Pallone Calls on Bush Administration to Stop Dragging its Feet on Addressing 9/11 Worker Health Concerns
Piscataway, NJ --- One day before the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) visited the World Trade Center (WTC) Medical Monitoring & Treatment Program in Piscataway to urge the Bush administration to stop dragging its feet on addressing the concerns of 9/11 rescue and recovery workers.
The New Jersey congressman was joined at a press conference by Dr. Iris Udasin, Principal Investigator at the WTC Medical Monitoring & Treatment Program, Charlie Wowkanech, President of the New Jersey AFL-CIO, and former WTC site workers Ed Torres and Tom Genuario.
Pallone stressed the need for more federal funding for the WTC Medical Monitoring & Treatment Program, which provides comprehensive medical examinations and follow-up treatment to workers and volunteers who responded to the 9/11 attack. In New Jersey, the program, which is run by the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Department of Environmental and Community Medicine, currently helps 1,036 rescue and recovery workers.
The New Jersey congressman, who is the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, also announced that he will hold the first-ever hearing in the Energy and Commerce Committee on 9/11-related health concerns on September 18 in Washington, D.C. Specifically, the hearing will focus on the medical monitoring and treatment of health effects caused by the exposure to traumatic events and harmful materials. Pallone hopes the information gathered at the hearing will allow the federal government to better serve those affected by 9/11.
"It's important that we as a nation recognize the extraordinary sacrifice of everyone who responded to the terrorist attacks and worked tirelessly in the hours, days, weeks and months after 9/11 to help those in need and to begin clearing the site of the tragedy," Pallone said. "We are indebted to these workers for their efforts.
"Unfortunately, for too long, their concerns have been ignored in Washington by an administration that has been dragging its feet," Pallone continued. "We are here today to say that it's time to ensure that these workers have access to the health services they are entitled to as a result of the conditions they endured at Ground Zero. We need a comprehensive plan in place so that we can help treat and monitor these workers who accepted the call to serve their nation after its darkest day."
It is estimated that more than 40,000 people responded to Ground Zero in the days and months after 9/11 and participated in rescue, recovery, clean up, or restoration of essential services. Many of these workers suffered health problems due to the physical and emotional hardships they faced. One of every eight responders has experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Ground Zero workers have developed asthma at 12 times the rate of other Americans, and nearly one in five has a respiratory or gastrointestinal illness.
"The medical monitoring program provides the opportunity for early detection and intervention to lessen the severity of the illnesses that many rescue and recovery workers are experiencing," said Dr. Udasin, associate professor of environmental and occupational medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who will testify before Pallone's subcommittee next week in Washington. "Our goal is to improve the treatment of the acute and persistent health problems these patients face and to enable a decrease in future illness and disability."
Pallone is increasingly frustrated by the Bush administration's refusal to address the health concerns of 9/11 workers. Last week, the New Jersey congressman joined with members of the New York and Connecticut to send separate letters to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Michael Leavitt and Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Director Jim Nussle asking that the administration live up to promises it has made in the past about the treatment and monitoring of 9/11 workers. (COPIES OF BOTH LETTERS FOLLOW.)
Earlier this year, President Bush proposed $25 million for 9/11 monitoring and treatment programs. The Democratic House doubled that funding level to $50 million in its Labor/HHS appropriations bill earlier this summer.
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September 6, 2007
Mr. Jim Nussle
Director
The Office of Management and Budget
725 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20503
Dear Director Nussle,
As the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approaches, we write to urge you to carefully consider the President's Fiscal Year 2009 budget request for the World Trade Center (WTC) Responder Health Program, which has been providing much-needed medical care to the heroes and heroines of 9/11.
The terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent collapse of the World Trade Center Towers produced the largest acute environmental disaster that ever befell New York City. Thousands of people were exposed to toxins, pulverized building materials, and other environmental contaminants in the air. Thousands of heroic responders, who rushed in to help as all others were running the other way, have become sick as a result of their work at Ground Zero. Many area residents, workers, and students are sick as well. The number of ailing 9/11 rescue and recovery workers is increasing, workers’ illnesses are becoming more severe, the projected cost of treating these illnesses is surging, and current federal treatment funding levels are likely inadequate.
The WTC Responder Health Program, which is administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), provides federal funds to ensure that monitoring and treatment will continue for World Trade Center responders. It currently does not provide services for residents, area workers and students. The services are provided by two Centers of Excellence: the New York City Fire Department Bureau of Health Services World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program ("FDNY") and the consortium of clinical providers coordinated by Mt. Sinai ("the Consortium"). Serving over 37,000 responders since 2002, FDNY and the Consortium have gained significant expertise in screening, monitoring, diagnosing, and treating WTC responders. Through extensive data collection and analysis, they have contributed much to the understanding of WTC-related illnesses, including prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of these otherwise little-understood conditions.
To date, funding for the responder's health needs has come in four waves, all through emergency spending. An initial $12 million for screening started the program in FY 2002, followed by $90 million for monitoring which was appropriated in FY 2004. A FY 2006 $75 million appropriation included the first money made available for treatment. Most recently, $50 million was included in the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007. None of the funds used to monitor or treat those exposed to Ground Zero toxins and suffering from health effects have ever been initially proposed by the Administration, and in fact many of these funds were appropriated over the Administration’s objections.
The President's FY08 budget requested $25 million for the health needs of WTC responders. This was only in response to a strong bipartisan push by New York delegation members after it became abundantly clear that the Administration was not planning to request any funds whatsoever. At the time, it was stated in the press and personally by then-Director Rob Portman, that this $25 million figure was only a placeholder until the Administration could prepare a comprehensive plan and more accurately determine the higher, more appropriate level of funding needed. However, the plan and the reevaluated funding request never came from the Administration, and six years after 9/11, WTC responders, residents, area workers, and students are still in desperate need of care.
As the number of registered responders increases, the percent of responders needing treatment increases, and the intensity of their illness increases, it is probable that the costs for these services will increase. In addition, none of these funds have been made available to provide monitoring or treatment to the exposed community, including area residents, area workers and students.
So, as you begin to prepare the FY09 budget, we respectfully request an update on what level of funding you anticipate seeking for the care of WTC responders. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We anxiously await your response.
Sincerely,
CHARLES E. SCHUMER HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
United States Senator United States Senator
CAROLYN B. MALONEY JERROLD NADLER VITO FOSSELLA
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
FRANK PALLONE JR. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS EDOLPHUS TOWNS
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
September 6, 2007
The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20201
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We write in response to the recent resignation of Dr. John Agwunobi as Assistant Secretary for Health. As part of his duties, Dr. Agwunobi served as the chair of the World Trade Center (WTC) Task Force. We would urge you to use the occasion of his departure to evaluate the work of the WTC Task Force and take action to address the pressing health care needs of those experiencing 9/11-related illnesses.
As stated in an April 27, 2007 letter to you – to which we have yet to receive a response – it is our understanding that on April 3, 2007, the WTC Task Force chaired by Dr. Agwunobi presented its recommendations to you regarding the federal government’s plan to treat and monitor individuals whose health was compromised by the toxins of Ground Zero. With the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks fast approaching, we are deeply concerned that Dr. Agwunobi resigned before your department finalized this plan and released it to Congress and the American people. We are likewise concerned that you have yet to announce Dr. Agwunobi’s replacement to lead the WTC Task Force.
The number of ailing 9/11 rescue and recovery workers is increasing, workers’ illnesses are becoming more severe, the projected cost of treating these illnesses is surging, and current federal treatment funding levels are likely inadequate. Given the urgency of this situation, we ask that you meet with us as soon as possible to answer the following questions:
1) What is your timeline for naming a new chair of the WTC Task Force?
2) What is the timeline for your department to develop a plan to address the monitoring and treatment needs of those exposed to the toxins at Ground Zero? When will such plan be made available to Congress and the public?
Once again, we ask that you schedule a meeting with us as soon as possible to answer these questions and to help ensure that federally-funded 9/11 health treatment and monitoring programs have the resources they need to provide appropriate, long-term support to those affected by World Trade Center exposures.
Sincerely,
CHARLES E. SCHUMER HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
United States Senator United States Senator
CAROLYN B. MALONEY JERROLD NADLER VITO FOSSELLA
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
FRANK PALLONE JR. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS EDOLPHUS TOWNS
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress