9/11 Health311Search all NYC.gov websites
2012
WTC Health Registry Publishes 1st Cancer Study Among Enrollees
December 18, 2012
The Journal of the American Medical Association published the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry’s first cancer study. It is based on an analysis of verified cancer diagnoses among 55,778 WTC Health Registry enrollees who resided in New York State at the time of their enrollment.
The study did not find increases in cancer rates in people directly exposed to the WTC disaster overall, but did find small increases in rates of three types of cancer—prostate cancer, thyroid cancer and multiple myeloma—among rescue and recovery workers in the late period (2007-2008) compared to non-exposed New York State residents.
The study divided follow-up into early and late periods because cancers occurring in the late period—at least 5 or more years after 9/11—are more likely to be related to WTC exposure. The study also examined rescue and recovery workers separately from non-rescue and recovery workers because exposures in the two groups vary considerably in terms of type, intensity and duration.
This is the first 9/11 cancer study to examine Lower Manhattan residents, area workers, students and passers-by, in addition to rescue/recovery workers as a whole (including police sanitation and construction workers) not firefighters alone, and both genders and children as well as adults.
The Registry plans to continue working with state cancer registries to monitor longer-term trends.
Read the study
Watch a video with the senior authora
Services Now Available to WTC Survivors Outside NYC
November 9, 2012
The World Trade Center Health Program now offers services to survivors, including Lower Manhattan residents, office workers and students, who may have moved outside the New York City area since the September 2001 terrorist attacks. In the past, only responders had access to WTC-specific services outside the New York City area.
More information
VCF Releases Status Report
October 26, 2012
More than 14,000 people have registered with the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund in the year since it opened, including nearly 7,000 who have received treatment from the World Trade Center Health Program. More than 80% have hired lawyers.
Read the report (PDF)
Zadroga Advocacy Group Launched
October 26, 2012
Labor and community advocates who successfully pushed for passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act have formed 9/11 Health Watch. The group will monitor the programs created under the law and address any lapses in service delivery.
WTC Health Program Now Offers Cancer Care
October 17, 2012
World Trade Center responders and survivors can receive care for many different types of cancer at the federal WTC Health Program if their cancers are 9/11-related. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offers guidance for members, physicians and the public.
Read more
WTC Health Program Funds Multiple Research, Outreach & Education Projects
October 5, 2012
The federal WTC Health Program announced funding for 10 new research projects and 8 outreach and education projects.
DC 37 Sponsoring October 30 VCF Forum for Members
September 25, 2012
DC 37 will sponsor an educational forum for its members about the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund with Special Master Sheila Birnbaum on October 30 in Lower Manhattan. Ms. Birnbaum will discuss eligibility criteria and application process. Pre-registration is required.
More information (PDF)
City Conducts New Outreach to NYPD Eligible for WTC Services
September 13, 2012
At the request of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and New York City’s Public Advocate, the New York Police Department (NYPD) sent letters to more than 30,000 active and retired NYPD members who participated in WTC rescue and recovery operations. The letters inform members of the federally funded services available to them through the WTC Health Program which has clinics throughout the New York City area. As a result of earlier outreach efforts, more than 12,000 uniformed NYPD members already are enrolled in the program.
WTC Health Program to Offer Cancer Coverage Beginning in Mid-October
September 10, 2012
John Howard, MD, Administrator for the WTC Health Program and Director of the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health, announced that treatment for many different kinds of cancer will be available at the WTC Health Program as a result of a final rule published by the federal government.
The rule adds all the cancers recommended by the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee in April, and proposed by Dr. Howard in June. Patients currently enrolled in the WTC Health Program may begin the process of certifying their cancers as WTC-related health conditions in mid-October, once the final rule takes effect. Other eligible responders and survivors can apply to enroll in the WTC Health Program.
Read the rule
Read Dr. Howard’s statement
Read Mayor Bloomberg’s statement
New Registry Study Links Respiratory Illness & PTSD in WTC Survivors
August 28, 2012
A WTC Health Registry study published online in the American Journal of Public Health linked for the first time lower respiratory symptoms and probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in WTC survivors 5 to 6 years later. The study examined the more than 16,000 adult enrollees in the Registry who lived or worked in Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001 and also includes passers-by. Studies of WTC rescue and recovery workers have found a similar link.
More than 1 in 4 of those survivors who had either lower respiratory symptoms or probable PTSD when surveyed in 2006-2007 reported that they had both conditions, according to the study. Those with more severe WTC exposure were most likely to report both conditions.
Regardless of their 9/11 exposure level, survivors with lower respiratory symptoms (LRS) had 4 times the odds of probable PTSD than those without LRS. Similarly, survivors with probable PTSD were 4 times more likely to have LRS than those without it. The group with both LRS and PTSD were 6 to 10 times more likely to report “fair” or “poor” general health and at least 14 days of “poor” physical and mental health and loss of activity during the previous month compared to survivors with neither condition.
As part of its continued federal funding, the Registry’s Treatment Referral Project will actively encourage all enrollees with 9/11-related illness to seek the integrated physical and mental health care for which they are eligible through the WTC Health Program.
WTC Health Program Funds Registry Until 2016
August 27, 2012
The federal WTC Health Program has awarded the WTC Health Registry a four-year extension to continue its work identifying and tracking the long-term physical and mental health effects of the WTC disaster among the 71,000 enrollees directly exposed to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
The federal funding will support multiple Registry activities including a fourth health survey of Registry enrollees, the analysis of the 2011-2012 survey and surveillance of potential emerging conditions. For the first time, the grant also includes funding specifically for outreach to enrollees eligible for services from the federal WTC Health Program. This includes approximately 15,405 survivor enrollees who never have had access to WTC-specific treatment because they lived outside the New York City metropolitan area.
NIOSH Observes 1st Anniversary of WTC Health Program
July 3, 2012
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health observed the first anniversary of the WTC Health Program with a video message from the program administrator, John Howard, MD, and the introduction of a newsletter which will be mailed to more than 60,000 responders and survivors.
Watch the video
Registry Survey of Adolescents Extended Through September
June 20, 2012
Adolescents and their parents have until September 30th to complete the WTC Health Registry’s 3rd survey since the September 2001 terrorist attacks. The Registry began surveying more than 1,300 enrollees under the age of 18 and their parents in November 2011, and have contacted those who haven’t responded yet by phone, e-mail and mail to encourage participation.See the response rate (PDF)
NIOSH Recommends Broad Cancer Coverage for WTC Health Program
June 11, 2012
John Howard, MD, Administrator for the WTC Health Program and Director of the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), proposed adding numerous cancers to the list of conditions that can be treated by the program under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
Dr. Howard followed the April recommendation (PDF) of the WTC Health Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee. Members of the public have until mid-July to comment on the proposal, published in the Federal Register, before the government can take further action to implement the additional coverage and award cancer-related compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Registry’s 2011-2012 Adult Survey Achieves 63% Response Rate
June 1, 2012
More than 43,100 adults—63% of the eligible population—responded to the WTC Health Registry’s 2011-2012 survey. Most of them also completed the Registry’s two previous surveys. Rescue and recovery workers had the highest response rate overall.
See response rate by eligibility group (PDF)
Federal Funding Available for WTC Health Program Outreach
May 24, 2012
Up to $3 million in grant funding is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for outreach and education about the World Trade Center Health Program for responders and survivors over the next 2 years.
Individual awards are capped at $350,000. Letters of intent must be submitted by June 7; applications are due by July 6.
Two public meetings will be held on May 30 in Lower Manhattan to answer questions about this funding. A conference line will be available for both meetings.
More information
New Clinic Opens in Brooklyn for WTC Responders
May 14, 2012
Stony Brook University and SUNY Downstate Medical Center opened a satellite clinic in Brooklyn for responders enrolled in the WTC Health Program . The clinic is located at 760 Parkside Avenue.
Other clinic locations
Rescue and Recovery Worker Tribute at 9/11 Memorial
May 14, 2012
The City of New York and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum are hosting a Thank You Tribute at the 9/11 Memorial for the men and women who participated in the 9/11 rescue, recovery and relief efforts on May 30, the 10th anniversary of the formal end of the nine-month recovery operations at the World Trade Center site. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. rain or shine. Registration is required.
Register now
NYPD Honors 13 WTC Responders
May 11, 2012
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly honored 13 members of the New York City Police Department, now deceased, who participated in WTC-related rescue, recovery and clean-up operations during the annual Police Memorial Day ceremony.
Read more
Federal Committee Recommends WTC Cancer Coverage2
April 2, 2012
The federal World Trade Center (WTC) Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee recommended to the WTC Health Program Administrator that numerous types of cancer be added to the list of conditions that are covered by the program. The Administrator’s decision, authorized by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, is expected by early June. It will be published in the Federal Register with an opportunity for public comment.
Read the recommendation (PDF)
WTC Health Registry Survey of Adults Ends March 18
March 8, 2012
Adult enrollees in the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry who have not yet completed their follow-up surveys are reminded to do so by the March 18 deadline. A survey of more than 1,200 adolescents in the Registry began last November and will continue into the spring.
View response rate (PDF)
Local Law Schools Offer Free VCF Clinics
March 8, 2012
Students at Columbia and Benjamin N. Cardozo Schools of Law will offer six free legal clinics in March and April to assist individuals in filing September 11th Victim Compensation Claims. Pre-registration is required.
Read more
New Federal Report Summarizes Cancer Classifications
February 13, 2012
The WTC Health Program has released a new summary report which classifies nearly 70 environmental contaminants found at the WTC site as “carcinogenic,” “probably carcinogenic” and “possibly carcinogenic.”
Read the report (PDF)
Additional VCF Legal Clinics Scheduled
February 9, 2012
The New York City Bar Justice Center has scheduled two more free legal clinics for people who need assistance in filing September 11th Victim Compensation
claims:
March 12
May 7
The clinics will be held from 2-4 p.m. in midtown Manhattan. Pre-registration is required. To register or request more information, please call: 1-855-885-1555.
City Council Hearing Examines 9/11 Health Report
February 1, 2012
The New York City Council held a joint committee hearing to examine the 2011 World Trade Center (WTC) Medical Working Group (MWG) Report on 9/11 Health. In her testimony, Dr. Carolyn Greene, Deputy Commissioner for Epidemiology, briefly summarized 10 years of scientific research about WTC-related health effects, lessons learned, and the progress to date on the recommendations that the MWG has made since its formation in 2007.
Read the testimony (PDF)