9/11 Injuries

People who contracted skin cancer due to exposure to the toxic atmosphere around Ground Zero after 9/11 — such as firefighters, police officers, downtown residents, workers, students, teachers and many others — can receive lifetime health care from the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program for both non-melanoma and melanoma types of cancer. The WTC […]

Physical injuries and illnesses are not the only scars carried by 9/11 responders and survivors. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which in 2001 was much less well understood than it is today, has afflicted many in the 9/11 community. The current coronavirus pandemic is causing the anxiety and depression felt by many PTSD sufferers to flare […]

Written by Mollie Barasch Barasch & McGarry salutes the bravery of the health care workers, FDNY, NYPD, sanitation workers, correction officers, Port Authority officers, and other front line workers who are going to work every day and selflessly risking their own safety. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and always, we are deeply grateful for their bravery […]

As always, but especially now, my thoughts are with you and your loved ones. The last several weeks have been emotional and trying for all of us, but I continue to be inspired by the goodness in people, and the acts of kindness, large and small, that I see every day. In that spirit, I […]

More than 18 years after September 11, 2001, the number of victims and the range of afflictions linked to the World Trade Center attacks grow. Asbestos, chemicals from building materials, smoke and other potentially dangerous substances were ejected from Ground Zero for months following the fall of the Twin Towers. As a result, people who […]

Though she wasn’t a firefighter, police officer or EMT, Marya Columbia described herself as a “responder” when applying for the World Trade Center Health Program. She qualified for benefits as a survivor because her Lower Manhattan apartment was in the designated exposure zone. However, that classification does not begin to describe Ms. Columbia’s contribution to […]