We Must Continue To Care for Health of 9/11 Heroes (Rep. Vito Fossella)

Health monitoring is the key to understanding the long-term health impacts of 9/11. It is also essential to diagnosing medical conditions early on and getting the men and women who were exposed to the air over Ground Zero the treatment they need before a disease progresses. This is especially important because a recent analysis found that every Congressional district in the United States has been impacted by the attacks.

Unfortunately, a new report released yesterday by the General Accounting Office (GAO) found that the federal government is still not meeting the needs of sick responders. The government lacks both a consistent set of programs to serve responders as well as an accurate dollar figure for providing these services. The report was requested by Reps. Maloney (D-N.Y.), Shays (R-Conn.) and me as a way to assess where we are in helping the unsung heroes of 9/11 nearly six years after the attacks. The report shows that while some progress has been made, we need to continue fighting to ensure that monitoring and treatment are available to all individuals who were exposed to the air over Ground Zero.