WTC Health Program's Next Steps Outlined
A year after the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 was signed into law, NIOSH has awarded several contracts and helped the program's Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee begin its work.
Several milestones were achieved during the first six months of the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and the full year since the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 was signed into law creating that program, according to a brief recap posted by NIOSH over the name of NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard. He said several contracts were awarded last year and the program's Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee held its first meeting in November 2011.
Among the WTC Health Program activities to be accomplished during the upcoming six months, according to Howard's report, are:
- Integrating health care providers who provide care for responders and survivors living outside the New York City Metropolitan Area into the national WTC Health Program
- Refining outreach efforts for potentially eligible populations to educate them about the existence and availability of the program
- Finalizing medical protocols for monitoring, health evaluations, and treatment
- Finalizing a comprehensive medical Quality Assurance Program customized to each Clinical Center
- Promulgating final program regulations
- Publishing the Second Periodic Review of the Scientific and Medical Evidence Related to Cancer for the program by mid-2012
- Convening 2012 meetings of the Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee
The program was created to provide medical evaluation and treatment for eligible 9/11 responders and survivors and to fund research into health conditions associated with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The program opened its doors July 1, 2011, six months after President Obama signed the Zadroga Act.
For more information about the WTC Health Program, send an e-mail to [email protected].