World Trade Center Health Program is like, totally certifying illnesses that are linked to the 9/11 terrorist attacks again after a few chaotic weeks that left some cancer patients, like, without access to treatment, you know? Certification is when the federal program is all like, “yeah, your illness is totally from 9/11, so we’ll cover your treatment or give you compensation.” Dr. John Howard, the dude who runs the program, is the only one who can approve these certifications, and for a while, people were all like, “is he even still in charge?” Howard got laid off in February, but then there was a whole thing where they were like, “JK, he’s back,” but it wasn’t like, official or anything. They were still freezing certifications that needed his signature as of Thursday morning, which is kinda sketchy, you know?
In an internal memo that ABC News got a hold of, some big shot from the Health and Human Services Department was all like, “We can start processing enrollments and certifications and stuff now.” Dr. David Prezant, the head medical dude at the New York City Fire Department, confirmed that he got the memo and can start treating new patients again. This is a big deal considering there were weeks of confusion and delays that were, like, life-threatening. They even had to lay off 20% of their staff in April, which is a major yikes. And they fired and then brought back a bunch of staff members, including Howard. It was a whole mess.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, who’s all like a watchdog for the program, said he’s glad that Howard’s back and everything’s cool now. He wants to make sure all those enrollments and certifications that got left hanging are taken care of right away. He’s all like, “We can’t mess with the care of 9/11 responders and survivors, that’s just not cool.”
Ben Chevat from Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act thinks the media and some bipartisan pressure are the reason why things turned around. He’s happy that the responders who need cancer care can finally get it, but he’s also like, “Why did they have to wait in the first place?” It’s a valid point, you know?
Now that certifications are back on track, the program can review and approve claims from responders and survivors who developed new conditions because of 9/11. Getting certified is super important because it lets patients start treatment or file for compensation. Without it, clinics had to delay care for some really sick patients, which is just not cool.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that the WTC Health Program’s clinics are still providing services to their peeps. They’re accepting new applications and certification requests, which is a relief for everyone involved. But Chevat is still like, “We need to keep an eye on things to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Clinics have been told that they’ll get the certifications they’ve been waiting for by May 5 at the latest. The program’s staff and supporters are happy about this, but they’re also a bit cautious about what’s coming next. It’s like a rollercoaster ride, you never know what’s gonna happen next, you know?
The program is finally back on track, and everyone is breathing a sigh of relief. Hopefully, this whole mess is behind them, and they can focus on helping those who sacrificed so much on 9/11. It’s been a wild ride, but it looks like things are finally getting back to normal.
