Friday, May 27, 2011

Mark Your Calendars for June 23rd!


On June 23rd, 9/11 Environmental Action, with the participation of StuyHealth, will be holding on event at the Museum of Jewish Heritage's auditorium in lower Manhattan (at Battery Place).

The event will include a screening from 'The Second Day," a film made by a now 14 year-old lower Manhattan resident about the aftermath of 9/11, and will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers, doctors from the WTC EHC pediatric program, and a member of StuyHealth. It should be an interesting event and a good opportunity to see "The Second Day," which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year! Information about the film can be found here.

RSVP information will follow, so stay tuned...

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The 9/11 Health Bill


With the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act about to go into effect, I thought it would be a good time to post a summary of the bill and the full text for anybody who is interested.

Here's a link to a good summary of the 9/11 health bill that was posted online by Rep. Maloney's office.

For the more motivated, here is the full text of the bill.

The provisions that cover members of StuyHealth are in Section 2.

One part of the bill that impacts StuyHealth specifically: This law does establish the need for Centers of Excellence outside of New York City, but primarily to treat First Responders. We are still finding out whether these will be accessible to people in the survivor program (the program that treats residents, students, and office workers), and how we can indicate a need for one should a lot of us be unable to regularly seek care at the program in New York City. As student survivors, we are some of the only people in the survivor program that have left New York City in large numbers, so this is largely our fight.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A Visit to WTC EHC


Hey all! I just had my first visit to WTC EHC, the health program for 9/11 survivors that I'm always directing people to. I wanted to go over what it entailed, who qualifies, and how you can get an appointment for yourself. Feel free to leave a question in the comments or email me directly at stuyhealth@gmail.com if you have any follow-up questions.

First off, there are a couple of reasons for signing up for WTC EHC if you have 9/11-related health concerns:
1. If you have any pulmonary issues, stomach problems like acid reflux, mental health issues, or others problems caused or related to 9/11, you can be treated for free at WTC EHC by doctors experienced in dealing with 9/11 victims. The medication the prescribe you to treat these problems is also free.
2. In signing up, you are contributing to research on what ails 9/11 victims and what treatments are effective in dealing with their specific health concerns.

The symptoms the WTC EHC treats include:
-Coughing
-Wheezing
-Shortness of breath
-Chronic Respiratory Infections
-Sinus congestion
-Stomach problems
-Depression
-Anxiety
* As of yet, treatment for cancers, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions is not provided by this program, but with the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, there is a system in place for us to petition to add conditions to the list of treated diseases.

Stuyvesant students of any grade level who attended the school in 2001 qualify for WTC EHC, as does anybody who met one of these criteria on 9/11:
-Lived in Lower Manhattan or areas of Brooklyn
-Were a student in a school in the area
-Worked in or around offices, stores, schools, or apartment buildings
-Commuted to Lower Manhattan during 9/11
-Helped in the clean-up of buildings in the affected area

CALLING THE PROGRAM:
When you make the initial call (the number is 877-982-0107), you'll answer a brief series of questions to determine if you qualify, after which they call you with an appointment date. It usually takes a couple of months to get an appointment, but for people from out of town, I can assist in contacting the program and making an appointment that is convenient for you.

WTC EHC has locations at -
Bellevue Hospital Center
462 First Avenue (27th St.)
New York, NY 10016
*The WTC Environmental Health Center's pediatric program is located here.

Gouverneur Healthcare Services
227 Madison Street (Clinton St.)
New York, NY 10002

Elmhurst Hospital Center
79-01 Broadway (79th St.)
Elmhurst, NY 11373

INITIAL APPOINTMENT:
They'll tell you that the initial appointment takes five hours, and they aren't lying. When you arrive, the front desk gives you a checklist of different people to see and tests you'll complete over the course of the day. The list of things to do includes: a vital sign check by a nurse, a 36-page nurse questionnaire that contributes to the program's research, a visit with a doctor, a social worker, and a psychologist, a blood test, a chest x-ray, a pulmonary function test (if you are there with breathing issues), and an EKG if it's indicated. From there, follow up plans are made with either the doctor or the psychologist, depending on what you're there for.

Any medications that you are prescribed are available at the hospital pharmacy for free. The medications the program covers include respiratory and GERD medicines, antibiotics, and medicines that treat depression and/or anxiety.

Overall, I had a great experience at WTC EHC and would highly recommend it to anybody suffering from the problems they treat. Again, anybody with questions should contact me at stuyhealth@gmail.com.

Check Out Our New Facebook Page

Come "like" us at www.facebook.com/stuyhealth! We'll be keeping everybody fully updated as the 9/11 Health Bill goes into effect and will have information about how to find services for 9/11 survivors!