Barasch & McGarry - Lawyers for the 9/11 Community’s Post

Transcript

The fight to fund much needed health care for our 911 heroes continues in our capital. Federal and state lawmakers are pushing for the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Fund Correction Act of 2024. They say it would close a $3.6 billion funding gap in the World Trade Center health program. These needs come as the accused mastermind and two accomplices behind the terrorist attacks agreed to plead guilty to their roles. According to letters sent to victims families. Defense lawyers requested the men receive life sentences. And it comes as 9/11 heroes continue to succumb to their illnesses as a result of that terrorist attack. Joining us right now is NYU doctor Mark Wilkenfeld, one of the doctors working with the World Trade Center Health Program, and Michael Barrish. She's the managing partner for law firm Barrish and McGarry, which represents victims in the 9/11 community. Thank you both for being here. We appreciate for having us. Thank you very much. First, let's talk about what's happening in Washington. You were there on Capitol Hill once again asking lawmakers to react and respond. Where do the talks stand right now? Well, first of all, I just want to say it's so heartbreaking that I have to go back to Washington with so many sick responders. Thank God for John Feel because he's our hero leading the charge. But also, this is a bipartisan bill who could possibly be against funding healthcare for sick responders. And it's also six civilians because as you remember, the EPA told us the air was safe to breathe, wasn't so safe. So not surprisingly, we're seeing so many former school children downtown residents. An office workers, they're coming down with the same illnesses as the first responders. So it's sad that we have to be back back down there. But thanks to Senators Gillibrand Schumer and the Republicans in the New York area, I'm very confident we're gonna get this additional care because it was a promise made to us by our government when they initially told us the air was safe. So they have to do the right thing here. Doctor Wilkenfeld, you see it every day to this day, correct? I've been seeing it for 20 years, unfortunately. In well over 1000 responders and survivors and to me, you know, as a doctor is not a politician, it doesn't make any sense. You know, these are people that that they selflessly the stories that they tell, they selflessly went down they they ran into collapsing buildings. They tried to save people. Now you know 20 years later that they're not asking for a lot. All they're asking for is that they're health conditions that occurred as a result of what they did be taken care of. Doctor, are you still seeing new illnesses and new patients? That's a very interesting question so. You see illnesses, there's just a list of conditions that are covered. There's a procedure to add covered conditions. We've done research, for example, on neuropathy, on nerve damage. We've showed that nerve damage is covered and now we're trying to get that added as well. But, you know, we see new conditions. There's a lot of research going on and it's, you see unexpected things. I mean, Rich, they've now added 69 cancers as presumed linked to the World Trade Center toxins. So it doesn't matter if you have breast cancer. And you think, oh, it couldn't have been related to when I was down working at Goldman Sachs or on the Stock Exchange or as a first responder. There's, if your mother had it, it doesn't matter. There's a presumption linking breast cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer and 66 other cancers. And don't feel guilty about taking away from firefighters and cops because the Victim Compensation Fund, which awards compensation to people with certified illnesses and has been fully funded and extended until 2090. By the way, I wanna ask you both of your opinions on the talks of the plea deals that came down this week. Tell us your thoughts on So you're not a day goes by, Rich, without two of my clients dying of 9/11 illnesses. 9/11 didn't end on 9/11. For the 9/11 community, We continue to get sick. We continue to die every single day. And I, when I say we, I'm a member of the community, I was just two blocks from Ground Zero and I'm a prostate cancer and skin cancer survivor. So I was outraged. There should be a trial so that there can be. Closure by the people who lost their loved ones, not just on 9/11, but for the 6000 plus people who have died of 9/11 illnesses. And it feels like the rug has just been pulled out from underneath us and now we're not gonna know the facts. So it's not just so much as these people are gonna have life in prison. But I would have loved to seen a trial where the facts came out. We've lost, as I mentioned, over 6000 people to 911 illnesses already. So this is not going to end and it's only going to get worse and worse. Well, think about, and this is most surprising. More people died as a result of the toxins than died on 9/11. And as you know, doctors, everybody, people say to me, is that still going on? Yeah, 20 years later. I mean, if you're not in it for for Michael and this is our world. If you're not, you figure it's over. And you know, the the bill is presumptive and people don't understand this. You don't have to go to court and prove that that your lung cancer came as a result of the exposure. All you need to do is show that you were there and there was latency period was enough time in between and you have the disease. So there's there's no court fight. Protect yourselves, apply for the health program, apply to the victim fund. Don't leave it to your families to do it. Don't wait until you get that diagnosis that you've got a terminal illness. The reporters only talk about it usually around 9/11, right? So that's why thank you again for covering the story. Michael. Thank you so much, Doctor Wilkenfeld. We appreciate it. Thank you both for what you're doing and for being here. Thank you. Pleasure.