Press Releases
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree supports 9/11 health care bill for first responders
Washington, DC,
December 22, 2010
House passes bill and sends on to the President Congresswoman Chellie Pingree voted today for a bill to fund health care for first responders who are suffering long-term health effects as a result of their work at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attacks. "The first responders who answered the call after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 are true American heroes. Now tens of thousands of them are suffering long-term health impacts from toxins they were exposed to at Ground Zero," Pingree said. "They deserve care for their illness and this bill will do that." The bill (H.R. 847 – The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010) provides medical monitoring and treatment to WTC responders and survivors (area workers, residents, students) who were exposed to the toxins at Ground Zero. Nearly 14,000 WTC responders are sick and receiving treatment just this year. Nearly 53,000 responders are enrolled in medical monitoring and 71,000 individuals are enrolled in the WTC Health Registry, indicating that they were exposed to the toxins. |