NYCLifeinaFishbowl
By
Antony Chow
Today's
comic:
Commentary:
Unbelievable! I knew the numbers would be bad, but not THIS bad. The Associated Press reported
today that a new health study by Mount Sinai Medical Center shows
almost 70% of WTC responders have lung problems. That's like 2
out of every 3 individuals.
New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is on a campaign to address the
mounting criticism that NYC government isn't doing enough for these
responders. He wrote an Op-Ed piece, published in today's New
York Daily News, responding to these criticisms. And he announced a 3 point plan
today that will: a) establish a WTC Environmental Health Center at
Bellevue Hospital, b) expand the City's Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene WTC Unit, and c) create a Mayoral Review Panel to coordinate
efforts of city agencies, and to lobby for state and federal funding.
These city initiatives are good, but the bottom line is that affected
workers lung problems will most likely worsen over time. And if
the person is a volunteer (not an employee of the city or state or
federal government), where will he/she get financial assistance to pay
for treatment and medication? That has yet to be addressed
sufficiently, in my opinion.
