In support of the 9/11 Community        

Members of the 9/11 World Trade Center National Provider Network Program( NPN) and World Trade Centers of Excellence have numerous unmet needs medically, financially, and at a great cost to their emotional well-being.  Upon countless complaints and after a thorough investigation, the program decided to end its contracts with both LHI, the healthcare management company, and Optum, the prescription management company for failing to provide standard-of-care services to our members. MCA-Sedgewick, whose majority investor is David Rubenstein of The Carlyle Group, was selected and awarded the new contract without seeking any input from the members of this program. Elizabeth Demaret of MCA, directed by Mr. Rubenstein promised to assist, she has gone MIA. I did record a Zoom with her.

Prescription management provider Optum was replaced by Express Scripts.

This transition has been disastrous, with countless providers not included in the new system, ongoing critical and catastrophic treatments,( Cancer treatments), and previously prescribed medications, have been denied. Decades-long participants are not even listed as program members.

While we are grateful to our elected representatives for creating and funding this program for us, we now need your assistance to right this ship. Several action items must be addressed:

1. The Steering Committees need to include civilian survivors, civilian responders, and NPN Providers. We have no transparency as to who is on the committee, how they are chosen, how often they meet, and what decisions are made in our name. There is no voice for those of us who are actually part of this program, we should have access to the committee to be able to air our grievances and have a reasonable expectation that they will advocate for us. We still do not have a gynecologist or women's healthcare specialist.

2. We wish to have parity with the VA Whole Health Program. It is twenty years and many studies, but little progress in new or alternative treatments. If the VA, another government-funded healthcare program can provide these services, so can our federally funded program. We seek an amendment in our Shortfall Bill to add these treatments.

3. We need an impartial Ombudsman. Someone who oversees how these funds are spent, conducts due diligence on partner agencies that receive grants, and audited reports from any organization that received funds.

4. We do not wish to see any more funds for Outreach and Education in our legislation. We believe that most of these funds have not gone toward their intended purpose. There are organizations over the last decade that received funds and show no concrete evidence of what those funds were used for. One organization received 1.9 Million dollars. In addition, NYS has now enacted a law that demands companies located in the disaster area or with employees in that location, must reach out to former employees and inform them of their right to healthcare and compensation. NYS can take care of outreach. We need every single dollar for our healthcare. 

5. While we appreciate the work and efforts of Dr. John Howard, when you are the head of a program that has experienced such significant failures, it is time to accept responsibility and pass the torch to another leader. We are respectfully asking that Dr. Howard step down from the program and NIOSH. 

We did have a Congressional Oversight Committee led by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney investigating these complaints in an effort to resolve all major issues and fix this healthcare program. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has reached out to the CDC and MCA Sedgwick to demand answers. But they are mainly non-responsive. Gillibrand and her staff have been working with our 9/11 team to help sick members obtain critical care. Congressman Garbarino has been reviewing our requests and wishes to assist. You can help us to push the powers that be to acknowledge and address our concerns so this country remembers its promise to survivors to NEVER FORGET.

Members: Please direct your questions and concerns to this page:

https://www.facebook.com/WTCHealthProgram

Lynnette Miller,  Volunteer, Disaster Services

Dan Moynihan, Veteran, Retired Freeport Fire Department

Anne Marie Principe, NY From the Ground Up/ Activist

Sebastian Raspanti, retired 9/11 FDNY

Erick Robertson, President, K-9 Urban Search & Rescue

Richard Roeill, Volunteer Firefighter, Merrick, NY

Greta Turillo,  American Red Cross Volunteer, Disaster Services