

And as this is unquestionably a national problem, it has always required a national response.   But despite our sustained efforts to get the Administration to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with this growing public health problem that they themselves now finally acknowledge, the New York delegation has instead found itself, year after year, coming to Congress with its “hat in hand” to test its luck at the annual appropriations process.  Thankfully, with growing bi-partisan support for that funding, we have had some key successes.  And with those monies we have seen some critical first steps in federally-funded health care programming, thanks to dedicated public servants like Dr. John Howard.  But this is simply no a longer a tenable course of action.  Neither our heroes nor the excellent health care programs that currently serve them should have to rely on such an unpredictable funding process.

 

Passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act would mark an end to this entire problematic approach and ensure that a consistent source of funding is available to monitor and/or treat the thousands of responders and community members and others already affected by WTC-related illnesses as well as those who are most likely to become sick in the future.  And it would make sure that no matter where an affected individual were to live in the future, he or she could get care.  Building on the expertise of the Centers of Excellence, the bill would fill key gaps in how we are currently providing treatment and monitoring.  The bill would also require substantial data collection regarding the nature and extent of WTC-related illnesses. This is a particularly critical provision as there is still so much we have to learn about these illnesses and how they may have affected different exposure populations.  And finally, as you know, this legislation would provide an opportunity for compensation for economic damages and losses by reopening the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. 

The needs here are abundantly clear.  We already have 16,000 first responders currently being treated for WTC-related illnesses and another 40,000 being monitored through a Consortium of providers, led by Mt. Sinai Hospital, and by the FDNY. And we have nearly 3,000 sick community members being treated in an entirely City-funded program – the World Trade Center Environmental Health Program at Bellevue Hospital – with countless others being treated elsewhere either because they don’t know about the Bellevue program or for a host of other reasons.  Indeed, without a single federal dollar going to the Bellevue program thus far, it hasn’t even had the means to do any real outreach and marketing as of yet.

But unfortunately, these are just today’s numbers.  In a February 2007 report to Mayor Bloomberg, entitled “Addressing the Health Impacts of 9/11,” The City of New York estimated, conservatively in my opinion, that there were nearly 90,000 first responders (who were by definition heavily exposed to WTC toxins) and about 318,000 “heavily exposed” community members, who were living or working within an even more narrowly drawn radius than is used in this bill, who could ultimately become sick as a result of the effects of the 9/11 attacks. 

 

As you may know, the preliminary cost estimates of the original version of the bill were far higher than our expectation of what would be needed to treat everyone who might be affected.  As such, it was required that we redesign the bill in order to bring those costs down dramatically, by many billions.  We made many different kinds of cuts, and some of these were tremendously difficult to swallow.

With respect to the community program, a variety of cuts were required.  First, this new bill fundamentally shrinks the radius within which individuals who reside, go to school or work (including commuters from throughout the Tri-state area) would be eligible for services.  Second, it caps the total number of new treatment slots to 35,000 (which, incidentally, is the same level as the responder program).  It also creates contingency funds with strict dollar limits, and caps other kinds of spending. 

With this necessity of cost cutting, concerns have been raised about the fact that we may have already mistakenly excluded some individuals who may have been or are still being exposed to 9/11 toxins and who may become sick.  This is because although we do have a good deal of data about toxicity levels of the plume at certain distances from the WTC site, there has never been a systematic testing program to determine the geographic extent of indoor contamination, in concentric circles out from the site, as was prescribed by the EPA Inspector General.  The concern arises as well because individual cap levels in the bill were determined in part by looking to the current number of people being treated in each of the existing programs. And as has been previously stated, we know that the population in the community program at Bellevue underrepresents the total population that is currently sick.

Nevertheless, I am hopeful that these fears are unfounded.  Beyond the obvious goal in making sure we could provide this Committee with a bill whose price tag allowed for a real chance a passage, our aim was to use our best data and knowledge to date to estimate the actual numbers of people we believe are currently or will likely get sick.  Our goal was not to deny any deserving individual care or compensation.   Though it was a very difficult challenge, I believe the City of New York, using its World Trade Center Registry and other available data, has done a very good job at advising us regarding the community cap level.  We are all obviously hopeful that there will be far fewer people who ultimately become sick than are eligible for care under this bill.  And if we are wrong in the other direction, it will be for future Congresses to consider.

But today, you must decide if you are going to be a part of the beginning of an effort to honor the heroes and victims of 9/11 and to provide for their health and compensation for losses in a reasonable and responsible manner. Your decision is to begin a program that will benefit thousands of people who are now struggling to pay their medical bills and keep their families together.  Your decision is about how you will respond to the September 11th attacks.  I urge you to come to the aid of those who helped our country in its most desperate hour by supporting this legislation.

 

You would not be alone.  The broader, original version of this bill had more than 100 bi-partisan co-sponsors.  It stands to reason that we will see even more support for this new bill.  This legislation is also strongly supported by Governor Paterson, Mayor Bloomberg, the national AFL-CIO, Building and Construction Trades Council, the Contractors’ Association of Greater New York, the Building Trades Employers’ Association, and  numerous environmental and community advocacy groups. 

Please join us in finally doing the right thing before the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. 

Support the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

 

I thank you for holding this hearing and look forward to the testimony of my colleagues and other witnesses today.  Thank you.  

     

###

Jerrold Nadler has served in Congress since 1992.  He represents New York’s 8th Congressional District, which includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn.


 

 

 

 

For Immediate Release: July 3, 2008
Contact: Joe Soldevere, (646) 831-1649

Bush Admin. Sacks 9/11 Health Czar

Rep. Maloney: Dr. Howard Fired Just For Doing His Job

New York, NY – Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) released the following statement in response to reports that Dr. John Howard will not be reappointed as Director of the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health, the agency responsible for overseeing federally-funded health care for 9/11 first responders and others exposed to Ground Zero toxins:

“It appears that the Bush Administration fired Dr. Howard just for doing his job caring for Americans who are suffering as a result of 9/11.  It’s outrageous that the administration would treat the heroes of 9/11 so poorly on the day before our nation celebrates its independence.”

Background

In February 2006, Reps. Maloney and Vito Fossella (R-NY) successfully urged the Bush Administration to appoint Dr. Howard to serve as the federal government's coordinator to oversee the response to Ground Zero health impacts (Click here for a copy of HHS' letter to Rep. Maloney announcing Dr. Howard's appointment).

Joe Soldevere
Press Secretary
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14)
Office:  (212) 860-0606
Mobile: (646) 831-1649

 

 

For Immediate Release: June 2, 2008

Contact:        Joe Soldevere (Maloney), 212-860-0606
                Dave Natonski (Shays), 202-225-5541            
                Craig Donner (Fossella), 718-356-8400
                Shin Inouye (Nadler), 202-225-5635

GAO: Feds Still Lack Coordinated Plan

to Protect Disaster Responders

- 6+ Years After Attacks, Lessons of 9/11 Not Learned by Bush Admin. -

Washington, D.C. - Today, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Christopher Shays (R-CT), Vito Fossella (R-NY), and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealing that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lacks a coordinated, department-wide plan to protect the health and safety of Americans who respond to public health disasters.  In its report (click here for a full copy), the GAO identified five key lessons from the federal response to the 9/11 attacks that should help guide future disaster response efforts.  A summary of the GAO's five lessons can be found below.

Maloney, Nadler, and Fossella authored and Shays co-sponsored the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which would provide health care to the thousands of Americans who were sickened or injured by the toxic aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

"If the federal government had a coordinated plan on 9/11 to protect disaster responders thousands of people wouldn't be sick today," said Rep. Maloney.  "With seventh anniversary of the attacks fast approaching, it's totally unacceptable that we don't have plans to take care of ailing 9/11 responders and to protect the health of responders to future disasters."

"The response to September 11th-related health concerns has lacked coordination and a sense of urgency, and I believe federal, state and local health systems have to more accurately diagnose and treat these illnesses," said Rep. Shays.  "Much work needs to be done to ensure those affected receive the care they deserve, and I hope the administration will fulfill its commitment to those exposed to the toxins from September 11, 2001, and in the resulting cleanup."

Rep. Fossella said, "These recommendations provide a guide for the federal government to follow in the future to protect the health and well-being of first responders. But these recommendations also highlight the lack of adequate services that are available right now for sick and injured 9/11 responders. While it is important for the government to use the lessons of 9/11 to be better prepared to manage potential health issues of responders in the future, federal officials must stop delaying efforts to help the unsung heroes of 9/11."

"Yet again, the Bush Administration has failed to learn from its mistakes," said Rep. Nadler.  "In the aftermath of 9/11, it became clear that the government lacked a comprehensive public health plan to protect the brave responders who came to the World Trade Center to help.  This lapse in leadership led to thousands of people from all over the nation becoming sick.  Not only has the White House failed to fully provide for their needs, its ongoing failure to develop plans for future disaster response efforts is outrageous and extremely dangerous."

Responding to a request from Reps. Maloney, Shays, and Fossella, the GAO identified the following five lessons from the experience of current World Trade Center health programs that could help in the event of a future disaster:

        1)      Registering all responders during a response to a disaster could improve implementation of screening and monitoring services;

        2)      Designing and implementing screening and monitoring programs that foster the ability to conduct epidemiologic research could improve the understanding of health effects experienced by responders and help determine the need for ongoing monitoring;

        3)      Providing timely mental health screening and monitoring that is integrated with physical health screening and monitoring could improve the ability to accurately diagnose physical and mental health conditions and prevent more serious mental health conditions from developing;

        4)      Including a treatment referral process in screening and monitoring programs could improve the ability of responders to gain access to needed treatment; and

        5)      Making comparable services available to all responders, regardless of their employer or geographic location, could ensure that more equitable access to services for responders and help ensure that data collected about responders' health is consistent and comprehensive.

Previous GAO Reports on 9/11 Health

03/11/08 - September 11: Fiscal Year 2008 Cost Estimation Process for World Trade Center Health Programs

01/22/08 - September 11: Improvements Still Needed in Availability of Health Screening and Monitoring Services for Responders outside the New York City Area


09/20/07 - September 11: Problems Remain in Planning for and Providing Health Screening and Monitoring Services for Responders


07/24/07 - September 11:  HHS Needs to Ensure Availability of Health Screening and Monitoring for all Responders

02/28/06 - September 11: Monitoring of World Trade Center Health Effects Has Progressed, but Program for Federal Responders Lags Behind

09/08/04 - September 11: Health Effects in the Aftermath of the World Trade Center Attack


Joe Soldevere
Press Secretary
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14)
Office:  (212) 860-0606
Mobile: (646) 831-1649

 

For Immediate Release: May 20, 2008

Contact:        Joe Soldevere (Maloney), 212-860-0606
                Nina Blackwell (Clinton), 212-688-9559
                Shin Inouye (Nadler), 202-225-5635
                Craig Donner (Fossella), 718-356-8400
                Shrita Sterlin (Towns), 202-225-5936

Mount Sinai: 9/11 Heroes Have PTSD

at Rates Much Higher than the General Population

-Senator Clinton, Reps. Maloney, Nadler, Fossella & Towns Say

New Study Shows Continued Need

for Strong Federal Response to WTC Health Crisis-

New York, NY - Today, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, Vito Fossella, and Edolphus Towns said that a new study by Mount Sinai School of Medicine showing high rates of psychological distress among World Trade Center responders underscores the need for a strong federal response to the health impacts of the 9/11 attacks.  Of the more than 10,000 workers who participated in the Mount Sinai study (click here for a full copy of the report), 11% met criteria for probable Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); 8.8% had probable depression; 5.0% had probable panic disorder; and 62% had substantial stress reaction.  According to Mount Sinai, the rate of PTSD among 9/11 responders is significantly greater than in the general population and is on par with the rate experienced by veterans of the war in Afghanistan.

"Mount Sinai's report once again proves what we have known for a long time - that our heroes from 9/11 continue to have ongoing mental and physical health needs that need to be addressed. While the physical toll on our first responders is easy to recognize, the mental stress that many of them are suffering can hide easily in plain sight. Our first responders and their families continue to suffer and it is our moral obligation to help them. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that those impacted by 9/11 have the care and treatment they need," Senator Clinton said.

"9/11 responders were the first veterans of the war on terror and the psychological trauma they experienced is real and ongoing," said Rep. Maloney.  "Mount Sinai's report is even more evidence that administration needs to finally deliver a plan to ensure that 9/11 responders can get the mental and physical health care they need.  It's been more than six years since the attacks and while it can never be too late to help the heroes of 9/11, the time for this president to take action is now."

"We now have the science to back up what we have long known - much more needs to be done to help those brave first responders who are still suffering the physical and psychological consequences of 9/11," said Rep. Nadler.  "They put their lives in danger to help us in our time of need.  The federal government has a moral imperative to provide the living victims of 9/11 with the care they need and deserve."

"We know the enormous physical toll of 9/11 on our first responders, but this report provides insight into the mental stress the terrorist attacks had on our unsung heroes," said Rep. Fossella. "This report serves as a wake up call that the federal government must stop delaying and finally provide the 9/11 responders with the care they need."

"This study confirms what New Yorkers already know -- the effects of 9/11 persist more than six years later," said Rep. Towns.  "The heroes of 9/11 need treatment for mental health symptoms as well as physical health issues. We'll continue the fight to provide the quality health care these heroes deserve."

###

Joe Soldevere
Press Secretary
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14)
Office:  (212) 860-0606
Mobile: (646) 831-1649

 

 

For Immediate Release: May 9, 2008

Contacts:       Joe Soldevere (Maloney), 212-860-0606
                Shin Inouye (Nadler), 202-225-5635
                Craig Donner (Fossella), 718-356-8400
                Shrita Sterlin (Towns), 202-225-5936   
                Joseph O'Brien (Engel), 718-796-9700
                Elbert Garcia (Rangel), 212-663-3900
                Jordan Goldes (Ackerman), 718-423-2154
                Chic Smith (Clarke), 202-225-6231
                Gail O'Connor (Velázquez), 202-226-3636
                Meghan Dubyak (Israel), 202-225-3335
                John Collins (Weiner), 718-520-9001            

Bush Admin. Flouts Congressional Directives

to Help Americans Sick From 9/11

Washington, D.C. - Today, 10 bipartisan New York Members of Congress sharply rebuked a new report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the status of the federal government's response to the health impacts of the 9/11 attacks.  HHS's report (click here for a full copy), which was requested by Congress in the FY 2008 federal Labor-HHS appropriations bill, revealed that the Bush Administration has no plans to spend congressionally-approved funding to treat and monitor lower Manhattan residents, area workers, students and others who were exposed to the toxic aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.  In addition, HHS failed to provide, again as requested by Congress, a "long-term, comprehensive federal plan for monitoring, screening, analysis and medical treatment for all individuals who were exposed to the toxins at the World Trade Center site."

Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, Vito Fossella, Edolphus Towns, Eliot Engel, Charles Rangel, Gary Ackerman, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velázquez, Steve Israel, and Anthony Weiner issued the following joint statement in response to HHS's report:

"We have a moral responsibility to help those whose lives were shattered by the terrorist attacks on our country.  It was bad enough that the Administration fought our efforts to care for Americans who are sick from 9/11.  Now they're ignoring Congressional orders to provide a comprehensive, long-term plan.

"Last year, Congress approved funding to treat and monitor area residents, workers, students and others who were exposed to Ground Zero toxins.  All the administration needs to do is start spending this money, but as usual they're dragging their feet.  Today, we're calling on the administration to get this money flowing and finally come up with a serious plan to address the 9/11 health crisis."

The lawmakers also expressed their concerns in a letter dated today to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, the text of which follows:

 

May 9, 2008

The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201

 

Dear Secretary Leavitt,

 

We write to express our extreme dissatisfaction with your April 2008 report to Congress entitled "Providing Monitoring and Treatment Services for those Experiencing Injuries or Illness as a Result of the World Trade Center Exposures." As you know, this report is in response to the House Appropriations committee's request for a "long-term, comprehensive Federal plan for monitoring, screening, analysis and medical treatment for all individuals who were exposed to the toxins at the World Trade Center site," contained in the Committee's report on the FY 2008 budget for the Department on Health and Human Services. 

This report is simply not acceptable.   It ignores both Congress' directions and the needs of those who are sick as a result of the WTC attacks.

First, the report takes credit for a list of accomplishments that the Department undertook only at the direction of Congress, even though the Administration opposed each step along the way.  None of the advances in screening, monitoring, or treating responders were the initiatives of HHS, but rather showed HHS implementing these programs only in response to Congressional actions.  Despite repeated requests by Congress, HHS has never produced a long term plan to address the medical needs of the responders, community residents, and students.  The current report is only a one year plan, not the long term plan that we requested and need.  Testimony at the most recent Appropriations Committee Hearing on the WTC medical programs documented the need for a long term plan and stable long term funding if these programs are going to adequately serve the medical needs of the responders and other groups. 

Second, HHS continues what we believe are unconscionable stall tactics regarding care for residents, area workers, students, and others who have become sick from the attacks.  On page 8 of this report under the heading "WTC Screening and Treatment Costs for Non-Responders," you state "At the time of this report to Congress,  ... HHS is engaged in discussions and information-gathering to determine the extent of the need.  As data becomes available, HHS will consider options for providing assistance and estimating costs.  Within the resources appropriated in FY 2008, funds will be expended to support data gathering and further analysis."  Public Law No. 110-161 specifically says that this funding shall be for "screening and treatment." 

In the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008, Congress, for the first time, provided funding for the monitoring and treatment of residents, area workers, students, and others who were exposed to the toxins of 9/11.  Published, peer-reviewed studies have already reported adverse respiratory and mental health effects in this population, and the City of New York is currently spending millions of dollars to serve these individuals at a community program already in place at NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation's WTC Environmental Health Center.  To date, no federal funding for these populations has been released, and this report appears to indicate that no funding will be released in FY 2008.  This is unacceptable.  We ask that you immediately release funding for non-responders, as required by Congress.

Third, this report is not a plan to move forward but rather a wait-and-see account of what HHS has done in the past.  If the heroes and heroines of 9/11 had taken a similar wait-and-see approach to their rescue, recovery and clean-up work at Ground Zero, we would have been in dire straits.  More than six years later, our brave responders are suffering as a result of their heroism, while HHS says they need no more funding and no legislation to care for their health and compensation needs.  Sick residents, area workers, students, and others have simply been ignored.

Finally, we are disappointed that you have not been available to discuss these WTC health issues with the New York delegation.  You declined an invitation to appear at a January 2008 hearing of the Oversight Subcommittee on Government Management, and did not even send a representative from HHS to appear on your behalf.  You agreed to meet with the New York delegation at a February 2008 budget hearing before the Energy and Commerce Committee.  However, after multiple attempts by Congressman Engel's office to schedule the meeting, we still find ourselves left without a time and date to meet with you, as you promised.  We hope this will be the last time we must follow up on scheduling this meeting.  We expect to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

CAROLYN B. MALONEY               
JERROLD NADLER                          
VITO FOSSELLA
EDOLPHUS TOWNS                        
ELIOT ENGEL
CHARLES B. RANGEL
GARY ACKERMAN
YVETTE CLARKE                                          
NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ
STEVE ISRAEL                                     
ANTHONY WEINER


Joe Soldevere
Press Secretary
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14)
Office:  (212) 860-0606
Mobile: (646) 831-1649

 

 

For Immediate Release: May 6, 2008

Contact:        Joe Soldevere (Maloney), (212) 860-0606
                Shin Inouye (Nadler), 202-225-5635
                Craig Donner (Fossella), 718-356-8400

100 Members of Congress and Counting

Are Standing Up for the Heroes of 9/11

Washington, D.C. - Today, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Vito Fossella (R-NY) issued the following joint statement announcing the 100th cosponsor of their bipartisan legislation to provide health care, medical monitoring, and compensation for Americans who are sick or injured as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: 

"Today, we are pleased to announce the 100th cosponsor of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.  We believe that it is a moral imperative to provide care for the first responders, area residents, schoolchildren and others who are sick as a result of the 9/11 attacks.  We are grateful that Members of Congress from every corner of our nation have signed on to this bipartisan and truly patriotic legislation."

This week, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) became the 100th cosponsor of H.R. 3543, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which would ensure medical monitoring for everyone who was exposed to toxins released by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, treatment for anyone who is sick as a result, and would provide compensation for economic losses by reopening the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.  Under this bill, proper care would be guaranteed to the thousands of people who came from across the country to respond to the 9/11 attacks. 

According to the federally-funded World Trade Center Health Registry, people from all 50 states and nearly every Congressional district in the country were in lower Manhattan on or after 9/11 and now have serious concerns about their health.  In all, more than 10,000 people enrolled in the Registry live outside the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.  (Click here for a map of Registry enrollments nationwide and here for a list of enrollments in each Congressional district.)

Background

The collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 released a massive dust cloud containing thousands of tons of coarse and fine particulate matter, cement dust, glass fibers, asbestos, lead, hydrochloric acid, and other toxic pollutants.  Hundreds of thousands of people were exposed to the toxins of Ground Zero, including first responders; rescue, recovery, and clean-up workers; volunteers from all 50 states; and area residents, office workers, and schoolchildren.  Thousands of people are now sick as a result of their exposure. 

                               

Summary of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act

In general, the bill would:

*       Ensure that everyone exposed to the Ground Zero toxins has a right to be medically monitored and all who are sick as a result have a right to treatment;

*       Expand care to the entire exposed community, which includes residents, area workers and school children as well as the thousands of people from across the country who assisted with the recovery and clean-up effort; and

*       Provide compensation for economic damages by reopening the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

Specifically, the bill would:

Establish the World Trade Center Health Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to provide medical monitoring and treatment for WTC-related conditions to WTC Responders and WTC-area residents and other non-responders, with no cost sharing.  The program will be administered by the Director of NIOSH or his designee.  The bill would also establish the WTC Health Program Steering Committee and the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee.

Provide Monitoring and Treatment for WTC Responders.  If a responder is determined to be eligible for monitoring based on the criteria provided for in the bill, then that responder has a right to medical monitoring that is paid for by the program.  Once a responder is in monitoring, if an approved physician diagnoses a condition that is on the list of presumed WTC-related health conditions in the bill, then that responder has a right to treatment for that condition that is paid for by the program.

Provide Monitoring and Treatment for WTC Responders outside of NY area.   The program administrator will establish a nationwide network of providers so that eligible responders who live outside of the New York area can reasonable access monitoring and treatment benefits near where they live.

Provide for Research into Conditions.  In consultation with the Program Steering Committee and under all applicable privacy protections, HHS will conduct or support research about conditions that may be WTC-related, and about diagnosing and treating WTC-related conditions.

Extend support for NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene programs: NIOSH would extend and expand support for the World Trade Center Health Registry and provide grants for the mental health needs of individuals who are not otherwise eligible for services under this bill.

Reopen the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund to provide compensation for economic damages and loss for individuals who did not file before or became ill after the original December 22, 2003 deadline.  The bill would allow for adjustment of previous awards if the Special Master of the fund determines the medical conditions of the claimant warrants an adjustment, and amend eligibility rules so that responders to the 9/11 attacks who arrived later than the first 96 hours after the attacks could be eligible if they experienced illness or injury from their work at the site.

###

Joe Soldevere
Press Secretary
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14)
Office:  (212) 860-0606
Mobile: (646) 831-1649

 

 

For Immediate Release: March 18, 2008

Contacts:       Joe Soldevere (Maloney), 212-860-0606
                Joshua Vlasto (Schumer), 202-380-5990
                Clinton Press Office, 212-688-9559
                Shin Inouye (Nadler), 202-225-5635
                Craig Donner (Fossella), 718-356-8400

CDC Takes Measures to Address 9/11 Health Concerns

-Sens. Schumer and Clinton, Reps. Maloney, Nadler, Fossella Applaud Decision

To Begin Process to Provide Thousands of Responders

Outside Metro NY With Proper Care-

New York, NY - Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it will issue a solicitation for sources to provide federally-funded medical monitoring and treatment to thousands of 9/11 responders who live outside metropolitan New York City.  (Click here for a copy of the CDC's announcement.)  In December, the Administration suddenly announced that it had abandoned plans to create such a program.  At the time, the CDC expressed concerns over the availability of continued funding, even though Congress was in the process of approving another $108 million for 9/11 health care.

According to the federally-funded World Trade Center Health Registry, people from all 50 states and 431 of 435 Congressional districts nationwide were in lower Manhattan on or after 9/11 and now have serious concerns about their health.  In all, more than 10,000 of the 71,000 people enrolled in the Registry live outside the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, and Vito Fossella, who for months have urged the Administration to restart the program, hailed today's announcement.

"Though the scars of September 11th are still visible in lower Manhattan, the reach of that attack extends across the country, where thousands of first responders who live outside of the New York metropolitan area need medical assistance for conditions stemming from their service," Schumer said. "From Buffalo to Birmingham, and Syracuse to San Diego, we must ensure that these brave men and women receive the care they need and deserve."

"Today's announcement is long overdue, and represents the first step in the process of working to secure federally funded treatment and monitoring for those responders outside of the New York City area," said Senator Clinton. "We welcomed the assistance of thousands from around the country in our hour of need, and it is imperative that the federal government now assist those who are experiencing adverse health outcomes in their hour of need."

"It's good news that the Administration is finally taking action to help thousands of ailing 9/11 responders who live outside the tri-state area," said Rep. Maloney.  "The national 9/11 health