A Fallen Hero - Video Inside

9/11 "Wall Of Heroes" To Include Sick Cops
NY Post: City Will Honor 8 Officers Who Succumbed To Illnesses Related To Ground Zero Dust

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/28/national/main4049362.shtml

NEW YORK, April 28, 2008

(CBS) New York City's 9/11 "Wall Of Heroes" will now include names of police officers who died well after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The city will honor eight officers who succumbed to illnesses related to working amid the toxic debris at ground zero, the New York Post reports.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg will preside over a May 9 ceremony paying tribute to eight fallen officers who died from a litany of diseases linked to their work at the site of the World Trade Center, the Post reports.

One of those officers will be Det. James Zadroga, who died of a respiratory disease in 2006 after spending more than 400 hours sifting through the smoldering ruins at ground zero.

"It’s a bittersweet victory," Joseph Zadroga, James's father, told CBS News.com.

"It's joyful but I'd rather have him here," he said. "I know it's something that Jimmy would want."

James Zadroga was the first NYPD officer to have his death directly linked to his work at ground zero. Subsequently, he emerged as a symbol for the plight of thousands whose health rapidly deteriorated after their long days toiling in the rubble at ground zero.

Last May, a woman who died of lung disease five months after Sept. 11, 2001 was added to the medical examiner's list of attack victims. It marked the first time the city officially linked a death to the toxic dust caused by the World Trade Center's collapse. However, the city has long resisted adding names of sick 9/11 responders who died to the official victim's list - despite mounting medical evidence that suggests a strong link.

Of the 70,000 people taking part in Mount Sinai Medical Center's World Trade Center health study, 85 percent are suffering some kind of respiratory problem. Medical experts now say the toxic cloud sparked at ground zero has not only caused severe breathing problems in the short term but also will likely spawn diseases like cancer in the years to come. The mounting medical evidence has put pressure on lawmakers to fund monitoring and treatment for sick responders.

In addition to Zadroga, the Post reports that those receiving plaques on the wall include police officers James Godbe, Thomas Brophy, Ronald Weintraub and Angelo Peluso and Detectives John Young, Kevin Hawkins, and Robert Williamson.

NYPD Officers Killed by 9/11 Illnesses Honored on 'Wall of Heroes'

http://www.officer.com/web/online/T...1-Illnesses-Honored-on-Wall-of-Heroes/1$41157

MURRAY WEISS and CHUCK BENNETT
Courtesy of The New York Post
Posted: Monday, April 28, 2008

NEW YORK -- Eight city cops who succumbed to 9/11 dust-related illnesses will be memorialized on the NYPD's "Wall of Heroes" for officers killed in the line of duty - a poignant nod to their kin, who spent years battling City Hall over how the deaths should be classified.

The decision by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to include the names of the fallen officers on the memorial at One Police Plaza will culminate May 7 in an emotional ceremony at which he and Mayor Bloomberg will preside.

"We are happy about it, but it's been a long battle," said Joseph Zadroga, whose son, Detective James Zadroga, died in January 2006 from lung disease after spending about 450 hours at Ground Zero.

For years, sickened officers and their families sparred with Bloomberg over whether their illnesses were caused by their logging hundreds of hours at the smoking pile of the World Trade Center and at the Fresh Kills landfill.

There are still about 3,000 related claims by police officers or their families that have yet to be resolved, according to lawyers.

"Little by little, the layers of denial are peeling away," said lawyer David Worby, who represents 8,000 first responders and recovery workers sickened after days toiling at the trade center site. "The city is no longer denying that a high percentage of people who spent a significant period of time there are sick."

Mayor Bloomberg vehemently fought paying out death benefits to relatives of Ground Zero responders, claiming it will cost the city too much money. Kelly, like many officials, had remained largely on the sidelines, awaiting more medical evidence.

The ceremony shows how far the city has come, supporters say.

Kelly, referring to the ceremony to honor the eight on the wall of "Names of Those of Who Died in Performance of Duty," said in a statement:

"Each of these eight individuals . . . assisted in rescue and recovery efforts. It is only fitting that they be recognized in this fashion."

Policemen's Benevolent Association head Patrick Lynch praised Kelly for adding the names.

"Had there been no attack, these officers would be alive today," Lynch said.

At the formal ceremony, police officers James Godbe, Thomas Brophy, Ronald Weintraub and Angelo Peluso and Detectives Zadroga, John Young, Kevin Hawkins and Robert Williamson will have their plaques unveiled.

Zadroga was the first to have his deadly illness "officially" linked to toxins inhaled at Ground Zero. His case prompted New York lawmakers to pass a bill awarding accidental-death benefits to relatives of afflicted Ground Zero responders. He and the others to be honored all died between 2004 and 2007 and had their deaths formally declared as having occurred in the line of duty.

"This is obviously very important to me and my children and Bob's family," said Maureen Williamson, who lost her detective husband, Robert, in May after a bout with pancreatic cancer.

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8 officers who died of post-9/11 illness on NYPD memorial

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gedchpIl6oM7F3AwCEyXaLDuYMzgD90H19284

By TOM HAYS – 23 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — More than two years after he took his last breath, a detective who developed lung disease after toiling in the World Trade Center's ruins has been added to the New York Police Department's wall of heroes.

James Zadroga was one of eight officers who died of post-Sept. 11 illness added to the NYPD's memorial wall, their names engraved onto bronze plaques in the lobby of police headquarters. They became the first NYPD members to be memorialized for dying of illnesses they blame on the dust they breathed at ground zero.

"It gives a just honor to Jimmy and to the other officers who worked that day and the days that followed," said Joseph Zadroga, James Zadroga's father, at Wednesday's ceremony.

Zadroga, 34, worked hundreds of hours at ground zero beginning Sept. 11, 2001. He soon developed respiratory ailments and died in January 2006 of lung disease.

He became a symbol of ailing ground zero workers after a New Jersey autopsy concluded his death was caused by exposure to Sept. 11 dust. The family sought to add him to the Sept. 11 victims' list, but the city medical examiner said no, concluding the improper use of prescription drugs contributed to Zadroga's lung disease.

"I just hope that maybe they won't forget now," said Joseph Zadroga, who still wants his son's name listed on the Sept. 11 memorial.

Other officers recognized for their deaths of Sept. 11-related illnesses include James Godbee, an officer who died in 2004 of lung disease; Robert Williamson, a detective who died of pancreatic cancer a year ago; Det. Kevin G. Hawkins; Det. John T. Young; Officer Angelo Peluso; Officer Ronald E. Weintraub; and Officer Thomas G. Brophy.

Three other officers killed in the line of duty last year were also added to the wall.

New York Health Officials Reveal 360 Post 9/11 Workers Now Dead, 80 From Cancer

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010891252

Vittorio Hernandez - AHN News Writer
May 8, 2008 2:26 p.m. EST

New York, NY (AHN) - At least 360 workers who volunteered to perform search and rescue operations at the World Trade Center directly following the September 11, 2001 attacks have since died; 80 of which suffered cancer-related deaths.

The volunteers and rescuers worked at Ground Zero, nearby blocks and at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. New York state health officials have identified the cause of death for 154 dead volunteers.

David Worby, who represents ill Ground Zero workers, said the 360 estimate is just the "tip of the iceberg." Their group is made up of at least 10,000 sick volunteers, 600 of whom are now cancer stricken, allegedly caused by their exposure to toxic elements on the site.

According to the World Trade Center Responder Fatality Investigation Program, most of the victims had tumors on their lungs and digestive system. Others had blood cancers and heart and respiratory ailments. Five committed suicide. Most of them were males between the ages 20 to 50, who worked as policemen, firefighters or laborers.

Kitty Gelberg, who tracks the deaths, told the New York Daily News, "We are not saying all of these deaths are World Trade Center-related... Without the statistics, we are not making judgment."

Dr. Robin Herbert, head of the Mount Sinai Medical Center's monitoring and treatment program, had forecast a third wave of 9/11-related deaths due to cancer caused by their exposure to carcinogens such as benzene, dioxin and asbestos.

Eight police officers who died from ailments were honored Thursday at the New York Police headquarters in an emotional ceremony led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Placed on NYPD's Wall of Heroes were Jimmy Zadroga, Kevin Hawkins, Robert Williamson, John Young, Angelo Peluso, James Godbee, Ronald Weintraub and Thomas Brophy.

360 post-9/11 workers have died, including 80 of cancer, says state

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/05/08/2008-05-08_360_post911_workers_have_died_including_.html

BY JORDAN LITE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, May 8th 2008, 4:00 AM

More than 360 workers who dealt with the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster have died, state health officials said Wednesday.

Officials have determined the cause of death of 154 of the responders and volunteers who toiled at Ground Zero, the blocks nearby and at the Fresh Kills landfill, where debris from the site was taken.

Of those, 80 died of cancer.

"It's the tip of the iceberg," said David Worby, who is representing 10,000 workers - 600 with cancer - who say they got sick after working on rescue and recovery efforts.

"These statistics bear out how toxic that site was," Worby said.

Most of the deadly tumors were in the lungs and digestive system, according to the tally from the state's World Trade Center Responder Fatality Investigation Program.

Other deaths were traced to blood cancers and heart and circulatory diseases. Five ex-workers committed suicide, said Kitty Gelberg, who is tracking the deaths for the program.

Gelberg said she had not yet determined whether the number of cancer deaths was more or less than those typically occurring in men in their 20s to 50s who work as cops, firefighters or laborers - the majority of 9/11 workers.

"We are not saying all of these deaths are World Trade Center-related," Gelberg said. "Without the statistics, we are not making judgment."

She added that relatives of people who died of cancer may be likely to link their loved one's death to their 9/11 work and add them to the database, despite other possible factors.

But Gelberg said she is compiling the deaths from public sources, individuals and agencies and believes there is an overall undercount of workers who have died. The statistics cover Sept. 12, 2001, through yesterday.

The city Health Department said it was "actively examining whether deaths have been elevated as a result of 9/11."

Last year, the head of Mount Sinai Medical Center's monitoring and treatment program, Dr. Robin Herbert, predicted a "third wave" of 9/11-related deaths from cancer.

"We know people were exposed to carcinogens. There was benzene, dioxin, asbestos," said her colleague Dr. Philip Landrigan. "There's reason to be concerned, so we're engaged in watchful waiting. So far, there's no excess."

Cathy Murray, whose husband, Fire Lt. John Murray, died of colon cancer April 30, "absolutely" connects his disease to his work at Ground Zero. He was diagnosed in June and was 52 when he died, she said. An FDNY spokesman couldn't immediately say where or when Murray performed 9/11-related duty, but a department letter confirms that he spent at least 40 hours at World Trade Center-designated work sites.

"He was perfectly healthy," said Cathy Murray, 53, of Staten Island. "He never smoked a day in his life, and neither did I. It happened so quick and so aggressive.

"He was responding at first, but then he wasn't," she added. "And now he's gone."

Feds block 9/11 health care money

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_263/fedsblock.html

By Julie Shapiro
5/16/2008

The federal government is backing out of a requirement to treat Downtown residents, office workers and students for 9/11-related illnesses, saying it needs more time to study the problem.

Before providing any funding to people other than first responders, the Department of Health and Human Services wants more data on those people’s exposure levels to World Trade Center toxins and their subsequent health problems.

Any money the department spends on residents, office workers and students this year will go toward gathering and analyzing data — and only after that will the agency decide how much money, if any, to allocate for screening and treating non-responders. This directly contradicts a law passed by Congress last year that was supposed to pay for treatment for non-responders for the first time.

Downtown elected officials and health advocates responded angrily to the Department of Health’s decision.

“More than six years after 9/11, it’s time for the Bush Administration to stop dragging its feet [and] provide the help that Congress intended,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler said in a statement to Downtown Express.

Late last year, President George W. Bush signed a law that included a provision that for the first time would have used federal money to pay for health treatment for groups other than first responders. He agreed to Congress’s 2008 allocation of $108 million for both responders and non-responders. Health advocates hailed the law, saying it would provide much-needed funds to programs already treating thousands of people.

But in February, the Bush administration announced that it would only commit $25 million to 9/11 health in fiscal year 2009, which begins this October, and the feds also cut out language referring to residents, office workers and students. Congress demanded an explanation of the federal government’s future plans for 9/11 health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services replied with a report that questions the need for non-responders to receive services.

“It’s a very complex issue,” said Holly Babin, a spokesperson for H.H.S. “We have to ensure the proper management of federal resources.”

Since this is the first time Health and Human Services has been asked to fund programs for non-responders, the department has to gather data on “exposure levels in relation to geographical scope and the resulting health effects,” according to the report. H.H.S. is meeting with the W.T.C. Environmental Health Center, which currently provides treatment to non-responders at Bellevue Hospital and other locations in New York City. H.H.S. will gather information from the Environmental Health Center and then decide how much funding to provide, if any. For the first year, though, the federal money will likely go toward determining the need, not treating patients.

“Congress was clear in its call for H.H.S. to develop a comprehensive, long-term plan to treat and monitor area residents, workers, students and others who were exposed to Ground Zero toxins,” Nadler said. “Clearly, H.H.S. has failed to deliver. The administration must end its delays and get this money — already appropriated — to help the living victims of 9/11.”

New York City is already funding three centers of excellence: the W.T.C. Environmental Health Center based at Bellevue, which provides screening and treatment to non-responders, and the Mount Sinai Consortium and F.D.N.Y. program, which serve volunteers and first responders. The city expected that the money Congress allocated for non-responders would either go to the Environmental Health Center or go toward creating a new program.

City health officials declined to comment on the impact of losing the federal funding for non-responders. In a tight budget year, many city programs and departments are facing cuts.

Nadler, Rep. Carolyn Maloney and nine other New York members of Congress, including Republican Vito Fossella, wrote a letter to Michael Leavitt, secretary of H.H.S., on May 9, saying the department’s report is a “stall tactic” that ignores Congress’s directives and also ignores the needs of those who are sick because of the W.T.C. attacks.

Prior to taking over H.H.S., Leavitt replaced Christie Whitman at the Environmental Protection Agency, whose response to 9/11 has been widely criticized by scientists as well as Downtown politicians and advocates.

Kimberly Flynn, head of 9/11 Environmental Action, met the federal government’s explanation for delaying funding for residents with deep skepticism.

“Studying the problem is the Bush administration’s cover for refusing to commit the resources that Downtown residents, students and office workers are entitled to,” Flynn said. “They’ve heard the evidence. They’ve heard the numbers. They know there’s a problem. They don’t want to take responsibility for the problem.”

Flynn cited testimony from Lorna Thorpe, deputy commissioner of the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to describe the extent of the evidence that non-responders are getting sick. Parents of children enrolled in the W.T.C. Health Registry reported twice the levels of asthma among children under 5, compared to the average in the northeastern United States, Thorpe said at a Congressional hearing March 12.

“That’s a pretty sizable health impact and H.H.S. knows it,” Flynn said. “But the Bush administration sticks with its talking points: The air was safe, the long-delayed lousy cleanup was carried out just to allay the unwarranted anxieties of residents — all that exposure to all that dust and smoke had no impact.”

The federal government’s assertions were so upsetting to Celia Correa, an office worker who links her lung disease to post-9/11 exposure, that she said she did not even know where to begin.

“I can’t believe the federal government is still trying to avoid taking care of people that need medical attention because of being exposed to the 9/11 fallout,” Correa said. “They really don’t give a damn.”

Correa had to quit her job when her respiratory symptoms worsened, leaving her without health insurance. She now receives her healthcare through the Environmental Health Center, but she is concerned that funding for the center will dry up before the need for care ends.

Catherine McVay Hughes, chairperson of Community Board 1’s W.T.C. Redevelopment Committee, questioned the federal government’s decision to continue studying the problem.

“It’s been almost seven years,” she said. “How much more studying do they need to do?”

Hughes is worried that the government will spend all its time and money studying the problem — leaving few resources to actually solve it. Hughes also does not trust the federal government to be objective.

“They have a financial incentive not to find a correlation [between exposure to W.T.C. toxins and illness],” she said.

It is not clear from the H.H.S. report how much money the department will devote to non-responders this year. The federal government has $185 million in the bank for 9/11-related treatment from previous Congressional allocations, including the $108 million from last December. With the $25 million Bush added in this year, the government has $210 million to spend. That will cover the costs of the first responder program through the end of the next fiscal year, and some of it will go gather data about non-responders, but Babin, the H.H.S. spokesperson, did not know how much.

As it stands now, the federal funding of 9/11 health is a yearly tug-of-war budget negotiation, with no guarantees for the future. To end this cycle, Nadler, Maloney and Fossella wrote the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The bill would guarantee care for all those sickened by exposure to 9/11 toxins, including non-responders, and would reopen the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

The bill attracted its 100th sponsor last week, and New York’s delegation is working on getting more sponsors to move the bill forward. Maloney said in a statement that she hopes to pass the bill by the seventh anniversary of 9/11 this fall.

If the federal government is going to provide funding for non-responders within the next fiscal year, they have to get going, said James Melius, an administrator for the New York State Laborers’ Health and Safety Trust Fund who sits on advisory groups for several 9/11 treatment programs. Contracts for services need to go out three to six months before the services are required, he said.

“It seems late to be studying the problem and not providing the money designated for medical monitoring and treatment,” Melius said. “We surely are in need of it.”

The city’s programs for non-responders at Bellevue Hospital, Gouverneur Health Services and Elmhurst Hospital in Queens are seeing steady increases in patients, showing the increasing need for services, Melius said.

“The federal money is critical,” he added. “My concern is that the need and demand for treatment is going to quickly outstrip the capability of [the city] to provide the kind of quality care needed.”

Ex-Bush health chief's firm wins Sept. 11 work
AP NewsBreak: Sept. 11 health contract awarded to company led by ex-Bush health chief

http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Ex_Bush_health_chief_s_firm_wins_Se_06042008.html

DEVLIN BARRETT
Jun 04, 2008 13:54 EST

As President Bush's health chief, Tommy Thompson proudly trumpeted millions of taxpayer dollars to help workers sickened by the Sept. 11 attacks at the World Trade Center, even amid complaints that his agency wasn't doing enough.

Now, Thompson's private company has won an $11 million contract to treat some of those same workers — the latest twist in a fitful government effort to determine how many people were made ill by the toxic debris — and to care for them.

The contract awarded by the Centers for Disease Control is aimed at tracking the health of between 4,000 and 6,000 workers who live outside the New York City area, where a separate health monitoring program is in place. The CDC is part of the Health and Human Services Department, which Thompson headed in Bush's first term.

Internal e-mails obtained by The Associated Press show that the one-year contract went to Logistics Health, Inc., a La Crosse, Wis.-based company where Thompson is president.

While secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Thompson was pressed by New York lawmakers to take a more active and aggressive role in tracking and treating Sept. 11-related health problems.

"It is ironic that former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson's firm won the contract to provide the services, given the history of delay from the Bush administration when he was secretary and now," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. "But I am glad these heroes are finally getting the help they deserve."

A spokeswoman for Logistics Health did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The government has struggled to effectively track the health issues of Ground Zero workers who live outside New York. Advocates and some lawmakers have unsuccessfully sought to establish a permanent, government-funded treatment program.

In the years since the 2001 attacks, studies show workers who toiled at the site have had higher than normal rates of lung problems and post-traumatic stress. Others have complained of an increase in gastrointestinal disorders.

The CDC contract was awarded after the government received proposals from four different companies, including Thompson's, officials said. The contract went to Logistics Health based on "an evaluation of everything from cost to technical abilities to past performance," CDC spokeswoman Bernadette Burden said.

Thompson's company already provides some medical services for the Army.

Logistics Health will provide annual examinations to World Trade Center responders around the country, diagnose and treat Sept. 11-related conditions and provide a pharmacy benefit to those responders.

Late last year, the government halted an effort to organize health monitoring for Ground Zero workers spread around the U.S., saying the program could cost far more money than Congress has provided.

Estimates on how much treatment these workers need — and how much it will cost — vary widely. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg have put the figure at around $400 million a year, but that amount includes treating the much larger group of patients who live in and around New York City.

According to New York City officials, some 400,000 people were exposed to Ground Zero dust, and 71,000 have enrolled in a long-term health monitoring program for people with and without health problems. Health advocates believe the number of people who have become sickened years after their exposure is in the thousands.

After Failing To Protect 9/11 First Responders From Toxic Threats, Thompson Awarded Contract To Treat Them

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/04/tommy-thompson-911/

Tommy Thompson served as President Bush’s Secretary of Health and Human Services from January 2001 to 2005. It was during his tenure, after the 9/11 attacks, that the Bush administration largely ignored the health risks facing first responders at the World Trade Center site. Doctors concluded that the dust there was basically a “toxic soup,” leading to serious health problems for workers. Then-EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman was also accused of lying about the air quality. Approximately 40,000 people were exposed to the dust, and “71,000 have enrolled in a long-term health monitoring program for people with and without health problems.”

Many of these first responders have since been unable to attain health coverage from either their insurers or the U.S. government. As the AP notes, Thompson was “criticized for not doing enough” to help these workers.

Yet apparently, the Bush administration believes Thompson did a hecukva job dealing with the aftermath of 9/11. The Centers for Disease Control has awarded Thompson an $11 million contract to treat some of those very same workers who became sick on Thompson’s watch:
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) responded, “It is ironic that former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson’s firm won the contract to provide the services, given the history of delay from the Bush administration when he was secretary and now.”

Former Bush Official Criticized For His 9/11 Response Will Track WTC Workers' Health

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=82353

June 04, 2008

A former Bush White House official criticized for his response to 9/11 was awarded a multi-million dollar contract to track the health of first responders Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control selected Tommy Thompson's Logistics Health to monitor thousands of September 11th workers who live outside the New York area.

Thompson, the former head of the federal Health and Human Services Department during Bush's first term, has been slammed by local lawmakers for not doing enough to help workers exposed to toxic debris.

City officials estimate that 400,000 people were exposed to dangerous dust at the World Trade Center, but up to 6,000 of them are non tri-state area residents and the government has struggled to keep count.

First Responders From 9/11 Gather For Day Of Remembrance

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=203&aid=82692

June 15, 2008

September 11th rescue workers and first responders came together Saturday for a day of remembrance.

Several non-profit groups organized the first ever World Trade Center Responder Day in Lower Manhattan. The day featured an opportunity for first responders to take the stage and share their stories of 9/11.

Despite the honors they've received for their work that day, they say many Americans are letting it become a distant memory.

"I'm proud of what I did, but unfortunately we've been forgotten," said first responder Marvin Bethea. "We went from being heroes to being treated like zeroes. That's very, very unfortunate."

"It's really sad in the sense that so much more needs to be done," said responder Alex Sanchez. "But we are a government of the people for the people. So this is what gives me the drive to come here today."

"I would venture to say the majority of the people here are tourists," added responder Jim LePenna. "Not even native New Yorkers come out to support the people who, at a moment's notice, responded to New York."

An exhibit was also set up at Trinity Church highlighting the work done by rescue crews.

9/11 workers hold first rally at World Trade Center

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/200...1_workers_hold_first_rally_at_world_tr-3.html

By Robert Erikson
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Saturday, June 14th 2008, 11:02 PM

Donna Michaels wipes away tears after speaking about her husband, Thomas, at World Trade Center Responders Day in Manhattan. Showalter for News

Donna Michaels wipes away tears after speaking about her husband, Thomas, at World Trade Center Responders Day in Manhattan.

Dozens of 9/11 responders gathered downtown Saturday to recount their stories of heroism and ask for more help from the government.

The first World Trade Center Responders Day was designed as a "day of appreciation" for rescuers and laborers who spent months at Ground Zero, said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), who is sponsoring a bill that would mandate healthcare funding for sick 9/11 workers.

One by one, rescuers approached an open microphone at Vesey and Greenwich Sts. to tell their stories before attending an interfaith church service.

"Politicians are looking to forget about this, but today is to remind them that we are here and we are slowly but surely dying," said Frank Silecchia, 54, a laborer with Local 731 who suffers from sleep apnea, respiratory problems and posttraumatic stress disorder after working at Ground Zero for 10 months.

"It has become a nightmare every night and a daymare every day," he said. "The pain just doesn't go away."

Susan Sidel, an attorney, volunteered for three months in supply tents and also lives downtown, so she's doubly concerned about her health.

"The real tragedy is the betrayal of these heroes by the city we worked to help save," she said.

Legislation Extends More Aid To 9/11 Workers

http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2008/06/14/more_aid_to_workers/

Posted on Saturday, 14 of June , 2008 at 8:02 am

ALBANY—Governor David A. Paterson will submit legislation to cover additional public workers who risked their health and safety in the rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts at the World Trade Center after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The legislation embraces the unanimous recommendations of the bi-partisan September 11th Worker Protection Task Force.

Under the Governor’s legislation, the “presumptive accidental disability retirement benefit” now available to some 9/11 first responders will be extended to additional first responders. A committee of doctors on the Task Force found that additional workers were exposed to the same toxins and psychological trauma as those originally covered.

“In the midst of the devastation of September 11th, men and women in public service risked their lives to aid in the search for survivors and victims,” said Governor Paterson. “As the nation grieved these heroes returned to work day and night, selflessly placing their own health at risk. It is our duty to offer them the protections they deserve in their time of illness.”

Additional first responders covered under this bill include state and county corrections officers and deputy sheriffs ; the non-uniformed first responders who were not required to undergo a pre-employment physical examination; 911 dispatchers; first responders who worked for any period of time within the first 48 hours after the first plane hit the World Trade Center; emergency vehicle radio repair mechanics; vested members of a public pension system who terminated their employment prior to filing a claim; and workers who became disabled more than two years after 9/11 but before an extension was granted in the Workers Compensation Law which would have covered them.

In addition, the registration deadlines for the accidental disability presumption and the Workers Compensation Law extension will be extended from the current dates of June 14, 2009, and Aug. 14, 2008 to Sept. 11, 2010 and the filing deadline for presumptive accidental disability will be extended from the amended date of June 14, 2009 to Sept. 11, 2010.

Since many of the non-uniformed NYC and State workers at the site had not been required to undergo a pre-employment physical examination, a prerequisite to receiving benefits under the prior 9/11 legislation, the Governor’s bill extends benefits to those employees if they provide access to medical records and demonstrate the absence of a pre-qualifying condition prior to Sept. 11, 2001. In addition, the geographic boundaries of the 9/11 disability benefits law are being expanded to emergency vehicle garages and emergency call centers, because the Task Force found emergency vehicle radio repair mechanics were exposed to dust and 911 operators experienced psychological trauma that has led to disabilities similar to those suffered by workers at the World Trade Center site.

Finally, current law requires that claimants participated in the WTC rescue, recovery or cleanup operations for a minimum of 40 hours, but scientific evidence gathered by the Task Force has shown there was a “substantial risk” of developing respiratory, gastrointestinal and / or mental health disability for first responders at the site during the first 48 hours after the first aircraft hit the World Trade Center Towers. Therefore, the Governor’s legislation covers any first responder who worked during the first 48 hours after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The Task Force includes members appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, Majority Leader, the Mayor of the City of New York, the State and City Comptrollers, the State Commissioners of Health, Labor and Civil Service and the Director of the State Division of Budget. It is charged with making recommendations regarding the adequacy of coverage and treatment for disabilities resulting from the rescue, recovery and clean-up after Sept. 11, 2001.

On March 4, the Task Force released an Interim Report, including a Report of the Doctor’s Committee to the Task Force, which can be found on the Department of Labor’s website: http://www.labor.state.ny.us/pressreleases/PDFs/911_WPTF_Interim_Report_March_4_2008.pdf 6-14-08

Paterson wants to expand 9/11 disability benefits

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyzero135725235jun13,0,269189.story

The Associated Press
June 13, 2008

Gov. David Paterson wants to expand disability benefits for more workers who helped in the rescue and recovery efforts after Sept. 11.

Paterson plans to introduce a bill that would extend disability retirement benefits to more first responders who worked at Ground Zero in the months after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The bill would eliminate a requirement that workers have had a physical before they were hired, as long as they offer some pre-9/11 medical records.

It would extend the disability benefit to workers such as state and county corrections officers, any first responder who worked in the first 48 hours after Sept. 11, and 911 operators.

The proposal follows recommendations issued by a state Department of Labor task force.

EPA whistleblower trial delves into 9/11 pollution coverup, toxic waste in fertilizer and more

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/environment/archives/141267.asp

6/17/2008

So far those subscription-only services are the only semi-mainstream media outlets I've found that are covering the whistleblower court case being pursued by gadfly and professional pain-in-the-side Hugh Kaufman of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Apparently there has been discussion of the 9/11 Manhattan pollution coverup, hazardous waste in fertilizer, and more. The trial is before a Department of Labor administrative court, and considers EPA's appeal of a previous Labor board ruling that Kaufman was fired for being "too effective" in his job.

The P-I was one of the few media outlets to cover former EPA Secretary Christine Todd Whitman's dismantling of the office where Kaufman worked, the EPA Ombudsman's Office, in 2002. Kaufman was the No. 2 man there, answering to Robert Martin, who we consider something of a native son since he's a member of Washington's Makah Indian Tribe. The office specialized in hearing the complaints of citizens living near Superfund sites.

The acerbic Kaufman has a long history of criticizing the very agency where he was employed. And in 1998, EPA made it official, appointing him to the ombudsman's office. But he was axed, along with Martin, and questions came up immediately about Administrator Whitman's husband's ties to a bank with interests in a Denver Superfund site. She was later cleared by the agency's inspector general.

Online, the only recounting of the trial I could find was a Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility press release. Forunately, an appeal to the Society of Environmental Journalists listserv turned up a piece by Katie Boyle* of Greenwire. It's subscription-only, but I'll tell you a few tidbits under the fair use doctrine:

EPA attorney Charlie Starrs, according to Boyle, contended the case was all about Kaufman's aforementioned style, saying he "had a fairly high opinion of himself, to put it gently. It's not a matter of what he did, but how he did it." Kaufman's lawyer, Regina Markey, countered: P-I researcher Marsha Milroy also unearthed a story by Inside Washington publications, publishers of Inside EPA, another subscription-only service. It reveals: Kaufman is an odd duck, to say the least. His professional work, of course, did not endear him to the agency's professional staff. For example, in Idaho's Silver Valley, where we have documented the effects of decades of mining abuses, Kaufman came down on the side of mine owner and EPA nemesis Bob Hopper.

I heard from at least one D.C. journalist who spent some time at the labor board's proceeding, but concluded the material in question was all rehash.

Kaufman's whisteblowing stretches back to the Carter administration. He was active in putting the spotlight on questionable EPA decisions under the Reagan administration's Anne Gorsuch Burford, who was forced to resign. William Ruckelshaus, now of Seattle, stepped in to rebuild the agency.

*A different reporter was originally credited with this story. Our apologies, Ms. Boyle.

'Journey for 9/11' supports rescuers

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080620-9999-1m20walk.html

By Michael Stetz
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 20, 2008

SAN DIEGO – His body is no stranger to punishment and grind. George Martin, after all, spent 14 years playing professional football.

But at age 55, he put it to the test again.

Because people he considers to be true heroes are hurting.

The former New York Giants defensive end began walking across America eight months ago to raise money for rescue workers who rushed to ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001, and are now suffering myriad illnesses – including lung disease and post traumatic stress disorder.

One medical study showed that 70 percent of the 40,000 or so responders have suffered lung disease and other problems because of the dust and debris. One in five has lost lung capacity.

Some don't have adequate health or disability insurance, Martin said. Some were volunteers who took it upon themselves to go through the rubble and pitch in, however they could.

Online: For more about George Martin's “Journey for 9/11,” go to ajourneyfor911.info

“These are the real heroes,” Martin said of the workers. “I'm not going into a burning house unless someone is inside with my last name. They do it all the time.”

Tomorrow, after 3,020 miles that began in New York on Sept. 16, Martin finally ends his walk, “a Journey for 9/11,” here in San Diego at the Embarcadero. He has raised more than $2 million, and three New York-area medical institutions have agreed to match that in health care services.

He's nearby now and resting in a Little Italy hotel before the big moment, which will be attended by California police and fire personnel and fellow athletes. Ground zero responders will be present, too.

The ending is bittersweet, Martin said. He saw America up close, raised millions of dollars and even got the added bonus of losing 40 pounds.

He averaged about 22 miles a day and went through 24 pairs of shoes and 80 pairs of socks.

He suffered a couple of blisters but they were never bad enough to keep him from walking. He only took off Sundays and when the weather was too bad.

Throughout his journey, he's been greeted warmly, he said, even though he admits he wondered what kind of reaction he would get in some parts of the nation, given that he's African-American and, at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, rather hard to miss.

“It makes me proud,” he said of the reaction from everyday folks throughout the country.

Martin was used to attention when he was with the Giants, playing before 70,000 fans each week. He won a Super Bowl with the team in 1986, electrifying the region.

And he walked away from the game a winner, his health intact and his future secure. He lived a content life in northern New Jersey with his wife and their four children.

When the terrorist attack hit, Martin was personally affected. He lost neighbors. One close friend lost a son who worked in the second tower struck at the World Trade Center, right at the point of impact.

“He suffered unimaginable agony,” Martin said of his friend. “It tore my soul apart.”

In the New York region, people still struggle because they live and work so close to the scene, he said. They pass by it. They see the empty spaces in the skyline.

“It's very tangible to us back there,” he said.

And as reports began surfacing of the plight of the rescue workers, Martin felt called to duty. So he got a leave from his job as vice president of sports marketing at AXA Equitable in New York and started walking.

“I never wanted the journey to overcome the mission,” he said. “I want the cause to succeed; that's my goal.”

Agreement gives more 9/11 workers health benefits

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/20/AR2008062002478.html?hpid=sec-health

The Associated Press
Friday, June 20, 2008; 6:28 PM

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gov. David Paterson said Friday that he has reached an agreement with New York state legislative leaders to extend health benefits to hundreds of workers who toiled at the World Trade Center site after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

More than 8,800 New York City workers applied for a "presumptive accidental disability retirement benefit" for illnesses they developed after working at ground zero after the attacks.

Paterson says the legislation will benefit more than 1,000 workers who were turned down because they didn't get physical exams before they were hired, which had been a requirement to obtain the benefit.

The new law gives them benefits if they provide access to medical records and demonstrate they didn't have the health problems beforehand.

City Questions 9/11 Workers’ Claims of Illness

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/nyregion/25health.html?ref=nyregion

When there are masses like this in the mass tort case against the City, there will always be a few that stain the legitimacy of those that are severely sick and ill from their heroic action at ground zero following the horrific events from 9/11/01. Do not believe for one second that many brave souls, men and woman, are not sick because of the toxic cloud they worked under, and do not believe for one second that they are not sick because of the lies told by our City, State and Federal Government about the air quality.

I have lived 9/11 everyday since 9/11. Seeing first hand healthy men and woman get sicker and sicker, and have sadly seen some die. For those who have lied about their role in history is disappointing, but for thosethat have seen history lie to them, I stand by you all and give you my 100% support. - John Feal, 9/11 First Responder And Founder Of The FealGood Foundation

By ANTHONY DePALMA
Published: June 25, 2008

The first detailed review of the medical records of nearly 10,000 ground zero workers who are suing New York City and its contractors suggests that many are not as sick as their lawyers have claimed, attorneys for the city say.

The city’s review, based on medical records submitted in federal court by the workers and their lawyers, found that as many as 30 percent of the workers reported nothing more than common symptoms like runny nose or cough. Their records, according to the review, did not indicate that doctors had ever diagnosed a specific disease.

In fact, more than 300 workers admitted in court documents that they were not ill at all.

Lawyers for the city, who conducted the review in response to a court order to sort out the seriousness of the claims, also found that many records were contradictory or incomplete, making it difficult to determine when an ailment began or how long it persisted. The documents included few records before Sept. 11, 2001.

The city, which faces a huge financial liability in the lawsuit, has ample reason to play down the claims of firefighters, police officers, construction workers and others who say they became ill because they were not given proper breathing equipment during the nine-month rescue and recovery operation at ground zero.

The workers’ lawyers have sharply criticized the city’s review, calling it skewed and largely inaccurate. They have consistently claimed — but have never released a detailed analysis of the claim — that the workers suffer from a broad range of medical problems, mostly respiratory or gastrointestinal sicknesses, but also more serious conditions like cancer, chronic pulmonary disease and sarcoidosis, a lung-scarring disease.

The city’s findings have no immediate impact on the litigation because the court is not ready to rule on the severity of illnesses or make connections between diseases and exposure to ground zero dust. But the review is important despite its obvious limitations. Until now there has been no attempt to categorize the extent of illnesses in these workers, assumed to be the most badly injured of about 40,000 or more who labored at the World Trade Center site.

And the conflict over the review findings is a preview of how difficult it could be to prove that trade center dust — a complex mix of materials created by the collapse of the twin towers — sickened workers.

Much is riding on the result. Hundreds of workers who could not return to jobs after 9/11 have had their lives interrupted until the litigation is settled. The city and its contractors could be forced to pay $1 billion or more in compensation if they are found to have been negligent in not ensuring that the workers received breathing masks and wore them.

The judge hearing the individual cases, Alvin K. Hellerstein of United States District Court in Manhattan, has criticized the workers’ lawyers for not providing complete medical records back to 1995. He has given them until the end of this month to produce thousands of missing documents so that both sides can come up with a system, known as a severity chart, to classify injuries by type and seriousness.

“Getting those records is imperative in order for us to get a real understanding of the medical conditions of this population,” James E. Tyrell Jr., a lawyer with the firm Patton Boggs whom the city has hired to lead its defense, said in an interview.

To help prepare the severity chart, the city’s lawyers did their statistical review based on the records they had: nine-page documents, called short-form complaints, that were prepared for each of the 9,618 workers by their lawyers.

That review, Mr. Tyrell said, shows that while many workers may be genuinely sick, it appears that many others are not. “A relatively high percentage of the plaintiffs either acknowledge that they are not sick, or refer to medical conditions that are common to the general population, with no indication that those conditions were caused by 9/11,” he said.

According to a letter the city lawyers sent Judge Hellerstein in May, the short-form complaints listed 387 separate ailments, including some — like deviated septum, multiple sclerosis, high blood sugar and Bell’s palsy — that have no apparent connection to ground zero work.

William H. Groner, who with Paul J. Napoli and David E. Worby is representing the workers in court, said so many diseases were listed because of the possibility that they could be linked to the dust.

“We put them in there to protect our clients, because we just didn’t know if they were related,” Mr. Groner said in an interview. He said Bell’s palsy and several other diseases probably could not be linked to the dust at this time, and would be dropped.

In one of the most startling findings in the city’s review, 2,902 workers have claimed only minor ailments, like cough or congestion, that are common among New Yorkers. In the letter to the court, Mr. Tyrell said he had classified as minor injuries those in which workers alleged only a symptom like a cough, not a diagnosed disease. Others who claimed more serious injuries did not always provide medical records supporting their claims.

And 306 workers, the letter said, did not claim any past or current physical injury.

Mr. Groner accused the city of distorting the true medical condition of the workers, saying that many upper respiratory ailments like runny nose can be symptoms of or precursors to debilitating lower respiratory problems and obstructive lung diseases.

But he conceded that some plaintiffs might not be injured at all. He said their complaints were included because the workers feared that they could develop cancer or some other serious illness in the future. He said New York law allowed them to sue if they had “a rational basis” for their fear.

In another part of the city’s review, lawyers looked at the medical files of a random sample of 500 workers. The lawyers found that the files of 13 percent did not list a diagnosed illness. The ailments of half of the workers were not diagnosed until after 2004; the illnesses of 18 percent were not diagnosed until 2006. Mr. Tyrell said that raised questions about their connection to 9/11.

Thirty-seven percent of the sampled workers admitted that they were current or former smokers, an important fact in determining the causes contributing to respiratory problems.

Mr. Groner acknowledged that workers had not yet produced all the medical records the judge had requested. But he said his team did not start to collect the files until after a federal appeals court ruled this year that the question of the city’s immunity from suits could be answered only case by case.

Since then, he said, his side has cooperated fully with the city and produced more than 24,000 specific medical records. He said the city had also received permission from many workers to seek additional employment and medical records on its own.

Although the workers’ lawyers have not released any review of the records, one statistic they have provided turned out to be inaccurate.

In a recent letter to Judge Hellerstein, they stated that at least 128 workers — not necessarily their clients — had died as a result of ground zero injuries, citing a continuing investigation by the State Department of Health.

They admitted in an interview, however, that that number was a misinterpretation of the state’s data. The Health Department has registered the deaths of 329 ground zero workers and has identified the cause for 128 of those, but has not yet linked any to ground zero. Some are unlikely to ever be connected to work at the trade center site because they were highway accidents, assaults and homicides.

“We misread the concept of confirmed causes of death as being ground zero-related,” Mr. Groner said. “We just misread it.”

Mr. Groner said that medical studies by the Fire Department and the Mount Sinai Medical Center had linked trade center dust to a broad range of respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments. “These studies and others mirror precisely what we have found with our clients,” Mr. Groner wrote to the judge.

Judge Hellerstein has said he is intent on moving the case forward so that injured workers can be fairly compensated as quickly as possible.

“Either this case is going to be managed or it will become an albatross that controls all our lives,” Judge Hellerstein told the lawyers in May, directing both sides to overcome their differences. “If you can’t come up with a system, I’ll find a different way of doing it myself.”

New York Legislation To Expand Health Care Benefits For 9/11 Workers

http://www.emaxhealth.com/38/23273.html

6/25/2008

Governor David A. Paterson announced plans to submit legislation to cover additional public workers who risked their health and safety in the rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts at the World Trade Center after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The legislation embraces the unanimous recommendations of the bi-partisan September 11th Worker Protection Task Force.

Under the Governor's legislation, the "presumptive accidental disability retirement benefit" now available to some 9/11 first responders will be extended to additional first responders. A committee of doctors on the Task Force found that additional workers were exposed to the same toxins and psychological trauma as those originally covered.

"In the midst of the devastation of September 11th, men and women in public service risked their lives to aid in the search for survivors and victims," said Governor Paterson. "As the nation grieved these heroes returned to work day and night, selflessly placing their own health at risk. It is our duty to offer them the protections they deserve in their time of illness."

Additional first responders covered under this bill include: (i) state and county corrections officers and deputy sheriffs ; (ii) the non-uniformed first responders who were not required to undergo a pre-employment physical examination; (iii) 911 dispatchers; (iv) first responders who worked for any period of time within the first 48 hours after the first plane hit the World Trade Center; (v) emergency vehicle radio repair mechanics; (vi) vested members of a public pension system who terminated their employment prior to filing a claim; and (vii) workers who became disabled more than two years after 9/11 but before an extension was granted in the Workers Compensation Law which would have covered them.

Since many of the non-uniformed NYC and State workers at the site had not been required to undergo a pre-employment physical examination, a prerequisite to receiving benefits under the prior 9/11 legislation, the Governor's bill extends benefits to those employees if they provide access to medical records and demonstrate the absence of a pre-qualifying condition prior to September 11, 2001. In addition, the geographic boundaries of the 9/11 disability benefits law are being expanded to emergency vehicle garages and emergency call centers, because the Task Force found emergency vehicle radio repair mechanics were exposed to dust and 911 operators experienced psychological trauma that has led to disabilities similar to those suffered by workers at the World Trade Center site.

Finally, current law requires that claimants participated in the WTC rescue, recovery or cleanup operations for a minimum of 40 hours, but scientific evidence gathered by the Task Force has shown there was a "substantial risk" of developing respiratory, gastrointestinal and / or mental health disability for first responders at the site during the first 48 hours after the first aircraft hit the World Trade Center Towers. Therefore, the Governor's legislation covers any first responder who worked during the first 48 hours after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said: "Governor Paterson is doing the right thing. Every effort to more thoroughly monitor, test and, if necessary, treat the illnesses of the workers at Ground Zero is a welcome step in the right direction."

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton said: "I am pleased to welcome legislation that expands benefits to the heroes who responded during our hour of need, and are now suffering adverse health effects because of their selflessness. By extending benefits to these individuals who were critical in our response to the September 11th attacks, New York State is demonstrating that it will not forget the sacrifices made by so many. I commend Governor Paterson for these efforts, and look forward to the swift passage of this legislation."

Congressman Jerrold Nadler said: "I applaud Governor Paterson for introducing this essential legislation.While the fires were still burning at Ground Zero, brave men and women came to New York to provide help. And during their selfless service, these workers unnecessarily exposed themselves to toxins and containments. As Governor Paterson works with the New York State Legislature to pass this worthy bill, Congress must also act. This is a debt that can never fully be repaid, but we must do right by the living victims of 9/11."

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney said: "All New Yorkers should be proud that Governor Paterson and the State Assembly and Senate are leading the charge to take care of the heroes of 9/11, and it's high time the federal government did the same by passing the Maloney-Nadler-Fossella-King 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. It is a moral imperative for our government to take care of Americans who risked their lives and health to save others in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. The contrast between the state and federal responses to this health crisis could not be clearer: New York is finding new ways to help the heroes of 9/11, while the Bush administration is still trying to avoid this responsibility."

Congressman Peter King said: "The heroes of 9/11 became sick after working in the dust cloud of Ground Zero to save the lives of others. It is our duty to develop a plan to monitor and care for these responders. I fully support the establishment of the World Trade Center Health Program and will do all I can to ensure that the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act becomes law."

Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said: "This bill will help ensure that first responders, who put their lives on the line in the minutes, days, weeks and months after the September 11th attacks, get the health care treatment and benefits they deserve. I thank the members of the 9/11 Worker Protection Task Force for their work. The Senate advocated for the establishment of the task force in the original legislation that addressed this issue. This bill mirrors the task force's recommendations for ensuring that 9/11 heroes are properly taken care of."

Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith said: "Legislation to expand health care benefits beyond its initial scope, which left out hundreds of 9/11 workers, was long overdue. People from across the city, state, and country fearlessly risked their lives in an act of patriotism and their efforts should not be forgotten. It is time for the legislators to stand up for those workers the same way they stood up for us in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center--unconditionally. I join my colleagues in commending the Governor on introducing this bill and call on the legislature to pledge full support to expand health care benefits to 9/11 workers."

Senator George Onorato, Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Labor Committee, said: "I commend Governor Paterson and the September 11th Worker Protection Task Force for their efforts to expand needed health care benefits to additional men and women who aided in search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center. We have an obligation to provide care for these brave first responders who risked their own health and safety in service to others on that dreadful day."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said: "This measure is a simple matter of fairness for the men and women whose health has suffered in the aftermath of their work as first responders to the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. I am pleased that Governor Paterson has followed the recommendation of the September 11th Worker Protection Task Force and, introduced legislation to extend health and disability benefits to these individuals -- including many who live or work in Lower Manhattan -- who served with such extraordinary dedication on September 11th and in the difficult days that followed the terrorist attack."

Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco said: "The courageous first-responders who risked their lives to help save fellow New Yorkers in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks are genuine heroes and fully deserving of expanded access to health care benefits. We owe these heroes a profound debt of gratitude on behalf of a grateful nation that was inspired and deeply moved by the selfless heroism and bravery displayed by our first responders. I applaud Governor Paterson for making the expansion of health care benefits to 9/11 workers a priority and I look forward to working with him and my legislative colleagues to ensure these heroes continue to know just how much they are truly appreciated by all New Yorkers."

Assemblymember Peter Abbate, Chair of the Assembly Government Employees Committee, said: "By extending health and disability benefits to these additional workers, the Governor is acknowledging the vitally important tasks they performed on September 11th and the days following the devastating terrorist attack, as well as the fact that, in performing their duties, these workers were exposed to conditions that put their health at serious risk. It is important to note that the recommendation to provide benefits to these workers was based on the careful work of the bipartisan September 11th Worker Protection Task Force."

Assemblymember Joseph Saladino, Ranking member of the Assembly Governmental Employees Committee, said: "It is an honor to work with Governor Patterson to provide further protections and assistance to those selfless heroes whose only concern was to rescue the lives of Americans in the hours and days following the 9/11 attacks on our nation. As a lawmaker whose focus is protecting those who protect the public I am eager to pass this legislation and make a difference for so many men and women who now and in the future will be suffering do to their unselfish acts. When we called on them needing their assistance the first responders came running, now is our turn to do the same."

Lou Matarazzo, Vice Chairman of the September 11th Worker Protection Task Force, said: "The original legislation might have overlooked some of the workers who risked their lives responding to the attack on the World Trade Center, and had conditions that were too stringent for all affected workers to receive benefits. This legislation goes a long way toward correcting those conditions."

Patrick J. Lynch, President of the New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, said: "Clearly Governor Paterson recognizes the great personal sacrifice made by all those who rallied to save and help the city recover after the attacks of 9/11. The Governor's proposal expands benefits to those responders whose welfare fell between the cracks of the first law. This bill should be supported by all of our legislators and signed into law as quickly as possible. We add our voice to all of those praising Governor Paterson for his proposal."

Steve Cassidy, President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, said: "We applaud the governor for his proactive support of firefighters and all first responders."

A Message From 9/11 First Responder John Feal

Friends, Supporters and concerned Americans:

Many of you have supported the Fealgood Foundation & the 9/11 responders that have become ill from their heroic actions at Ground Zero while working underneath that toxic cloud that has taken away their ability to fend for themselves and their families. Moreso than ever, these brave men and women need our help. I know many of you are feeling the effects of a slumping economy that has no bright future. I know many of you are angered at our current administration, and I know since 9/11/01 we have all fought for truth, justice and that yesterday's heroes will not be forgotten. I implore you all to help out these unfortunate souls who have been denied and neglected by our City, State and Federal Governments. These amazing individuals can not even put food on their tables, put gas in their cars, let alone pay their rents or mortgages. Whether it is a $1, $10, or $100.00, it would help greatly these sickened heroes. In the past I have been humbled by your support and generosity. Now, as Americans that take care of their own while the Government sits idle, I ask for your help one more time in this time of need. You can visit our web site at fealgoodfoundation.com and through paypal, use a credit card or send a check. Together, let's show this government how we treat our heroes.

Sincerely,

John Feal
Founder & President of the FGF
Injured 9/11 responder
Kidney donor
Above And Beyond Citizen Honors recipient from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society