On 2nd Anniversary of Death of Detective James Zadroga, NY Reps. to Redouble Efforts to Provide Care for All 9/11 Heroes

New York, NY – On the eve of the second anniversary of the death of NYPD Detective James Zadroga, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Vito Fossella (R-NY) released a statement, below, saying they plan to redouble their efforts to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which would provide medical monitoring to everyone exposed to Ground Zero toxins and treatment for anyone who is sick as a result.  Zadroga, an NYPD homicide detective and 9/11 responder, died on January 5, 2006.  In April 2006, the Ocean County Medical Examiner determined that Detective Zadroga’s death was caused by his work at Ground Zero, the first time that any government agency had directly linked a death to the toxic aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

“Saturday is the second anniversary of the death of a true hero, NYPD Detective James Zadroga.  On this sad occasion, we honor Detective Zadroga’s sacrifice and we applaud his family’s tireless efforts to ensure that our country will finally do right by the heroes of 9/11.

“Thousands of 9/11 responders have been suffering as a result of the attacks, and the federal government has a responsibility to take action to care for those whose health was compromised by the events of that day.  We plan to redouble our efforts to ensure that the nation provides a comprehensive response to those exposed to Ground Zero toxins.

“The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act would provide medical care and compensation to thousands of Americans who are suffering as the direct result of an attack on our country.   These heroes cannot wait another two years for the help they need and deserve.”

Background:

12/26/07 - Clinton, Schumer, Lautenberg, Menendez, Maloney, Nadler, Fossella Announce Enactment in Law of $108 Million to Expand Health Coverage for 9/11 Emergency Responders and Others

12/14/07 - NY Reps Demand Answers on Halted 9/11 Health Program

11/07/07 - Reps. Maloney, Nadler and Fossella Urge Independent Standards for Adding Names to 9/11 Victims List

10/19/07 - U.S. Reps. on Medical Examiner’s Zadroga Ruling

In general, the Maloney-Nadler-Fossella 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;

*    Build on the expertise of the Centers of Excellence, which are currently providing high-quality care to thousands of responders and ensuring on-going data collection and analysis;

*    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 Maloney-Nadler-Fossella 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.

Define “Clinical Centers of Excellence” and “Coordinating Centers of Excellence” with which the program administrator enters into contracts.

Clinical Centers of Excellence provide monitoring and treatment.  They are FDNY, all members of the Mt. Sinai coordinated consortium (currently Mt. Sinai, Queens College, SUNY Stony Brook, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey), the WTC Environmental Health Center at Bellevue Hospital, and other facilities identified by the program administrator in the future.  

Coordinating Centers of Excellence collect and analyze uniform data; coordinate outreach, and develop the medical monitoring and treatment protocols.  They are FDNY, Mt. Sinai, and the WTC Environmental Health Center at Bellevue Hospital.  

Provide Monitoring and Treatment for WTC Responders in NY area: 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 the physician at a Clinical Center of Excellence 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.  NIOSH reviews these determinations and provides certification of eligibility for ongoing treatment. The WTC program administrator may add a condition to the list of presumed WTC-related health conditions, taking into account published findings and recommendations of the Clinical Centers of Excellence, with the input of the WTC Health Program Steering Committee and the public. In addition, if the physician diagnoses a condition that is not on the current list of presumed conditions, and finds that the condition is at least as likely as not to be related to exposure at Ground Zero, then the program administrator, after review by an independent expert physician panel, can determine if the condition can be treated as a WTC-related condition.

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 to monitoring and treatment benefits near where they live.

Provide Monitoring and Treatment for the WTC area residents and other non-responders: Sets up the same framework for monitoring and treatment eligibility and benefits as for Responders in the New York area, but provides for the program administrator and the WTC Environmental Health Center at Bellevue Hospital to develop the appropriate monitoring eligibility criteria and list of presumed WTC-related conditions, based on scientific and clinical evidence.

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.

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