The WTC Medical Working Group

Several organizations were created to assist the victims of the 9/11 attacks with the long-term consequences of debris exposure. These include the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) and the WTC Health Program that provides treatment and testing to first responders and others. In addition to these important programs, however, the WTC Medical Working Group has been auditing scholarship regarding WTC-related illnesses and making recommendations on treatment to healthcare providers and government entities since 2007.

The WTC Medical Working Group consists of representatives from various entities:

• The New York City Fire Department
• The New York City Police Department
• The New York State Department of Health
• The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Other state and local health departments
• The Health and Hospitals Corporation
• Mount Sinai Hospital

The Medical Working Group met regularly with leaders up until 2013 and published annual reports up to 2011. This group was instrumental in advocating for care and compensation for first responders and other 9/11 victims with many of their recommendations being incorporated into the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. In addition, the Working Group also made recommendations for subjects of additional research regarding cancers and other late-developing WTC-related conditions. This research played a role in the ultimate decision to add numerous cancers to the list of presumptively WTC-related conditions, including the most recent addition of prostate cancer.

Thanks to the efforts of the Medical Working Group, WTC compensation lawyers are now able to help first responders and other victims of 9/11get the financial and medical help they need to confront the ongoing consequences of debris exposure.