FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
NYC Health + Hospitals’ World Trade Center Environmental
Health Center commemorates 20th anniversary of 9/11
BY NATALIE LOWIN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
New York City’s Health + Hospitals’
World Trade Center Environmental
Health Center commemorated the 20th
anniversary of 9/11 with community
events at their centers, including at
Elmhurst Hospital, on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Th e centers, which have seen more than
13,000 members at its three clinics in
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, NYC
Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and NYC
Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur, provides
services at no out-of-pocket cost to 9/11
survivors as defi ned in the Zadroga 9/11
Health and Compensation Act.
“For many people, the horrifi c attacks
on 9/11 occurred 20 years ago, but for
those who were in lower Manhattan during
and even years aft er are constantly
reminded of that day through their
health,” President and CEO of NYC
Health + Hospitals Mitchell Katz said.
Th e creation of the clinic is intended to
combat this issue.
Th e center employs nearly 100 qualifi ed
clinical providers to treat those with conditions
resulting from the attacks. Th ose
with health conditions caused by 9/11,
even if only adolescents at the time of the
attacks, are encouraged to seek membership
and receive health care.
Despite the severe impact of COVID-
19, the city’s public health system’s clinics
continued to provide care to its members
and maintained clinic visits through
telemedicine and mental health outreach.
Th ere has been a 28 percent increase
in total patient visits with the majority
through telemedicine as the pandemic
continued from 2020 into 2021.
Minisa Martin, a current patient at the
center, was diagnosed with respiratory
disease, GERD, PTSD and asthma in 2019
as a result of the attack. She was a student
at the Borough of Manhattan Community
College and witnessed the World Trade
Center attacks on 9/11.
“As time went by, it became harder to
cope. I had trouble breathing and some
nights I felt I wouldn’t even wake back up,”
Martin said. “My therapist at Elmhurst,
Awilda Cortez, has shown me I don’t have
to feel alone. She talks to me individually
and we also have a group meeting with
other patients who have gone through the
same things. Being in this program makes
me feel so grateful.”
Th e most common conditions treated
through the WTC Environmental
Health Center are Obstructive Airway
Disease (OAD), Upper Respiratory
Disease (URD), Gastroesophageal Refl ux
(GERD), Cancer Treatment and Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
NYC Health + Hospitals website states
that those who qualify for the treatment at
the center are 1) people who lived, worked
or went to school or day care in the area
of Manhattan that is south of Houston
Street or in northwest areas of Brooklyn,
between Sept. 11, 2001, and July 31, 2002;
2) anyone who was exposed to the dust
cloud on 9/11, or to dust or smoke in the
disaster area aft er 9/11; 3) people who
worked as a cleanup worker or performed
maintenance work in the disaster area
between Sept. 11, 2001, and Jan. 10, 2002;
and 4) workers who assisted in rescue,
recovery, clean-up and related support.
For eligibility and enrollment information,
individuals can call 888-982-4748 or
visit cdc.gov/wtc.
To contact the NYC Health + Hospitals
WTC Environmental Health Center clinics,
individuals can call 877-982-0107
or visit the WTC Environmental Health
Center webpage.
Photo courtesy of NYC Health + Hospitals
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