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A New Standard of Healthcare
On September 11, 2001, the attacks on theÌýWorld Trade Center killed 2,763 people - the most devastating attack on US soil since PearlÌýHarbor. Numerous area hospitals, includingÌýÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½, prepared to treatÌýthose wounded and critically injured. TheyÌýstood at the ready, only to eventually realizeÌýno one was coming: city hospitals were ableÌýto handle the relatively few survivors.
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In the following days, weeks, and months,Ìýmore than 91,000 people responded to theÌýWTC sites, coming to search for survivors,Ìýrecover remains, and then participate in theÌýmassive cleanup effort. There existed a fullÌýspectrum of human experience: from fire rescue, law enforcement, and military, to ironÌýand construction workers, demolitionÌýexperts, mental health professionals, andÌýother civilians who simply wanted to help inÌýany way possible. Borne most memorably inÌýthe bucket brigade that formed on the stillÌýburningÌýmountain of debris just hours afterÌýthe buildings collapsed, the recovery work would officially continue until May 2002 in theÌýmost inhospitable conditions: heat, threat ofÌýcollapsingÌýbuildings, and an ever-presentÌýexposure to the poisonous cloud in the air.ÌýThis level of contact with a mixture ofÌýpulverized silica, asbestos, lead, fibrous glass,Ìýhydrochloric acid, pesticides, and much more was unprecedented.ÌýIn the first hours and days, theÌýresponders had little more than painters’Ìýmasks, if that, and worked tirelessly in feet ofÌýash and debris while more swirled in the airÌýaround them. Even as better safetyÌýequipment became available, its use was notÌýroutinely enforced. The reality remained that responders in lower Manhattan and itsÌýsurrounding areas were working, eating,Ìýresting, and breathing in a toxic environmentÌýwith grossly inadequate safeguards for theirÌýpersonal health.ÌýEven while medical and environmentalÌýexperts could not predict the long-termÌýhealth impact of the event and its aftermath,Ìýit was clear that there was an immediateÌýneed to offer healthcare to these dedicated individuals, thousands of whom were LongÌýIslanders .
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Stony Brook University Hospital (andÌýother centers in Occupational Medicine)Ìýjoined forces with labor unions, localÌýpoliticians, New York City officials, theÌýfederal government, the Red Cross, and others to secure the initial funds needed toÌýestablish a medical program that couldÌýmeasure the health impacts of 9/11 on theÌýresponders. Just months after 9/11, our centerÌýopened its doors to WTC responders, startingÌýdown a road that would lead to innovations in program member care and research and a new standardÌýin post-disaster care.ÌýWe began by offering free medicalÌýscreenings for local 9/11 responders as part ofÌýthe WTC Medical Monitoring and TreatmentÌýProgram. Over many years of diligent work and advocacy, this health monitoringÌýprogram grew into part of a complexÌýmonitoring and treatment program—nowÌýknown as the WTC Health Program—aÌýconsortium of clinical centers supported by federal funding and administered by theÌýNational Institute for Occupational Safety andÌýHealth (NIOSH). As the program’s LongÌýIsland Clinical Center of Excellence- and cornerstone of our Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program-Ìýwe’reÌýhumbled to serve more thanÌý12,000Ìýresponders in Nassau and Suffolk counties.ÌýOur model of care has continuouslyÌýevolved since that first day in 2001. With eachÌýday that passes, we strive to provideÌýcompassionate and expert care, empowerÌýour program members in their own health (with a newÌýfocus on prevention and early detection), andÌýgive back to a community that has given soÌýmuch to us, and for us.
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Joining Forces
Soon after the first monitoring assessments were completed, it became clearÌýthat a specialized treatment program was needed for these 9/11 responders:Ìýsomething that would have to be built from the ground up. What seemedÌýobvious to many—that 9/11 responders now needed quality healthcare—wasÌýnot universally embraced. Finding funding and support has been critical at bothÌýthe local and national levels, and is an ongoing battle. In 2004, NIOSH awarded aÌýgrant for ourÌýCenter’sÌýclinic to function as a Clinical Center of the WTC Medical MonitoringÌýProgram. In 2005, the American Red Cross issued another grant that would allowÌýthe Center to provide mental health services to responders. In 2009, the bill forÌýthe James C. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was formallyÌýintroduced into Congress, and the rallying cries intensified—from grassrootsÌýorganizers such as theÌýFealgoodÌýFoundation and 9/11 Health Watch; laborÌýorganizations including the Long Island Federation of Labor and the Nassau/ÌýSuffolk Building Council; George Bloom and JohnÌýDurso; the late Bill Lindsay,ÌýDavid Parkinson, and Jack Kennedy; and politicians alike. The Zadroga Act wasÌýsigned into law by President Barack Obama in 2011, providing for the first timeÌýdirect federal funding for the WTC Health Program, which is now the cornerstone of our Center. Representatives fromÌýCongress, including Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, Steve Israel, and PeterÌýKing, and Senators Hillary Clinton, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Charles Schumer haveÌýbeen instrumental in pushing forward this and other legislation and giving a voiceÌýto responders, especially as their health needs increase with each passing year.
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The Zadroga Act andÌýthe WTC Health Program
With the implementation of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health andÌýCompensation Act in 2011, the national WTC Health Program was established.ÌýAdministered by NIOSH and funded by the federal government and New YorkÌýCity, the program provides screenings, annual monitoring exams, and medical treatments for 9/11-related health conditions or conditions exacerbated byÌýWTC exposure at no cost to program members. The Act also reopened the SeptemberÌý11thÌýVictim Compensation Fund (originally closed in 2003), allowing those whoÌýgot sick after 2003 to file for compensation. Funding for this programÌýthatÌý, whichÌýserves more thanÌý112,000Ìýresponders and survivors in all 50 states (as ofÌýJuly 2021),through five clinical centers of excellence and a nationwide provider networkÌý(NPN), is up for renewal in 2022.
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Our Center Today
Our once small clinic providing limited health monitoring services for a few hundred has prospered into a now vibrant center- monitoring and treatingÌý>12,000ÌýWTC responders.ÌýOur servicesÌýnow span across two clinical sites on Long Island; the main one being a state-of -the-art expanded spaceÌýin Commack. We are honored yet humbled by the sense of community we continue to foster among 9/11 responders, their families, and ourÌýstaff.
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We have sealedÌýourÌýtrail-blazingÌýreputationÌýfor the WTC Health Program, Stony Brook University, and greater responderÌýcommunity.ÌýThis results from our centralized, integrated care model driven by multi-disciplinary medical expertise, a strong member engagement and support community, preferred care coordination and member management structure, as well as cohort maintenance and data continuity capabilities.ÌýMuch of our knowledge on how toÌýbest care for Program members results from a combination of our manyÌýyearsÌýofÌýexperience,Ìýand our unique integrative clinical research model.ÌýThis combination ensures thatÌýresearch-based protocolsÌýbest address theÌýuniqueÌýhealthÌýissues faced by the responders we support.ÌýDr. Luft’sÌýongoing collaboration withÌýhis renownedÌýteam of experts-Ìýwithin and beyondÌýStonyÌýBrook University-ÌýyieldsÌýtheÌýbenefitsÌýofÌýWTC-testedÌýprotocols,ÌýaÌýwealthÌýofÌýdata,ÌýandÌýaÌýbetterÌýunderstandingÌýofÌýburdens associated with physical and mental health symptoms,Ìýdisease progression,ÌýandÌýtreatment regimenÌýsuccessesÌýin ourÌýWTC responder population.ÌýOver 60 peer-reviewed publications on these subjects have been published by Dr. Luft’s team over the past 10 years.
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