$30 Million for Monitoring of Downtown 9/11 Residents

The NY Times reports that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention will give $30 million "to hospitals and clinics that monitor and treat residents, students and other so-called nonresponders who were exposed to dust and smoke at ground zero." The money will come in three installments of $10 million each, and hospitals and clinics can apply for grants. NY lawmakers are glad the money is coming, but think it's long overdue (it's true--it's going to be the seventh anniversary of attacks this year). And this comes a few weeks after President Bush declined to reappoint "World Trade Center health czar" Dr. John Howard to another term, even despite the pleas of NY lawmakers like Governor Paterson and Representative Carolyn Maloney.