9/11 News Items (9/13/21)

Even as 9/11 responders’ self-reported physical health has declined over the years, they have consistently reported their mental health-related quality of life as better than that of average Americans.

Sep. 10, 2021 — Gothamist — Cancer, Chronic Illnesses Are Rising Among 9/11 First Responders—But Their Retirement Claims Keep Getting Denied

First responders who worked at Ground Zero frequently run into red tape as they develop health conditions such as cancer.

Sep. 10, 2021 — Popular Science — What 20 years of screening 9/11 first responders for health risks has taught us

They were the first at the scene on 9/11. Twenty years later, they’re helping us learn the long-term health consequences.

Sep. 10, 2021 — Marketwatch — This trader survived the toxic smoke cloud on 9/11 only to be diagnosed with aggressive bladder cancer. His medical bill? $2,600

‘My surgeon told me, “Thank God you were standing up for yourself to keep going and not take no for an answer”‘

Sep. 10, 2021 — Chicago Sun-Times — ‘Wouldn’t have done anything different,’ says one of a legion of Chicago firefighters, cops who went to NYC after 9/11 and now suffer

They rushed from Chicago to help and bonded with their New York counterparts amid the grief and horror. Today, some face illnesses they blame on exposure to the toxic rubble.

Sep. 10, 2021 — Associated Press — 20 years later, fallout from toxic WTC dust cloud grows

Two decades after the twin towers’ collapse, people are still coming forward to report illnesses that might be related to the attacks.

Sep. 10, 2021 — Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney — Reps. Maloney, Nadler, and Garbarino Introduce Resolution Commemorating 20th Anniversary of 9/11

Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) today introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives commemorating the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Sep. 10, 2021 — NBC News — Schumer wants more health care funding for 9/11 first responders, survivors

The money would avoid a projected shortfall in a federal program that provides medical care for people affected by the 9/11 attacks.

Sep. 10, 2021 — Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney — Reps. Maloney, Nadler, and Garbarino, Leader Schumer, Sen. Gillibrand, and Advocates Call on Congress to Pass 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act

Sep. 9, 2021 — Spectrum News NY 1 — New documentary reveals fight for health care benefits for 9/11 first responders

He’s an everyday New Yorker who was thrust into an extraordinary situation 20 years ago. Today, John Feal is the driving force behind the new documentary “No Responders Left Behind.”

Sep. 9, 2021 — Marketplace — 20 years on, health care claims from 9/11 survivors are increasing

Two decades on, there are still significant ongoing health costs connected to that day.

Sep. 9, 2021 — WTOL 11 Toledo — 20 Years Later: The uncounted victims of 9/11

Long after their service on Sept. 11, 2001, responders carried the burdens medically.

Sep. 9, 2021 — New York Times — 9/11 Survivors Are Still Getting Sick Decades Later: ‘Am I Next?’

By some estimates, more than 400,000 people in Lower Manhattan, including those who lived, worked and studied there, were exposed to toxic material from the pulverized towers.

Sep. 9, 2021 — The City — COVID Death Toll Among 9/11 First Responders and Survivors Nears Grim Milestone

Almost 100 people enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program have died from the virus, though advocates believe many others beyond the registry have succumbed.

Sep. 9, 2021 — NY Daily News — Congress aims to fund 9/11 health program deficit by adding to the upcoming $3.5T budget bill

While the World Trade Center Health Program has the money it needs for the short-term, surging enrollments and escalating cases of cancer are pushing costs up much faster than was predicted.

Sep. 9, 2021 — Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. — Pallone Includes $2.86 Billion in Funding for the 9/11 World Trade Center Health Program in Build Back Better Act

While the program has been extended by Congress until 2090, data from the CDC estimates that this vital program will face a projected funding shortfall starting in 2025. The legislation will address this shortfall.

Sep. 9, 2021 — Spectrum 1 News — Health impacts from 9/11 attacks continue, 20 years later

Twenty years after the Twin Towers collapsed, 9/11 continues to haunt civilians and first responders who were in lower Manhattan in the months following the terrorist attacks.

Sep. 9, 2021 — Courier News/MyCentralJersey — Rutgers’ World Trade Center Health Program continues to save lives

The center has 4,784 on its list of patients and is currently treating 2,526 for ailments ranging from respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders to sleep apnea, post-traumatic stress disorder and cancer, particularly head and neck cancers.

Sep. 9, 2021 — CBS New York — No Regrets From First Responders Suffering Chronic Illness From Ground Zero Toxins; ‘Our City Needed Us’

For Tarquinio and others living with the scars of heroism, it was an instinctive act to help amid unimaginable destruction. They didn’t know, at the time, they would become victims themselves.

Sep. 9, 2021 — News 12 Connecticut — 20 years after 9/11, toll mounts among responders who faced toxins at ground zero

On Sept. 11, 2001, nearly 90,000 emergency responders raced to the front lines of the unfolding tragedy. They were hoping to save lives – thinking little of their own – because they were told they didn’t have to.

Sep. 9, 2021 — New Jersey Globe — Pallone, Sherrill work to expand 9/11 first responder health coverage

With the 20th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center approaching this Saturday, two members of Congress from New Jersey are highlighting their efforts to expand health care funding and coverage for 9/11 first responders.

Sep. 9, 2021 — Healio — World Trade Center program offers valuable information for health care professionals

The CDC’s World Trade Center Health Program provides important information for all health care professionals, even those who do not treat anyone directly affected by the 9/11 tragedies, those with direct knowledge of the program said.

Sep. 9, 2021 — NBC News — ‘I feel betrayed’: Some 9/11 responders still face major health care obstacles

A company tasked with helping responders and survivors get free medical care has failed to achieve some of its basic aims, patients and staffers say.

Sep. 8, 2021 — The Conversation — 20 years on, 9/11 responders are still sick and dying

Emergency workers and clean-up crew are among 9/11 responders still suffering significant health issues 20 years after the terrorist attacks.

Sep. 8, 2021 — ABC 15 WPDE — Former NYPD officer, MB resident remembers the devastation after 9/11 attacks

The sky was clear and blue. “It was beautiful,” Cruz said. “It went from a beautiful sky and it just changed and flipped.”

Sep. 8, 2021 — Boston 25 News — Health concerns persist for 9/11 first responders from New England

Among them are 345 men and women from Massachusetts and 104 from New Hampshire. Connecticut, with 621, had the most first responders from New England in the program. Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont had 67, 66 and 44 respectively.

Sep. 8, 2021 — The Chief-Leader — Trade Center Health Program Links Physical and Mental Woes From 9/11

The program is a unique one and is a collaboration between the FDNY, the medical community and the unions that represent the department’s uniform and civilian employees.

Sep. 8, 2021 — CBS 4 Miami — Remembering 9/11: Doctors Still Treating First Responders For Mental Health Issues

Michael George reports twenty years after the September 11th attacks, tens of thousands of first responders and survivors and their families are still coping with lasting impacts on their mental health.

Sep. 8, 2021 — Daily Mail — Activist whose school was less than a mile from the Twin Towers reveals how classmates were poisoned by toxic air and several have been diagnosed with cancer since the attack

By the time Lila attended her twentieth Stuyvesant reunion, five of her classmates had been diagnosed with lymphoma, while a pupil one year younger than her had already passed away.

Sep. 8, 2021 — New York Post — 9/11 made me and my Stuyvesant classmates sick — and it took years for people to listen

School administrators told us the auditorium was safe despite the carpet and seat upholstery not having been replaced. In mid-2002, some parents sent a piece of that carpet to a lab, which found it was heavily contaminated with asbestos.

Sep. 8, 2021 — U.S. News & World Report — Immigrant Sept. 11 Cleanup Crews Seek Residency as a Reward

Hired informally by cleaning companies, they cleared debris, asbestos and dust inside lower Manhattan buildings for months without adequate protective gear. Some are struggling to cope with how the disaster transformed their lives.

Sep. 8, 2021 — ABC4 Utah — 20 years later: The long term effects Sept. 11 survivors, responders face

According to WTCHP, 22,000 members have at least one cancer. Over 1,500 members who passed away also had cancer.

Sep. 8, 2021 — NY Daily News — 9/11′s forgotten first responders

Many city EMS workers with 9/11-related illnesses are still buried under the rubble of bureaucracy, denied World Trade Center disability pensions by the New York City Employees Retirement System, NYCERS.

Sep. 8, 2021 — Rep. Mikie Sherrill — World Trade Center Health Program to Provide Recommendation on Whether to Add Uterine Cancer to List of Covered Conditions

In late July, Representative Mikie Sherrill led 20 other members of Congress in advocating for an expedited decision to add uterine cancer to the list of World Trade Center-related health conditions.

Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act Inc.
c/o NYS AFL-CIO
100 South Swan Street
Albany, NY 12210
United States

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

Below is the press release from Members of Congress Maloney, Nadler, and Garbarino and Senators Gillibrand and Schumer announcing their legislation to fully fund the World Trade Center Health Program the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act HR 4965 /S.2683.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 10, 2021

Reps. Maloney, Nadler, and Garbarino, Leader Schumer, Sen. Gillibrand, and Advocates Call on Congress to Pass 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act

Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), sponsors of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act, H.R. 4965/S.2683, gathered today with 9/11 responders, survivors, and community advocates to call on Congress to pass their bill.

The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act would address an expected funding shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and ensure the program’s adequate funding now and in the future so that every injured and ill 9/11 responder and survivor has access to the medical treatment they need and deserve. The WTCHP is facing a funding shortfall caused by medical inflation increasing faster than regular inflation, an increasing number of responders and survivors becoming sick, and the complexities of treating complicated health conditions such as cancer.

The bill would also make minor adjustments to the 2010 statute, which established the WTCHP, and would authorize the program to develop a research cohort to study the impact of the toxic exposures and psychological trauma on the more than 35,000 people who were children at the time of the attack and resided or attended school or daycare in the NYC disaster area in the aftermath of the attack.

“As we mark 20 years since that fateful day in 2001, we must remember that 9/11 isn’t just in the past. It is something that these responders, survivors, and their families are living with each and every day as they deal with cancer, respiratory disease, and mental health concerns. As a nation, we have a moral obligation to take care of the people who took care of us and those who take care of them. We owe them a debt of gratitude first and foremost for what they did on 9/11 and in the days, weeks, and months that followed. And secondly because of the toxic lie our government told them: that it was safe to work on the pile and breathe the air when we sent kids back to school, and employees back to work,” said Congresswoman Maloney.

“Before the smoke even cleared and the rubble was still on fire at Ground Zero, our brave first responders, construction workers and others risked life and limb in the epic rescue and recovery effort. Far too many have developed injuries and ailments, including cancer, from that work, and far, far too many have died. Fully funding the WTC Health Program and ensuring care to our Ground Zero heroes is a sacred obligation that, together, with the unions and advocates, we will fight to deliver,” said Senator Schumer.

“These heroes and survivors put themselves at great risk, doing whatever it took to help their fellow Americans in a moment of great need. Now, in their moment of need, we must be willing to do what it takes to help them,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Funding is at risk of running out in just a few short years. That is why we are working together to push for the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act to be included in the upcoming reconciliation package to address the shortfall now – before people lose access to the care and services they have earned and deserve.”

“I have been working for 20 years to help expose the lie that the toxic dust that covered Manhattan in the days and weeks after 9/11 was safe to breathe and make sure anyone who became ill or is still living with the impact of that lie receives the help they need and deserve. The World Trade Center Health Program has helped thousands of survivors and responders since 2010, which is why Congress should quickly pass the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act to ensure this vital program can continue to provide necessary health care to responders and survivors suffering from 9/11-related illnesses. This issue isn’t going away – it is only getting worse as more people get sick and new diseases emerge. We have a moral obligation to act now and stand by responders and survivors as they stood by us 20 years ago,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).

“20 years after the devastation of 9/11, survivors and first responders are still suffering the aftermath of that day in the form of cancers and other illnesses borne from the toxic debris that hovered over the pile and throughout lower Manhattan,” said Congressman Garbarino. “Their illnesses are a direct result of a foreign terror attack on this country, and it is our responsibility to ensure they have access to the care that they need. Over time we have learned that the number of people affected by 9/11 related illnesses is much greater than originally thought. I’m proud to co-lead this bill to replenish funding for this critical health program so that it continues to have the resources to care for every person who needs it.”

“The 20th anniversary of September 11th is upon us. We must all renew our commitment to fighting for responders and survivors. Passing S.2683/H.R.4965 is a critical way for Congress to demonstrate through decisive action that “Never Forget” is more than a slogan. I thank Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representative Carolyn Maloney and the other sponsors for their tireless fight on this critical issue,” said Mario Cilento, President, NYS AFL-CIO.

"Doing what is right 20 years later, should not be as difficult as people make it out be. We either do this with grace and dignity to honor those affected by 9/11, or we do it with the old fashion way with us coming back to DC," said John Feal, 9/11 Responder and Advocate.

“To many people, this is a commemoration of an event that took place twenty years ago. We lost 23 NYPD and 37 PAPD as well as 343 FDNY along with thousands of civilians 20 years ago. Unfortunately, for the members of the fire department, this day is another stark reminder of the 254 members who have passed away and the over 1,000 members currently fighting cancer and thousands fighting numerous illnesses since 9/11/2001. The UFOA truly appreciates the work of all our elected officials who have stood by our sides throughout the past 20 years. There are too many to name individually and I don’t want to insult any by not mentioning them here. Your support throughout our struggle will never be forgotten. The passing of the Zadroga bill was tremendous for all people affected by the falling of the towers but there is still work to be done and we look forward to working with these same elected officials to get the job completed.,” said Liam Guilfoyle, Captain’s Representative, Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA), IAFF Local 854.

“On September 11, 2001, I responded to my first fire at the World Trade Center. At age 29, I rushed into the towers alongside hundreds of fellow Firefighters, to help save lives. In the two decades since, I have lost more of my friends and colleagues to World Trade Center-related cancers than I did on that tragic day. For so many of us, the attacks on the World Trade Center did not end on September 11, and after losing 253 members of the FDNY to illness, it is ever clearer that this number will continue to climb. My fellow Firefighters and I walked the halls of Congress three times, over 20 years, to advocate for the federal government to fully fund the World Trade Center Health Program. Congress must pass the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act and make good on their promise to ‘Never Forget,’ by ensuring all those stricken with World Trade Center-related illness are afforded the healthcare that they deserve - and earned during our nation’s darkest hour,” said Andrew Ansbro, President, FDNY-Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York.

“As survivors, our continued survival is really dependent on the care and treatment provided by the WTC Health Program. Thank you to our incredible leadership for always supporting it and us,” said Mariama James, 9/11 Survivor.

“The World Trade Center Health Program brings the tremendous benefits of effective treatment, early disease detection, and health monitoring for a deserving and worried population of WTC responders and neighborhood residents who have been impacted by the toxins at Ground Zero. We can’t let these services be cut back for lack of funding,” said Dr. Steven Markowitz, Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act.

“On September 11, 2001, while we saw the worst of humanity, we also saw the best of humanity as heroic first responders from the NYPD, FDNY, and the New York City Building Trades stood side-by-side leading recovery efforts in the direct aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center. These selfless men and women deserve access to medical treatment and services for their September 11-related health conditions,” said Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. “We thank Congresswoman Maloney, Congressman Nadler, Congressman Garbarino, Senator Gillibrand, and Senate Majority Leader Schumer for their continued and exceptional leadership on behalf of September 11 responders and survivors, and urge Congress to pass the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act immediately.”

Full bill text can be found here.

Background

In 2010, the enactment of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act established the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and reopened the September 11^th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).

In 2015, the WTCHP was made effectively permanent with passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act. This bill also extended the VCF through 2020.

In 2019, the VCF was made effectively permanent with the passage of the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act.

On August 6, 2021, Congressmembers Maloney, Nadler, and Garbarino, Senator Gillibrand, and Leader Schumer introduced the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act. The bill currently has 55 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House and 5 co-sponsors in the Senate, including the entire bipartisan New York delegation.

###

Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act Inc.
c/o NYS AFL-CIO
100 South Swan Street
Albany, NY 12210
United States

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