Give 9/11 first responders treatment, support they deserve

Nearly 25 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, researchers like those at Stony Brook Medicine are still doing critical work to understand the psychological and physical impacts on first responders and others who for months sifted through the World Trade Center rubble and breathed the toxic air.

Among Stony Brook’s latest efforts is an analysis of the post-traumatic stress disorder first responders and volunteers who worked on the pile have experienced — a level of PTSD that not only impacted survivors’ mental and emotional well-being, but their physical health as well — one that is reflected in brain scan abnormalities.

It’s important work, part of ongoing studies that Stony Brook Medicine’s World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program hopes to complete and publish. Federal lawmakers should pay attention.

Right now, PTSD isn’t a covered condition under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The body of evidence Stony Brook researchers are developing could be enough to change that determination. That’s especially important because too often PTSD comes with a stigma, making first responders hesitant to seek help. Allowing them to receive care and compensation for PTSD under the federal statute could help break down those barriers.

But that can’t happen if the federal World Trade Center Health Program doesn’t have the right funding, staffing and attention. The future of the ongoing research, and the care first responders and other survivors require, has been jeopardized by the turmoil swirling around the program, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more broadly, with lingering questions about its budget, leadership and the size of its workforce. Even the annual research grants process is in limbo; the 2025 process that should’ve started last March still hasn’t happened.

Beyond that, the health program’s future remains uncertain as the funding fixes long sought by Rep. Andrew Garbarino and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand still haven’t been incorporated, putting coverage at risk. The program has been in that precarious state, protected only by short-term temporary fixes, for far too long.

As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, this is a key moment for federal officials who’ve long championed patriotism and their commitments to police officers, firefighters and other first responders. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should illustrate his stated commitment to “gold standard” science and research by providing appropriate staffing and money, and jump-starting the research grants process. Our congressional representatives and President Donald Trump must resolve the broader funding debates once and for all. Fix the formula to make sure the money will flow without further fighting or cajoling. If the PTSD research makes the case for wider coverage, it should be added.

With those efforts, our researchers will be able to continue their work. And our first responders and others who’ve suffered physical and psychological trauma for two and a half decades will be able to get the treatment and support they deserve.