The Unmet Needs Roundtable Continues

by Mikki Baloy, LDRNY Director of Operations

“Ms. T moved to the USA in 1995, in perfect health and able to support her children.  She worked in cleaning, and after 9/11 was at several buildings around Ground Zero.  She was given only a paper mask, which she removed during breaks.  She was often in unstable buildings and feared another collapse.  During this time, she began to have headaches, nightmares, and irritation of the eyes.  Her health began to deteriorate in 2002, and now she cannot work regularly and does not earn enough income to meet her basic living expenses.  She now suffers from insomnia, depression, and hypervigilance as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder as well as chronic rhinitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and shortness of breath.  Ms. T is totally disabled and awaiting her Worker’s Compensation.”

This is how most Unmet Needs Roundtable presentations start.  Case managers from several New York City agencies work diligently to prepare the paperwork needed to try to secure some financial assistance for their clients, many of whom are 9/11-cleanup and recovery workers. NYDIS, an LDRNY partner that facilitates the Roundtable, estimates that over eighty referrals to case management have been made solely through their office since September, but many agencies are at capacity and unable to accept new clients. NYDIS reports that 221 cases have been presented since January 2006, with over 86% of them presented on behalf of workers with 9/11-related illnesses.  This is more than a 50% increase in the total number of presentations compared to the same time period last year.

Obviously, the need for assistance is critical.  More and more recovery workers are becoming too sick to work or have not healed from injuries sustained during their time at Ground Zero.  Many are suffering from depression, Post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, anxiety, various phobias, and other mental health issues.  Thousands are partially or totally disabled, receiving little to no income from part-time work, or are waiting indefinitely for public entitlements like Worker’s Compensation.  Formerly healthy, hard-working individuals are struggling to make it through each day.  The New York congressional delegation called on the White House to include 9/11-related health funding in the 2008 budget.  Current Federal funding for health care is limited to first responders, a provision that excludes workers like Ms. T as well as Lower Manhattan residents and those whose offices were downtown.  It is also a dollar figure not based on an actual estimate of diagnosing and treating the estimated 40,000 men and women who worked at Ground Zero.  Quite frankly, it just isn't enough.

LDRNY is a donor at the Unmet Needs Roundtable, a witness to these remarkable and devastating stories and a collaborator with case managers in an effort to support clients.  This holiday season, we’ve granted cash assistance, food and holiday gift vouchers, and metrocards to individuals based on the advocacy of their caseworkers, just like we’ve done since the inception of the Roundtable in 2002.   We’re so grateful that we can help these unsung heroes provide for their families while they wait for resolutions to the lengthy and frustrating process of Worker’s Compensation, and we keep their well-being foremost in our minds.  Please pray for the 9/11 recovery and clean-up workers who continue to struggle, as well as the case managers advocating on their behalf.  May the New Year bring genuine and lasting health and peace to us all.

For more on the unmet needs of recovery workers, click here.