Mayor Demands Feds Pay Treatment Costs For Post-9/11 Ailing; Report Extensive Need For Mental and Physical Care Due to Work at WTC
By TOMMY HALLISSEY and ARI PAUL
Among the World Trade Center Medical Working Group's recommendations in a report released Sept. 4, one stood out: getting the Federal Government to pay for treatment.

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang NEEDS A HAND FROM WASHINGTON: Upon the release of the 9/11 Medical Working Group Report, Mayor Bloomberg stressed that the city was making progress in addressing health concerns for Ground Zero workers and lower Manhattan residents, but that it needed continuous Federal funding to do the job.

Speaking to reporters at City Hall, Mayor Bloomberg said the report outlined the health needs created by 9/11 and its after-effects on those who were involved in the recovery and clean-up efforts at the site. He used the occasion to urge passage of the James Zadroga Act, a bill before Congress that would secure Federal funding for 9/11 medical treatment and monitoring.

'Like Pulling Teeth With Feds'

"I can't stress strongly enough that New York City should not have to support these efforts single-handedly," the Mayor said. "Terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center were attacking the United States of America. However, such funding has been episodic and inconsistent. Frankly, it's like pulling teeth getting funds once they have been appropriated. This simply can't go on."

Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden added, "Any New Yorker with physical or mental health problems from 9/11 should have access to care regardless of insurance or the ability to pay."

Along with U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler, Mr. Bloomberg testified in support of the Zadroga bill before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee in July.

Several 9/11 health advocacy groups were briefed on the report's findings before its release last week. It identified types of cancers and respiratory diseases as well as mental afflictions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse as stemming from exposure to toxins and stress at Ground Zero after the attacks.

'Tip of the Iceberg'

"It certainly supports what the community has been claiming all along, which is that the tracking and treatment of people who are affected by 9/11 needs to be in centers of excellence where you get highly skilled expertise on these illnesses," said Kimberly Flynn, coordinator of the 9/11 Environmental Action Group. "It remains the case that the data on the impact to community residents, students and office workers is but the tip of an iceberg."

She added, "We believe what needs to happen is the population of sick community members needs to be drawn into the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center in order for us to begin to get a handle on the scope of illness."