First, I explained how widespread and all-encompassing our members’ response was on 9/11.  Incredibly, some people were saying that our members weren’t even at Ground Zero in the days, weeks and months following the attacks.  I put that notion to rest quickly.           

Next, I detailed the various illnesses our members were suffering.  I submitted into evidence a copy of the PBA Registry, which included at the time about 140 entries.

I pointed out that government has failed at every level in its response to these 9/11 health issues.

Monitoring and Treatment Programs are inadequate for a variety of reasons.

Our members, as well as the Union welfare funds, are being burdened with the cost of line-of-duty drugs and medical treatment resulting from 9/11 exposures.

It was a complete failure of government, I testified, that it took five years for the city’s Department of Health to release treatment protocols for the medical community. I asked the following questions and demanded answers from the mayor:

Why did it take 5 years to release the guidelines?

Why were city lawyers reviewing drafts?

How much delay did the lawyers’ involvement cause?

Why were lawyers involved in what is primarily and fundamentally a health issue?

How, if at all, are city lawyers involved in other aspects affecting the medical   treatment, diagnosis, and provision of benefits to first responders?

Also, why were no guidelines issued for serious illnesses like emerging cancer and sarcoidosis?

I called for the city lawyers to stay out of any issue that involves the responders’ health and access to treatment and benefits.  What has been happening is that the lawyers are throwing up obstacles to our members receiving the paid-for treatment and other benefits that they are lawfully entitled to.  We need to put an end to the Law Department’s actions.

I also called to the attention of the City Council the NYPD’s complete neglect of its sick members, as well as its absence from the hearings.

I called for better funding of treatment programs: (1) in order to employ the latest in diagnostic testing tools and provide first-rate doctors experienced with WTC-related illnesses; (2) provide for timely release of all data and information from monitoring programs; and (3) an independent overseer of all monitoring and treatment programs, whose only vested interest will be the responders’ health.

In conclusion, I called on government to honor its’ moral obligation to those who responded on 9/11 and thereafter. I offered to join hands with the city and travel to Washington to secure funding. But in the end, I said, “Fully funded and top quality diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and benefits need to be made available to our sick responders. And it must start immediately to prevent further serious illnesses and loss of responders’ lives.”

We trust that continued media exposure of these issues will lead to our achievement of these goals. 

As a result of this and other actions, we understand that there has been recent activity within the Department on the issue.  We will wait to see if it produces concrete results.

One final point: Although we have disagreements with the monitoring programs on a number of different levels, they are the only entities examining and gathering information on the illnesses being suffered by our members. We continue to urge our members to visit Mt. Sinai and the other satellite locations.  An additional reason to enroll in these programs is that we understand that the proposed federally-funded treatment programs will require that responders be participating in one of the monitoring programs in order to receive future treatment and prescription drugs at NO COST.  Again, we urge those who haven’t already done so, to contact one of these monitoring programs.  The information can be found on our website.