It is well documented that thousands of people suffered adverse physical and mental health effects in the immediate aftermath of the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks on September 11, 2001. While many have since recovered, others continue to suffer from a range of conditions that are, or may be, associated with exposure, including upper- and lower-respiratory illnesses, sinus and gastrointestinal problems, and mental health conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. Equally troubling is the prospect - which is often raised in public discussions of 9/11 health issues - that late-emerging, chronic, and potentially fatal diseases such as cancer and pulmonary fibrosis may arise in the future. The likelihood or scope of these long-term health consequences cannot yet be known, but it is important to monitor people and analyze data to determine if such consequences are occurring - and to be prepared for their possible emergence. Indeed, with increasing evidence that some of those exposed to dust and fumes from the World Trade Center site are experiencing symptoms of possible respiratory and other diseases, there is a clear need to expand the existing capacity for comprehensive assessment and treatment services, particularly for those in the so-called """"""""non-responder"""""""" class unable to qualify for most existing programs, including all of the programs funded to date by the Federal government. This group of individuals has been estimated by the City of New York to number over 400,000, or approximately equal to the entire population of Oakland, California. ? ? Since shortly after the events of September 2001, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal hospital and health care system in the country, has been decisively responding to these issues. Shortly following 9/11, the Bellevue Hospital Center Asthma Clinic, led by Dr. Joan Reibman, began to treat residents who felt they had World T ? ?
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