Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel, in a Congressional hearing Wednesday, stated that our nation has failed to provide health monitoring and treatment for the heroes of the 9-11 attack on America. He also repeated his call for the passage of the 9-11 Health and Compensation Act (H.R. 847).

The 11-term Congressman previously requested a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health, which was held Wednesday. Rep. Engel is an original co-sponsor of this legislation and a senior member of the Health Subcommittee.

Rep. Engel told the hearing, “Time has not been kind to many of the heroes of 9-11. The exposure to toxins, at the site, has left a significant number with severe health issues – including unnaturally high rates of asthma, lung disease, depression and other ailments. We don’t fully know the long-term effects of exposure to the toxins from 9-11. What pains me is that our nation has failed to provide a sustainable and reliable source of federal funding for health care monitoring and treatment. It certainly sends a chilling message to those who fearlessly volunteered for our country that nearly eight years later we are still fighting for care that should be a given,” added Rep. Engel.

Witnesses who testified at the hearing included:

* Caswell F. Holloway, Chief of Staff to New York City Deputy Mayor for Operations Edward Skyler, Special Advisor to New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
* oan Reibman, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Director NYU/Bellevue Asthma Center, Director of Health and Hospitals Corporation WTC Environmental Health Center, Bellevue Hospital, New York
* Jacqueline Moline, M.D., M.Sc., Vice Chair, Community and Preventive Medicine, Director, WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program, Clinical Center at Mount Sinai, Director, NY/NJ Education and Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
* Jim Melius, M.D., Administrator, NYS Laborers' Tri-Funds, Albany, New York
* Edwardo Torres, Jersey City, New Jersey – first responder on 9-11

More than 400,000 people are believed to have been exposed to toxins at Ground Zero – including nearly 16,000 first responders, and at least 2,700 community members who are currently sick and receiving treatment. More than 40,000 first responders are being medically monitored and 71,000 people are enrolled in the WTC Health Registry. The rescue workers on 9-11 were not solely from the New York Metropolitan area – people came from all across the country to help, and many of them were affected as well.

H.R. 847 would provide medical monitoring and treatment to victims exposed at Ground Zero and builds upon the existing programs by delivering expert medical treatment at Centers of Excellence and provide for research into WTC-related health conditions. It will also re-open the 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund for economic losses and harm as an alternative to the current litigation system and provide liability protection to the WTC contractors and New York City.

Rep. Engel repeatedly expressed his concern, not only for the rescue workers but also for the people living in the vicinity, who would benefit from the "Community Program" funded in H.R. 847. The legislation would cover medical monitoring for those community residents who lived, worked, or were present within a 1.5 mile radius of the World Trade Center during a defined period.

The legislation currently has 56 co-sponsors. In March, the House Judiciary Committee held a joint subcommittee hearing on the legislation. Rep. Engel was recently visited by one of his constituents – Ms. Leona Hill – when she appeared at the March hearing. Her brother passed away in 2008 at the age of 45, due to health complications from his heroic work at Ground Zero. “The treatment of Mr. Leon Hayward, and the others like him, has been outrageous,” said Rep. Engel.

Rep. Engel added, “The terrorists attacked our country, specifically New York, because New York was a symbol of America to them. Americans bear a tremendous responsibility to care for the people who are still suffering from the attack, as it was an assault on all of us. It should be a federal response, and I believe this legislation is an appropriate step we must take.”