New 9/11 Health Website Launched

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Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Aid / Disasters;  Respiratory / Asthma;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 11 Sep 2007 - 8:00 PDT

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Mayor of New York, Michael R Bloomberg announced on Sunday during his weekly radio broadcast the launch of a new website called 9/11 Health to provide a "one stop shop" for people who may have health problems as a result of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on 11th September, 2001.

The website was developed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and is aimed at a wide range of people whose health may have been affected by the events of 9/11, for example: emergency, rescue and recovery workers, residents, children, city employees and many others.

Currently in English, 9/11 Health will also be available in Spanish, Chinese and Polish.

The website brings together information about services and research, for example all the scientific evidence on health effects linked to 9/11, and points people in the right direction for free treatment and medicine.

The 9/11 Health website:

• Is targeted to each affected group (workers, residents, and so on),
• Describes where to go for evaluation and treatment, for instance the three WTC Centres of Excellence,
• Explains how to get different types of support: financial advisers, social workers, environmental groups, and other organisations working on 9/11 matters,
• Has resources for healthcare professionals, and
• Brings together published scientific literature and ongoing research.

9/11 Health came out of a report titled Addressing the Health Impacts of 9/11, that raised 15 recommendations adopted by Bloomberg in February this year. The report was written by a team led by Deputy Mayors Linda Gibbs and Edward Skyler and brought together the views and experience of all the city's agencies that dealt with the aftermath of the WTC attacks.

Bloomberg spoke of the WTC terrorist attacks, six years ago today, when he made the announcement:

"On Tuesday, New Yorkers, and all Americans, will mark the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks."

He said it would be a solemn day, to be marked by rememberance and renewal, "a day for us to reflect on those we lost and to recommit ourselves, as a city and as a nation, to all those whose health has been affected by 9/11".

Bloomberg said he was pleased to announce the 9/11 Health website, and said it:

"Consolidates the latest information about 9/11-related health issues, including where to go for free treatment and medication."

New York City Health Commissioner, Dr Thomas R Frieden, explained that there was still a lot we don't know about the effects of the WTC attacks on health. But, he said:

"We do know that some rescue and recovery workers, City employees, and residents have experienced health problems."

Some of the illnesses the people affected by 9/11 have experienced include respiratory conditions such as asthma, plus mental health problems such as depression and post traumatic stress.

Frieden added that the 9/11 Health website is a:

"Great way for people to get timely, reliable information about health effects and learn where they can get help."

Bloomberg said that more than 100 million dollars had been earmarked for 9/11 Health right through to the year 2011.

The World Trade Center Health Registry, said to be the largest and most comprehensive effort to monitor the health of a large group of people, continues to track the health of people who were exposed to the WTC events. The registry now contains 71,000 people and has just launched a survey to find out about their current health; so far 60 per cent have responded.

The results of the survey will be published on the 9/11 Health site when they are available.

Click here to visit 9/11 Health.

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Copyright: Medical News Today
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