A ceremony at Rutgers University Friday in New Brunswick honored first responders of 9/11 and
the doctors and medical staff who continue to treat them.
The university is the only World Trade Center health clinics in
New Jersey, and just one of six that serve first responders in the
region.
“Cancers,
pulmonary fibrosis, mental health problems -- we have a lot of people that we
want to be able to take care of,” says Dr.
Iris Udasin, director of Rutgers World
Trade Center of Excellence.
For the last 19 years, Udasin has
treated patients suffering from the toxic quagmire of carcinogens they were
exposed to at ground zero.
“Here at Rutgers, we've been able to, in
addition to taking care of patients, we've been able to do a fair amount of
research into why some people have health effects and other people don't,”
says Udasin.
It is estimated
more than 400,000 individuals were exposed to toxins at ground zero.
The university sees several thousand patients, and funding for the
program through the Zadroga Act will remain in place for at least another 75
years.