:: NYDIS Leadership Transition for Director, Recovery & Advocacy

With great appreciation for her six years of service to the 9/11 recovery community, NYDIS announces that Maggie Jarry, Director of Recovery & Advocacy, has accepted a position as State Planner for Refugee and Immigrant Populations for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Through Maggie’s leadership the NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable has continued to develop as a tool for facilitating recovery to health impacted 9/11 victims, including WTC clean up and recovery workers.

In keeping with NYDIS’ commitment to continue serving 9/11 health impacted communities – with a particular focus on the increasing number of unmet needs amongst ill 9/11 recovery workers, NYDIS is also pleased to announce that Elizabeth “Scottie” Hill, current Director of Social Work and Advocacy Services at the Mount Sinai Hospital WTC Health Effects Treatment Program, will become NYDIS’ Director of Recovery and Advocacy beginning August 20.

NYDIS will host a farewell reception for Maggie on Wednesday, July 11 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at NYDIS.
RSVP to Leslie Jackson, Recovery VISTA:
212.669.6109
ljackon@nydis.org

:: NYDIS Hosts Navigating Resources for 9/11 Clients in 2007 Workshop

On July 10 NYDIS will host a second half-day workshop for 9/11 case managers focusing on navigating current 9/11 resources clients, especially health impacted clients. The workshop will feature resources for:

• Foreclosure prevention
• Applying to NYS Workers’ Compensation
• Accessing the WTC health-related hospital programs
• Social Security
• Other resources for recovery planning, including accessing micro-business loans

To RSVP and for more information about NYDIS’ case management trainings and resources:
Maggie Jarry, Director, Disaster Recovery & Advocacy
212.669.6105
mjarry@nydis.org

:: NYDIS Presents Preparedness Training at the JCC

On June 13, NYDIS’ Community Outreach & Training Coordinator, Autumn Brown, presented “House of Worship Mitigation & Preparedness: The Importance of Readiness & Resiliency in NYC Faith Communities” at the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. The presentation included tips on the roles faith communities can play in the four phases of disaster - Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery - as well as education resources, training information, and Ready NY guides.

To bring this presentation to your community, contact Autumn Brown:
212.669.6104
abrown@nydis.org

:: NYDIS Partners with Broadway Community for “Nite Out On Broadway”

NYDIS has partnered with the cast of the Broadway musical, The Pirate Queen, to provide WTC recovery workers with permanent disabilities and their families with tickets to Broadway shows. This project, called “Nite Out On Broadway,” was initiated via the NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable, by the cast of The Pirate Queen as an opportunity to show their support and appreciation for the work and sacrifices made by the more than 40,000 people who helped to clean the WTC site. Accompanied by a member of the Roundtable staff, the first WTC recovery worker family attended The Pirate Queen on June 3 to kick-off the beginning of this new program partnership which is currently being expanded to additional shows.

How to donate: click here

:: NYDIS Hosts 9/11 Disaster Case Management Workshop

On June 13 NYDIS hosted a half-day long workshop for 9/11 case managers on disaster case management and current 9/11 resources. The workshop featured speakers from Mount Sinai and Bellevue hospitals, Neighborhood Housing Services, The Social Security Administration, NYCOSH and the Salvation Army. Presentations focused on the skill building initial needs assessment and recovery plan development with clients, how to help WTC recovery workers register with workers compensation or accessing social security benefits and, how to link clients to appropriate mental health services as needed.

:: NYDIS Attends the National Citizen Corps Conference

NYDIS’ Community Outreach & Training Coordinator, Autumn Brown, and Community Outreach VISTA, Teresa Garza, attended the National Citizen Corps Conference in Alexandria, VA June 10-13. The conference included a wide variety of presentations, from tools for local neighborhood readiness and community mapping, to tips on building relationships between government and the private sector. NYDIS had a booth in the exhibit where we educated the Citizen Corps community on the interfaith coordination of preparedness and recovery efforts in NYC. Also in attendance from NYC was staff from the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the American Red Cross of Greater New York (ARC/GNY).

:: NYC 9/11 Recovery Resources Online

:: NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable Updates

• Online 9/11 Client Inquiry Form
  To access the form, go to:
  www.nydis.org/unmetneeds/7.php

• NYC 9/11 In-Service Training for Case Workers
  In-Service Training is required for case workers who have never presented a case at the Roundtable, and is recommended as a refresher for experienced case workers who have previously presented cases. All training sessions take place at NYDIS (map).

  • Monday, July 2 – 1:00-3:30 pm
  • Monday, August 6 - 1:00-3:30 pm

• NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable Schedule
  The NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable brings together donors with agencies providing case management to 9/11 victims. Case Workers who would like to present a case must sign-up by Friday prior to the meeting of the Roundtable. Due to the influx of cases which need presenting, the 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable will be adding an additional Wednesday date each month. There will now be three meetings a month, instead of two.

  • Wednesday, June 20 - 9:30-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, June 21 – 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Wednesday, June 27 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, June 28 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Tuesday, July 3 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Wednesday, July 11 - 9:30-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, July 19 – 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Wednesday, July 25 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Thursday, August 2 - 9:30 am-12:30 pm

• NYC 9/11 Case Management Coordination Meetings
  NYDIS hosts monthly Case Management Coordination meetings for service providers that are assisting 9/11 recovery workers and the general 9/11-affected community. These meetings are open to representatives from any service providers that wish to coordinate and share information about their services and the community's needs.

  • Wednesday, July 25 – 3:00-5:00 pm
  • Wednesday, August 15 - 9:30-11:00 am
  • Wednesday, September 19 - 9:30-11:00 am

:: NYC Katrina Evacuee Recovery Resources Online

:: NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable

• NYC Katrina In-Service Training for Case Workers
  Case managers working with Katrina or Rita survivors are required to attend an in-service training prior to presenting at the Roundtable. The purpose of these trainings is to provide case managers with a better understanding of the workings of the Roundtable and to help increase the likelihood that a client's needs could be funded.


• NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable
  The NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable aids case managers in securing cash assistance and to share resources to best meet the unmet needs of disaster victims so that they may regain self-sufficiency and recover from the impact of a disaster. The Roundtable helps to facilitate long-term recovery by supporting clients' recovery plans. Case managers who would like to present at the NYC Katrina Unmet Needs Roundtable may submit a request the Friday prior to the Roundtable meeting.

  • Tuesday, July 24 - 2:00-5:00 pm
  • Tuesday, August 21 - 2:00-5:00 pm
  • Tuesday, September 25 - 2:00-5:00 pm

To sign up for In-Service Training or to present a case:
Dominique Atchison, Moderator
212.669.6120
datchison@nydis.org

:: Upstate NY 2006 Flood Resources

Download the Hudson Valley Region Disaster Assistance Guide for Upstate NY Floods: click here

For complete information on Flooding Assistance in NY and NJ, please go to the Flood Resources section of the NYDIS website:
www.nydis.org

:: NYS & NJ 2007 Nor’easter Recovery Resources:
    www.nydis.org/recovery/13.php

:: 9/11 Workers' Compensation Registration Deadline Aug. 14

NYDIS urges 9/11 chaplains, recovery workers and volunteers to register now to protect their right to workers' compensation benefits. NYDIS and New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) in collaboration with other agencies is mounting a media campaign to inform workers throughout the country about the necessity of registering by the deadline, Tuesday, August 14, 2007.

Download the brochure (pdf): English | Español

Call for registration guidelines: 866.WTC.2556

:: WTC Registry Report Shows Impact of 9/11 Health Crisis

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressman Fossella released a report showing that people from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have enrolled in the WTC Health Registry, which will track changes in their physical and mental health over the next 20 years.

Read the entire report:
http://maloney.house.gov/documents/911recovery/RegistryEnrollment20070306.pdf

• Half Respond to WTC Registry Tracking 9/11 Health
  
  Just half of the members of the registry tracking post-9/11 health problems have filled out follow-up surveys a year after city officials began asking for them to get a complete picture of the long-term health effects of exposure to WTC dust. Since last June, 35,504 of the 71,437 people in the nation's largest health registry have filed follow-up reports. The response is critical to help track long-term effects of WTC exposure, especially since a majority of people who worked or lived in and around the WTC had respiratory problems and psychological issues such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. "Every individual illness or death potentially associated with the attacks is tragic," Department of Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said. "Registry enrollees are critical to helping us understand the long-term effects of 9/11."
  
  Read the June 11 article:
  www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-26/1181602468129400.xml&storylist=

:: First House Hearing on 9/11 Federal Environmental Response – June 25

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will conduct an oversight hearing on "Substantive Due Process Violations Arising from the Environmental Protection Agency's Handling of Air Quality Issues Following the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001," on Monday, June 25, at 1:00 pm. It will examine possible violations of the " substantive due process rights" of individuals living and working in the vicinity of the WTC on or after 9/11, by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and other federal agencies. Former EPA Administrator Christine Whitman will testify at the hearing, marking the first time she has testified at a Congressional hearing dedicated solely to the EPA's response to 9/11 and the first time she has testified on these matters since a disapproving EPA Inspector General's report was released in August of 2003. This report concluded that the Administration made misleading public statements about post-9/11 air quality, based at least in part on White House interference, and has failed to provide a proper testing and cleaning of indoor spaces contaminated by WTC toxins.  "At long-last, the American people will finally have their first opportunity to hear directly from former EPA Administrator Whitman and other former government officials -- on the record," said Rep. Nadler. 

Download the EPA Inspector General's August 13, 2003 report:
www.house.gov/nadler/archive108/9-11interference_081303.htm

Read Rep. Nadler’s June 11 Press Release:
www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny08_nadler/EPAWhitmanJune25Hear061107.html

:: Senator Clinton Holds Senate Hearing on 9/11 Environmental Response – June 20

The House’s companion Senate hearing on the federal environmental response after 9/11 will be conducted on June 20 at 10:00 am in Washington, DC by Senator Clinton, Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health. It will include testimony from James L. Connaughton, Council on Environmental Quality; Susan Parker Bodine, Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Capt. Sven E. Rodenbeck, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; John Stephenson, Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office (GAO); and David Newman, NY Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH).

Read the Senator’s June 15 Press Release:
http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=277087&&

Learn more about 9/11 Health Effects and read Senator Clinton’s statements:
www.senate.gov/~clinton/issues/911/

:: Schumer/Clinton Restore $30M for "Securing the Cities" Program in NYC

Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton announced that the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee has restored critical funding for the “Securing Our Cities” program being conducted in the NYC metro area. DHS originally requested $40 million for the program that deploys nuclear detectors around NYC, but that amount was slashed in half by the House. After the Senators asked the committee to support the program, the subcommittee restored funding back up to $30 million. NY is a pilot city for the program, with NYC planning to install a network of stationary and mobile detection devices on highways, sea lanes, bridges and tunnels throughout the City, LI, and the lower Hudson Valley.

Read the Senators’ June 13 Press Release:
http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=276865&&

:: Mayor Implements WTC Health Panel Plan/Appoints WTC Health Czar

Mayor Bloomberg announced the creation of the City’s WTC Medical Working Group and the appointment of the WTC Health Coordinator, both recommended in the City’s February 2007 report, “Addressing the Health Impacts of 9/11.” The Medical Working Group, co-chaired by Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, is charged with reviewing clinical and research findings on the potential health effects of WTC exposure. The members will also review the adequacy of health and mental health services available to WTC-exposed persons, and will advise city government on approaches to communicating health risk information.

The Mayor also announced the appointment of Jeffrey Hon, formerly of the American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program, as the City’s WTC Health Coordinator. In keeping with the recommendations of the February report, Mr. Hon will coordinate information outreach and service delivery to all those with physical and mental health issues potentially related to the 9/11 attacks and will work closely with the new Medical Working Group, the Health Department’s WTC Health Registry, the NYPD and FDNY, and other city agencies and treatment centers to ensure that services are coordinated and that relevant health information is conveyed to affected populations and the public.

Read the Mayor’s June 11 Press Release: click here

:: Senate Hearing on TB Case Shows Need for Tighter Laws

“States should have the power to restrict the movement of patients with contagious diseases even before they have the chance to disobey doctors' orders,” Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said at the Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing June 6. Besides granting states more power to isolate patients, Dr. Gerberding said the federal government should clarify its quarantine laws, which focus on preventing sick people from coming into the country. Sen. Tom Harkin, the subcommittee chairman, questioned the CDC's ability to take quick and decisive action. The CDC was notified May 18 that Andrew Speaker had multiple drug resistant Tuberculosis, but the Homeland Security Department (DHS) was not told until four days later, and Speaker was not placed on a no-fly list until May 24. "Again, with the rapidity of world travel today, it seems to me that this time frame should have been collapsed to just a few hours," Sen. Harkin said. Dr. Gerberding responded, "I think we should have done it faster, and I think we'll be able to accelerate this next time. In retrospect, that was a mistake and I wish we had done it differently."

Read Kevin Freking’s June 9 AP article:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TB_LESSONS?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

• Senator Clinton Calls for Better Communication Systems for Combating TB
  
  Senator Hillary Clinton called on Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to immediately develop protocols to guide the actions of national, state and local health officials when suspected cases of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) or multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) arise. In sending her letter to Dr. Gerberding June 6, the Senator drew attention to the continuing lack of clear answers from government agencies tasked with dealing with this kind of health crisis, a problem which was only affirmed by testimony before the hearing. “We need to ensure that our state and local public health departments have the resources they need to respond in the case of a crisis. It is obviously past time for the CDC to develop a clear protocol for state and local health officials to follow when cases of XDR-TB and MDR-TB are suspected,” Senator Clinton said.
  
  Read Senator Clinton’s Press Release:
  http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=275610&&

• NIAID Releases MDR/XDR Tuberculosis Research Agenda
  
  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), released June 6 its NIAID Research Agenda for Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) and Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Tuberculosis (TB). Diagnosing, treating and controlling the spread of TB has become increasingly complicated because of the emergence of MDR and XDR TB, which threatens to set TB control efforts back to the pre-antibiotic era. According to NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIAID developed this TB research agenda to address MDR/XDR TB with appropriate urgency, and that the agenda is a web-based “living document” that can be updated as scientific and public health needs and opportunities evolve.
  
  Read the June 6 Press Release:
  www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2007/tb_agenda_avail.htm

:: New Bill in Congress Demands Federal 9/11 Health Plan

The House Committee on Appropriations has included in its report language for the FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill, a measure that calls on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and release within four months a comprehensive, long-term plan to medically monitor everyone exposed to toxins released by the collapse of the WTC and treat anyone who is sick as a result. The Committee also requested that the Department include provisions for long-term medical care, worker compensation, income security, and disability benefits for affected individuals and liability issues for the city of NY and its contractors. The “Labor HHS” appropriations measure is expected to come to the House floor for a vote in the next two weeks.

Read Rep. Maloney’s June 13 Press Release:
http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1369&Itemid=61

:: Maloney/Fossella Applaud $50M for 9/11 Health in House Appropriations Bill

On June 7 Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressman Vito Fossella, Co-Chairs of the Congressional 9/11 Health Caucus, applauded the inclusion of $50 million for 9/11 health care and medical monitoring in the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill for FY 2008.  House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey and Appropriations Committee members from NY, Nita Lowey, James Walsh, José Serrano, Maurice Hinchey and Steve Israel, helped move the much-needed funding forward.

Read Rep. Fossella’s Press Release:
www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny13_fossella/070607_911health.html

• Rep. Nadler Lauds 9/11 Health Bill $ - Follows Member’s Request
  Congressman Jerrold Nadler is pleased that $50 million has been included in the 2008 House Labor-HHS Appropriations bill for the WTC Monitoring and Treatment Program. Rep. Nadler, along with 22 representatives, wrote to the Appropriations Committee earlier this year to ask for the funding, as well as the development of a comprehensive approach to 9/11 health that would include residents, non-first responder workers and school children. The full House is expected to consider the funding bill in the coming weeks.
  
  Read Rep. Nadler’s June 7 Statement:
  www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny08_nadler/Laud50mil911healthbill060707.html

:: DHS Utilizing Robots for Disaster Recovery

Homeland Security Department (DHS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are holding the fourth Response Robot Evaluation Exercise from June 18 to 22, where NIST engineers plan to test robots that can be used to support first responders' search and rescue efforts. They will test robots that can operate in two types of disasters. The first is a structural collapse of a municipal building, in which a robot must be able to traverse rubble and small openings to find victims and help engineers determine if the building is safe to enter. The other scenario involves a wreck of a passenger train that also is carrying unknown hazardous materials. The robot must be able to cross railroad tracks, maneuver through wreckage and debris to map the scene, locate victims, find, identify and bring back samples of hazardous materials. The evaluations will be conducted at "Disaster City" at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.

Learn more:
http://blogs.govexec.com/techinsider/archives/2007/06/got_an_idea_for_a_robot_dhs_wa_1.html

:: The Road Home Program - Deadline to Apply July 31

Louisiana homeowners who owned and occupied their homes at the time of Katrina or Rita, and suffered damage as a result of one of the storms, may be eligible to receive assistance through The Road Home program, which represents the largest single housing recovery program in US history, affording eligible homeowners up to $150,000 in compensation for their losses to get back into their homes. Those who have not yet applied have until July 31 to file an application for assistance.

Read the Road Home Press Release about the Deadline:
www.roadcommunications.com/assets/docs/Deadline%20News%20Release%20052907.doc

Apply to The Road Home Program:
www.road2la.org
1.888.762.3252 (TTY: 1.800.566.4224)

:: Increased Federal Share for Katrina Disaster Assistance

Congress has determined that the federal cost share should be 100% in both the Public Assistance Program and the Assistance to Individuals and Households Program, for damage caused by Katrina, Wilma, Rita, and Dennis in LA, MS, FL, AL, and TX. Slipped into the Iraq War funding supplemental appropriation was a short provision stating that “the Federal Share for disasters is increased to 100% of the eligible costs under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in connection with Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, Dennis, and Rita…shall apply to disaster assistance applied for before the date of enactment of this Act,” and “shall be limited to projects for which a ‘request for public assistance form’ has been submitted.”

Download the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act as of April 2007:
www.fema.gov/pdf/about/stafford_act.pdf