Just in time for the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Mayor Bloomberg announced the launch of a new World Trade Center health website, to provide "one-stop shopping for 9/11 health-related issues," making it the single source everyone can go to. What might you be shopping for? Well, there's information about research and services as well as "easily accessible research findings." And there's also information about treatment options for different groups of people, such as rescue and recovery workers, residents, children, city employees and others. You can see the site here.
There's a description of what we (as in the city) know about the health effects of 9/11, from Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden ("People caught in the dust cloud had the highest risk of respiratory illness; the greater the dust cloud exposure, the higher the likelihood of respiratory symptoms."), and the latest information, such as the fact that there are elevated rates of asthma among WTC rescue workers.
Something that's pretty prominent on the left column is a "Take care of our own/A message from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg" button, which links to the Mayor's 9/11 health "mission statement". The message notes Bloomberg's active role in shaping a city response to the WTC health issues; he writes, "New York has always taken care of its own - and we owe a special commitment to the rescue workers and others who heroically served our city during its darkest hour on September 11, 2001, and to all those who experience World Trade Center-related health problems."
But the website is attracting some controversy. Some wonder why it's only offered in English, and not Spanish as well. Maybe it's because the city is still trying to find vendors to translates its websites?
