Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly presided over a Police Memorial Day ceremony on May 7 commemorating eight New York City police officers who died of illnesses developed as a result of rescue, recovery, and clean-up work they performed at the World Trade Center site following the September 11, 2001, attacks. The names of Detective Kevin Hawkins, Detective Robert Williamson, Detective John Young, Detective James Zadroga, Police Officer Thomas Brophy, Police Officer James Godbee, Police Officer Ronald Weintraub, and Police Officer Angelo Peluso were added to those of other fallen officers whose sacrifices are commemorated on plaques in the Police Memorial Lobby inside Police Headquarters.
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The Health Department today announced a new mental health benefit program for people still experiencing psychological distress or struggling with substance use as a result of the events of September 11, 2001. To ensure that all needs are met, the Health Department will reimburse out-of-pocket costs for mental health or substance-use treatment through a claims process similar to any insurance benefit.
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Two House Judiciary subcommittees recently held a hearing  on the economic losses suffered by those who have health problems related to the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC).   Several witnesses, including NYC Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo, testified in support of re-opening the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. 
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a request for proposals for interested health care companies and administrators to apply for federal funding as part of a national system to monitor and treat World Trade Center responders.
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A subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations recently held a hearing to discuss funding for WTC health programs for rescue and recovery workers and non-responders. David Prezant, MD , Chief Medical Officer of the New York City Fire Department and Joan Reibman, MD , Medical Director of the WTC Environmental Health Center, testified in support of additional federal funding for 9/11 health treatment. Lorna Thorpe, PhD, MPH, the New York City Health Department's Deputy Commissioner of Epidemiology, also submitted testimony .
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The 9/11 Worker Protection Task Force recently issued an Interim Report that included various recommendations on disabilities related to the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC). The Task Force, made up of 19 individuals representing elected City and State officials and unions as well as physicians with an expertise in occupational medicine, was originally created to ensure that State and City employees who were injured while taking part in the rescue and recovery operation following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, would be eligible for accidental disability benefits.
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The parents or guardians of just one in three children or adolescents who are enrolled in the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Registry have completed the follow-up survey that will help assess the impact of 9/11 on child health more than six years after the disaster.  The follow-up surveys were mailed to 2,000 parents and guardians in May and June 2007.  In comparison, 67% of adults responded to a similar survey about their health that concluded last year.

People with children enrolled in the WTC Health Registry can obtain a copy of the child/adolescent survey by calling 866-692-9827 or by sending an email to wtchr@health.nyc.gov. The survey is available in both Spanish and Chinese and will remain open until May 31, 2008.
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In collaboration with physicians at Bellevue Hospital Center, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recently began a new, in-depth respiratory health study to learn more about the different kinds of World Trade Center (WTC)-related exposures that may have affected the health of people who lived or worked in Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001, and the months that followed. Included as part of Mayor Bloomberg's $100 million initiative to expand New York City's response to 9/11-related illnesses, the study's participants are being recruited from the more than 71,000 individuals enrolled in the federally funded WTC Health Registry. Although this critical research effort is not designed to treat individuals with respiratory or other health problems, treatment is available at the WTC Environmental Health Center.
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The World Trade Center (WTC) Environmental Health Center has begun a major outreach campaign to ensure that eligible individuals are aware of this free treatment program. As part of the campaign, the WTC Environmental Health Center produced a seven-minute video available in English, Chinese, Spanish and Polish. Through interviews with people who currently are in treatment at the WTC Environmental Health Center, the video helps the local community better understand how the collapse of the World Trade Center may have affected their health and provides information about the multilingual treatment options available to those who now are experiencing symptoms.
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In February 2007, Mayor Bloomberg accepted the World Trade Center Health Panel’s recommendations to expand New York City’s response to 9-11-related illnesses. With nearly all of the recommendations implemented this year, including the launch of the 9-11 Health website, the City is on its way to achieving all of the panel’s goals.

New York State has extended two important deadlines for workers who have 9/11-related health problems or who may develop them in the future.

Workers’ Compensation Deadline: August 14, 2008

Disability Filing Deadline: June 14, 2009
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