Select Federal and Private Funding for Screening, Monitoring, Treatment and Research

Federal funding for World Trade Center (WTC)-related health services generally has been distributed to agencies within the US Department of Health and Human Services. The New York Congressional delegation, the Fire Department of New York, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, labor organizations,  New York City and other groups have worked hard to increase this funding as 9/11 health problems have become more evident over time.

$4.8 Million (2001):  Screening for FDNY Members

Within weeks of the terrorist attacks on America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $4.8 million to the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to screen its members for health problems as a result of their early and intense exposure to the hazardous conditions at Ground Zero. 

$18.5 Million (2001):  Mental Health Evaluation and Treatment for FDNY Members

The federal government, in recognition of the high casualties experienced by FDNY, and the impact of the WTC disaster on nearly every member of the department as well as their families, provided $18.5 million to evaluate and treat FDNY members.  Nearly all these funds were distributed through Project Liberty which was created by the New York State Office of Mental Health with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to provide crisis counseling in New York City and 10 surrounding counties for more than two years after the disaster.

$12 Million (2002): Screening for Rescue and Recovery Workers

In 2002, public concern about the health of non-FDNY workers who responded to the World Trade Center disaster and who subsequently participated in the rescue and recovery operations resulted in a federal emergency appropriation of $12 million to begin screening these workers for potential medical problems. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) contracted with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to screen 12,000 workers. 

$20 Million (2003): WTC Surveillance and Research

In 2003, the federal government also provided $20 million to establish the WTC Health Registry, a joint research program developed by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). More than 71,000 people who were exposed to a combination of smoke, dust and debris after the collapse of the twin towers eventually enrolled in the program so that researchers could study the effects of this exposure on their health for decades to come.

$90 Million (2004): Screening and Monitoring for Rescue and Recovery Workers

With an additional $90 million appropriation in 2004, NIOSH established the WTC Medical Monitoring Program. NIOSH awarded grant funding to Mount Sinai, FDNY and several other institutions to monitor the long-term health of rescue and recovery workers. By 2007, nearly 40,000 workers, including more than 14,000 FDNY members, had enrolled in the WTC Medical Monitoring Program.

$16 Million (2005): Treatment for Residents and Rescue & Recovery Workers

Initially, the federal government did not fund treatment for workers who were diagnosed with WTC-related health problems, many of whom were underinsured or who had no insurance at all.  The September 11th Fund and the American Red Cross filled this need by drawing on the private contributions these organizations had received immediately after the terrorist attacks.  In 2005, the American Red Cross awarded more than $16 million in funding to the NIOSH funded institutions and to the Bellevue WTC Environmental Health Center. The Bellevue program had begun treating WTC health problems among residents, office workers, and others. At a press conference announcing these grants, members of the New York Congressional delegation urged the federal government to supplement this private funding.

$75 Million (2006): Monitoring and Treatment for Rescue & Recovery Workers; Mental Health, WTC Surveillance

In 2006, Congress redirected $75 million in unspent federal funding that previously had been designated for 9/11-related purposes. The funds were appropriated to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and $66 million of this funding was designated for distribution through NIOSH to provide funding for treatment of rescue and recovery and workers and support existing medical monitoring programs. The WTC Medical Monitoring Program expanded to become the WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. In addition, NIOSH funded the Police Organization Provide Peer Assistance (POPPA) and COPE programs to provide mental health services and counseling for members of the New York Police Department who assisted in the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero.

Bellevue Hospital received federal funding for a small number of rescue and recovery workers that it treats through its affiliation with the WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. The Bellevue WTC Environmental Health Center, which has treated more than one thousand residents, office workers, students and other people exposed to the WTC disaster, has not been eligible for any federal funding to date.

CDC allocated $9 million of the redirected funds to continue the WTC Health Registry research program.

$158 Million (2007): Expanded 9/11 Health Treatment

Congress appropriated a total of $158 million in FY2008 funding for 9/11 health treatment, including $50 million that was provided in an Emergency Supplemental Appropriation Bill. In late 2007, an additional $108 million was appropriated. The language in this second appropriation specified that Lower Manhattan residents, area workers and students who had been exposed to the WTC collapse are eligible to receive federally funded treatment for the first time. In September 2008, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention awarded a $30 million grant from this appropriation to the WTC Environmental Health Center to treat this population.

$70 Million (2009): New Funding for 9/11 Health

In March 2009, President Obama signed into law an omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2009. The bill includes $70 million in new funding for the current medical monitoring and treatment programs administered by NIOSH at FDNY and the Mount Sinai Consortium. The funds will also cover treatment for residents, area workers and others affected by 9/11.

New York City's Financial Commitment To World Trade Center-Related Health Initiatives

In 2006, private funding for many WTC-related health services was coming to an end and the federal commitment to monitor and sustain medical treatment for thousands of workers remained uncertain. For example, the privately funded 9/11 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program, which enabled anyone who was directly affected by the attack to obtain treatment and medications at little or not cost, had announced that it would end all services the following year. In response to this emerging financial need, the City of New York began committing funds specifically for WTC-related health problems caused by the terrorist attack on the nation five years earlier. This financial commitment was recommended in Addressing the Health Impacts of 9/11 , a report to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The City of New York now has budgeted nearly $100 million through 2011 specifically for WTC-related health initiatives so that with adequate and continuing federal support:

1. WTC-health resources are sufficient to ensure that everyone whose health was or may be affected by the WTC attacks and their aftermath get the first-rate care they deserve; and
   
   
2. City policies regarding WTC-related issues are coordinated, comprehensive, and responsive to current and emerging health care needs.

Because the collapse of the World Trade Center was caused by a terrorist attack on the United States, the City rightfully expects and is advocating vigorously for federal resources sufficient to fully fund 9/11-related physical and mental health needs for all affected and potentially affected New Yorkers, including first responders, laborers and other contractors, residents, office workers and students.

The figures below do NOT include substantial federal and private funding to treat Fire Department of New York and other City employees; federal operating costs for maintaining the World Trade Center Health Registry which tracks the health of more than 70,000 people nationwide; or any health insurance, pension or Workers’ Compensation costs associated with the City’s response to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

New York City World Trade Center Health Initiatives Financial Plan

August 2007