New York, NY: NYC Health + Hospitals’ World Trade Center (WTC) Environmental Health Center recognized the 21st anniversary of 9/11. The center has seen more than 14,000 members at its three clinics as of August 2022. Through the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, the program provides services at no out-of-pocket costs to residents, students, workers, or passersby eligible for care as survivors. Enrollment for the WTC Environmental Health Center, a Clinical Center of Excellence with the federal World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, remains open and eligible for New Yorkers, including those who are now in their 20 and 30s who were children and adolescents when the attacks occurred. They are encouraged to seek membership and receive care for 9/11-related conditions. Those interested in learning more about the NYC Health + Hospitals’ WTC Environmental Health Center can go here.
“I urge anyone who was lived, worked, or went to school on 9/11 or after and lived below Houston St. to reach out to the NYC Health + Hospitals World Trade Center Environmental Health Center,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “If you’re enrolled into the program there are no out-of-pocket costs for care, treatments, or medications for certified WTC-related health conditions.”
“More than 20 years after the brutal attack on the World Trade Center Towers, the memory is receding for many. But for those whose lives were upended by physical illness or mental trauma, the scars remain,” said Joan Reibman, MD, NYC Health + Hospitals WTC Environmental Health Center Medical Director. “The WTC Environmental Health Center serves the over 15,000 individuals who worked, lived, or attended school nearby, or were just passing by. Funded by the federal government, we serve the aging population as well as the now young adults, providing medical and mental health support.”
Approximately 100 clinical providers, such as physicians, therapists, psychiatrists, cancer care managers, and social workers are currently caring for WTC Environmental Health Center members. The program operates out of three locations:
· NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
· NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
· NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur
Most common conditions treated through the WTC Environmental Health Center continue to be:
· Obstructive Airway Disease (OAD)
· Upper Respiratory Disease (URD)
· Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD)
· Cancer Treatment
· Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Who qualifies for 9/11 health services:
· People who lived, worked, or went to school or daycare in the area of Manhattan that is south of Houston Street or in northwest areas of Brooklyn, between September 11, 2001, and July 31, 2002
· Anyone who was exposed to the dust cloud on 9/11, or to dust or smoke in the disaster area after 9/11
· People who worked as a cleanup worker or performed maintenance work in the disaster area between September 11, 2001, and January 10, 2002
· Rescue, recovery, clean-up, and related support workers
The WTC Health Program has multiple Clinical Centers of Excellence throughout the New York metropolitan area to serve both responders and survivors, as well as a Nationwide Provider Network to serve members who live outside the New York metropolitan area.
For eligibility and enrollment of people new to the program, call toll-free 1-888-982-4748 or visit www.cdc.gov/wtc. To contact the NYC Health + Hospitals WTC Environmental Health Center clinics, call 877- 982-0107 or visit the WTC Environmental Health Center webpage.
