Public Employee Press

Outreach seeks members with 9/11 health problems

The union is reaching out to members who were not first responders but have developed health problems because of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

DC 37 has set up a new outreach program to help members who work or live near Ground Zero get federally funded treatment for physical and emotional illnesses linked to 9/11.

Federal aid for the first responders was arranged relatively quickly, but the union has spent years working with a coalition to convince the government to assist other affected workers and area residents.

“This union has spared no effort to take care of our members whose DC 37 health has been affected by 9/11,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts.

“EMS workers, Police and Firefighters naturally received the greatest attention because they were on the frontline right after the attack,” said Lee Clarke, director of the DC 37 Safety and Health Dept., which will coordinate the outreach.

“But the union has also focused on the needs of the thousands of workers who were exposed to the toxic soup on 9/11 and when they returned to work,” Clarke said.

Outreach Specialists Barbara Carporale and Dorthea Lawrence will coordinate the program and visit work sites near Ground Zero to inform members.

Audrey Browne and Onita J. Wade of the DC 37 Health and Security Plan worked to obtain the grant that will fund the outreach program through June 30, 2009. The plan will also sponsor two health fairs, one in the fall and another in early 2009.

The outreach aims to “ensure that members with 9/11-related illnesses who work below 14th Street and in downtown Brooklyn know they can get free treatment at clinics,” said Robert Terruso, director of the DC 37 Personal Services Unit. PSU has been helping workers with post-traumatic stress from their 9/11 experiences.

The federally funded World Trade Center Environmental Health Center has clinics at Bellevue Hospital and Gouverneur Healthcare Services in Lower Manhattan and Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. Individuals are eligible for treatment of their 9/11-related illnesses if they lived, worked or studied in Lower Manhattan or certain areas of Brooklyn on 9/11 and shortly thereafter or helped clean up area buildings.

Anyone who suspects they have an illness related to 9/11 should call 877-WTC-0107 to inquire about treatment and arrange for a four-hour appointment and testing session. The program will provide treatment and most medications for free.