NYC Health + Hospitals’ WTC Environmental Health Center Honors the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 and the Care Its Clinics have Provided to Nearly 22,000 Survivors

NYC Health + Hospitals' WTC Environmental Health Center Honors the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 and the Care Its Clinics have Provided to Nearly 22,000 Survivors

More than 18,000 survivors are active members of NYC Health + Hospitals World Trade Center Environmental Health Center, which continues to enroll approximately 120 new members each month

Twenty-five years since the 9/11 attack, many of the youngest survivors - children and young adults exposed in 2001 - are now confronting long-term health effects

Enrollment remains open; eligible survivors are encouraged to apply for coverage through the federal World Trade Center Health Program

Sep 11, 2026

Today, twenty-five years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, NYC Health + Hospitals' World Trade Center Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC) honored the lives lost that day and the enduring need to care for survivors who are still living with the health effects of what they were exposed to. Since the WTC EHC program opened in 2011, nearly 22,000 survivors have received care at the program's three clinic locations at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Gouverneur. The WTC EHC, which is one of the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program's eight Clinical Centers of Excellence, provides dedicated care for the New Yorkers who lived, worked, went to school, or were passing through Lower Manhattan and were exposed to toxic contaminants on the day of the attack and in the months that followed. More than 18,000 survivors remain active members, and the WTC EHC enrolls approximately 120 new members each month - including many people who were children and young adults on 9/11 and are only now confronting the long-term effects of their exposure.

"As we honor the lives of those lost 25 years ago, we reflect on the enduring need to care for survivors who carry the lingering trauma of the horrific terror attacks on September 11, 2001,"said Mayor Mamdani. "Nearly 22,000 survivors of 9/11 have received medical and mental health services through the WTC Environmental Health Center, and we commend the hardworking professionals at NYC Health + Hospitals who remain focused on treating the long-term health effects impacting so many New Yorkers."

"Nearly 22,000 New Yorkers receive care for PTSD, cancer, and other afflictions through the WTC Environmental Health Center, and more than a hundred new patients are seen by the clinics every month," said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga. "The importance of this program cannot be understated, as so many New Yorkers, including many young adults who survived 9/11 as children, continue to require help. We are grateful to the NYC Health + Hospitals professionals who carry this heavy responsibility and work every day to confront the long-term impacts of that tragic day."

"9/11 changed our city and the lives of thousands of New Yorkers forever, and 25 years since that awful day we continue to provide care to survivors living with the long-term effects of their exposure," said Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. "Many of the survivors we see today were children in 2001 - in classrooms, in apartments, on a bus passing through - and are only now developing consequences of what they lived through. Our dedicated providers at the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center are here to care for survivors, and to help anyone who is unsure about whether they qualify for care. If that could be you, please come in and get seen. We are here to help whenever you need."

"The legacy of this program is our promise to care for survivors throughout their lives, regardless of when the need emerges," said Scott Van Orden, Executive Director of NYC Health + Hospitals' WTC Environmental Health Center. "Some of our members came to us in the first years after the attacks. Others are reaching out for the first time this month, 25 years later. Our work is to make sure that there is always expert, robust care for them at the moment they need it, for as long as they need it."

"Over the past three years, I have had the privilege of working alongside the talented and dedicated WTC Environmental Health Center team to provide care for thousands of survivors affected by the 9/11 disaster," said Dr. Leigh Wilson, Medical Director of NYC Health + Hospitals' WTC Environmental Health Center. "What we see in our clinics has changed over the years. That is why annual monitoring matters - it is how we find things early and stay ahead of them. I encourage anyone in need of care to come see us, and look forward to many more years of caring for the New York City survivor community."

The WTC EHC provides physical and mental health treatment and surveillance for eligible WTC survivors - local New York City residents, workers, students, and commuters exposed to toxic contaminants - in accordance with the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which established the federal WTC Health Program. First responders also receive services through the WTC Health Program at multiple CCEs in the New York metropolitan area.

Once an individual is admitted to the WTC Health Program by the federal government, they are assigned to a Clinical Center of Excellence for ongoing care, including the public hospital system's three clinics at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Elmhurst, and Gouverneur. Members receive initial health evaluations and WTC-condition certification, annual monitoring exams, and connection to clinical specialists - including ear, nose and throat (ENT) physicians, pulmonologists, and gastroenterologists. The Center also provides behavioral health support from clinical psychologists and facilitated peer support groups, along with care management that includes insurance authorizations, claims support, and benefits coordination.

A fact sheet with additional information about the WTC EHC - including who qualifies, the services members receive, member demographics, most commonly treated conditions, and the full list of certified WTC-related health conditions - is available here.

The CDC estimates that roughly 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants, risk of physical injury, and physically and emotionally stressful conditions in the days, weeks, and months following the attacks.

Behind these numbers are the unique experiences of 9/11 survivors whose lives were forever changed that day. For many, the health effects surfaced years - sometimes decades - later.

Three WTC EHC members shared their stories and what their care has meant to them:

"September 11, 2001, changed the course of my life, leaving an impact that continues to shape my journey today," said Frances D. Aquino, a patient at the Bellevue/32^nd Street clinic who was traveling through downtown Manhattan at the time of the attacks, when her bus got stuck in the Battery Park tunnel. "The fear, uncertainty, and physical demands of treatment brought me back to the strength and perseverance I had to draw on while surviving the aftermath of 9/11. Acceptance into the WTC Health Program and September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, together with the compassionate guidance of my care management team and mental health professionals, has provided meaningful support and affirmed that the lasting health consequences of that day have not been forgotten. As we approach the 25th anniversary, I share my story to honor those we lost, remember those who survived, and highlight the enduring resilience of the 9/11 community."

William Taye, a patient at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Gouverneur, was 48 years old and working as a vice president in money market sales on the 84th floor of the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001. William first came to the WTC EHC at Gouverneur in 2010, after receiving a call asking whether he would like to register. He was later diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and, in 2022, received a lung transplant.

"I noticed I was getting out of breath just coming up the subway stairs, and by 2018 I was on supplemental oxygen 100% of the time," said William. "My WTC EHC doctor is the best doctor in the world - she was the one who caught the pressure building up between my heart and lung, and she sent me to the specialists who recommended a transplant. I had to be pushed in a wheelchair just to get into the building for the testing, only 200 yards. I agreed to the surgery on November 2, and by November 12 they told me they had a match for me. The follow-up care with WTC doctors and care management has been great, and my quality of life is so much better. I don't know if I would be alive without the WTC EHC."

Lisa B. Jones was working a temporary position at a major financial institution in Lower Manhattan on 9/11, shortly before she planned to return to university. Over the next decade and a half her health declined, and in 2016 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, lupus, and fibromyalgia within six weeks. A fellow breast cancer survivor encouraged her to register with the WTC Health Program.

"When 9/11 happened, I felt, because I survived, I would 'figure it out' on my own," said Lisa, a patient at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. "Despite my conditions, I really did not want to deal with anything 9/11-related. My long-buried feelings of anxiety, anger, and sadness concerning those that I lost and the effects on life as I knew it were palpable. Fortunately, I decided that it was time to finally face these issues and register with the program. I also found answers to other medical conditions that I was experiencing but did not understand. I am deeply appreciative of the entire staff, from reception to my providers, for the compassionate and necessary services provided to me and so many others."

The WTC EHC covers both physical and mental health conditions related to 9/11. Services are provided at no out of pocket cost and are confidential. To determine your eligibility to receive care at NYC Health + Hospitals' World Trade Center Environmental Health Center, please visit the CDC's 9/11 World Trade Center Health Program website to review documentation requirements, including geographic and exposure criteria, and apply for healthcare coverage.

For eligibility and enrollment information, please call toll free 1-888-982-4748 or visit www.cdc.gov/wtc.

To contact the NYC Health + Hospitals WTC Environmental Health Center clinics, please call 877-982-0107 or visit the WTC Environmental Health Center webpage.

"In the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks on 9/11, as victims were receiving care in these hospitals, NYC Health + Hospitals' staff and volunteers lined up for hours to donate blood for those injured. For 25 years since, NYC Health + Hospitals has continued showing up and caring for the 9/11 community of survivors as one of the World Trade Center Clinical Centers of Excellence," said U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY)."New Yorkers who lived, worked, went to school, or were passing through Lower Manhattan in the days, weeks, and months following the terror attacks on 9/11 were unknowingly exposed to toxic air that would later cause serious illnesses. I am proud to have led the creation of the World Trade Center program through the James Zadroga Act to care for these afflicted individuals. But Congress' work is only meaningful due to the dedicated providers who care for these victims. I am deeply grateful to every member of NYC Health + Hospitals' World Trade Center Environmental Health Center for providing the highest quality care for New Yorkers and living up to the commitment to Never Forget."

"Twenty-five years after 9/11, NYC Health + Hospitals' World Trade Center Environmental Health Center is still doing some of the most vital work in our city: caring for the survivors who continue to live with 9/11-related illnesses decades after the attacks," said Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. "I'm grateful to Bellevue Hospital CEO Dr. Eric Wei and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Amit Uppal, as well as the entire World Trade Center Environmental Health Center workforce for their unwavering commitment to their fellow New Yorkers. We will never forget their service."

"Twenty-five years after September 11th, survivors are still confronting illnesses from their exposure, and 120 new members are enrolling every month. Bellevue's World Trade Center Environmental Health Center provides nearly 22,000 survivors with world-class, specialized care and standing by the 9/11 community. I grew up watching my mom, former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, fight to create and protect the World Trade Center Health Program and Victim Compensation Fund, said Council Member Virginia Maloney. "I'm proud to carry that work forward with legislation requiring the City to educate New Yorkers about these programs and directly notify them about eligibility and deadlines. Bellevue has built an extraordinary system of care. Bellevue has built an extraordinary system of care. Our job now is to make sure every New Yorker who may be eligible knows that care is here for them."

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NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.