The FDNY CCE and its World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program provide comprehensive physical and mental health services to all active and retired FDNY members who responded to the 9/11 attacks. This program is based within the Department’s Bureau of Health Services (BHS) and evolved from efforts that began decades before September 11, 2001, and continued uninterrupted on September 11, 2001, treating injured FDNY rescue workers (firefighters and emergency medical services [EMS]) and civilians at ground zero, even as the towers fell. This treatment continued in the disaster’s aftermath to provide physical and mental health treatment to our rescue and recovery workers in the days, months, and now years, after.
A letter to our members from our new WTC Clinical Center Director, Dr. Jayson Park.
The Program provides a comprehensive monitoring and treatment exam, at no cost to you. The exam is very similar to those active members receive.
Find out the lastest news about the program.
Since 9/11, research has been conducted that specifically addresses the health effects of exposure to the WTC disaster site, with focus on first responders.
Read about the cancer screening intiatives offered by the FDNY WTC Health Program.
"As an EMS female cancer survivor, I have an obligation to spread the message — busy lives are not an excuse for postponing annual medicals, including PAP smears and mammograms."
Click here to read about Cascio's journey to recovery.
The comprehensive medical examination will take approximately 3 hours. For appointments in Brooklyn, the entire exam will be done on site. For appointments at Fort Totten and Middletown, only x-rays will be done off site (if needed). For exams at other locations (Staten Island and Commack), both chest x-rays and blood tests will be done OFF SITE. Referrals to nearby facilities for blood tests and chest x-rays will be given to you by a WTC nurse on the day of your appointment.
Your medical includes the following:
If your medical examination indicates that additional testing or treatment is required, you can be referred, at no cost, for the following:
If you require medications for your WTC-related illness(es), the WTC Free Prescription plan covers eligible members’ medications with NO CO-PAY for respiratory, chronic sinus, GERD and mental health WTC related conditions. All other conditions are NOT covered by this plan. Please call 718-999-1858 for more information.
The WTC Medical Monitoring program is specially designed and exclusive to FDNY members with the full support of your unions – the UFA, UFOA, UEP, UEMSO and SOA (EMS Locals 2507 and 3621). With that in mind, you can be assured that:
Your presence in these efforts helped our city and our families in their time of need. Your participation in the FDNY WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program will help you to get appropriate evaluation and treatment, as well as provide a resource of information about health trends in the FDNY First Responder population. Correctly evaluating and identifying these overall health trends is important for the entire FDNY community, as these discoveries will help enable us to provide more extensive treatment to all eligible members of the FDNY.
Please remember that there is no penalty if you do not choose to take part in the WTC Program. However, your participation would be greatly appreciated and valuable to the entire FDNY community. If you do take part, we will respect the confidentiality of your individual records.
Please call us at 718-999-1858 at your earliest opportunity to confirm or reschedule your reserved appointment slot. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
To ensure accurate test results, please follow these instructions:
For exams at Staten Island or Commack, if you take prescription medications each morning that must be taken with food, please take you medication as normal. If you plan to have your blood test done on the same day as your appointment, eating a very light meal (such as coffee/tea and dry toast) before your exam is recommended. If you plan to have your blood test done on another day, you may eat normally on the day of your appointment.
For exams at Brooklyn, Middletown, or Fort Totten only:
A WTC Free Prescription plan covers eligible members’ medications with NO CO-PAY for: respiratory, chronic sinus, GERD, and mental health WTC related conditions. No other conditions are covered by this plan. Please call 718-999-1858 for more information.
To ensure that your visit runs smoothly, please follow these guidelines:
Your continued wellness and participation in the FDNY World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program are important to us. The program offers needed medical follow-up and health surveillance, all at no cost to you. The Program works in compliance with recent New York State legislation recognizing possible delayed health impacts of 9/11 exposures. It relies on the participation of FDNY members.
Please remember that there is no penalty if you do not choose to take part in the WTC Program. However, your participation would be greatly appreciated and valuable to the entire FDNY community. If you do take part, we will respect the confidentiality of your individual records.
Thank you again for your participation. We look forward to seeing you again soon when you come in for your WTC health monitoring exam. If you have questions about the program, or if you need to reschedule your appointment, please call 718-999-1858.
Headquarters 9 Metro Tech Center Brooklyn, NY (718) 999-1858 |
Commack 2171 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 300 Commack, NY 11725 (631) 858-2190 |
Fort Totten Fort Totten, Building 413B Bayside, NY 11359 (718) 281-7955 After arriving at the gate
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Orange County 2277 Goshen Turnpike Middletown, NY 10941 (845) 695-0695 Download Directions (PDF) |
Staten Island 1688 Victory Boulevard, Suite 101A Staten Island, NY 10314 (718) 448-2391 |
Take the Manhattan Bridge to Flatbush Ave, Tillary St is first major intersection, FDNY is 1 block beyond Tillary.
BQE Brooklyn bound:Take Exit 29 (Tillary St exit) - merge left off the exit ramp to Flatbush and turn left. HQ is 1 block on Flatbush.
BQE Queens bound:Take Cadman Plaza exit to Cadman Plaza West. Turn left at Tillary St. Turn right at Flatbush Ave. HQ is 1 block on Flatbush.
Click on blue markers for more information.
View FDNY Headquarters in a larger map
Effective Thursday, October 25, 2012, there will no longer be legal parking along Johnson Street (Tech Place) from Prince to Gold Streets. There will also be NO PARKING on Gold Street or Prince Street south of the 84 Precinct towards Johnson Street.
All vehicles will be SUBJECT TO A SUMMONS AND IMMEDIATE TOWING! This restriction is due to an ongoing construction project on Gold Street. The project is expected to continue for the next three years.
The map below provides visual reference to the new areas with the NO PARKING restrictions.
World Trade Center Health Program Member Handbook
This WTC Health Program Member Handbook describes your benefits in the Program through Clinical Centers of Excellence (CCEs) in the New York metropolitan area. We hope the information helps you better understand and get the most out of your benefits through the Program.
WTC Health Program Member Handbook
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - WTC Health Program
Contains information about the WTC Health Program, how to apply to become part of program, and various resources for both responders and survivors of 9/11/2001.
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - 9/11 Health
Public information website provides the latest information about scientific research and services for people who may have health problems related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Also contains information about the WTC Health Registry.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/wtc/html/home/home.shtml
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
Contains information about this program, which is designed to provide compensation for any individual (or a personal representative of a deceased individual) who suffered physical harm or was killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001 or the debris removal efforts that took place in the immediate aftermath of those crashes.
World Trade Center Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee
This link provides information about the committee, which is responsible for determining program eligibility criteria and inclusion of additional health conditions for the program:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/wtc/stac/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - World Trade Center Health Effects
Use this link to find additional research publications about health effects in various WTC-exposed populations.
On 9/11, Chief of Staff (COS) Elizabeth Cascio responded to the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. As an FDNY EMT, she witnessed firsthand the horrors of that terrible day. She assisted in the rescue efforts at Ground Zero throughout the month of September. Like so many other EMS responders, she thought only of the job that needed to be done, of those that could be rescued, and when that hope was extinguished, of the families that could find closure if their loved ones could be found.
"Everyone at Ground Zero knew it was a Haz-Mat incident," says COS Cascio. "But we had a job to do. And now our job is to fully participate in FDNY's WTC annual medical monitoring program. For every woman in our program, full participation also requires obtaining PAP smears and mammograms at regularly scheduled intervals." In December 2019, COS Cascio was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. Since 9/11, she has had numerous FDNY WTC annual medicals for cancer surveillance. Pelvic exams and Pap smears are part of the program but are done by the member's personal gynecologist. In December 2019, COS Cascio's Pap smear was positive for cervical cancer, and PET/CT scans showed that it was invasive, with the tumor impinging on her urinary tract. Over the next year, she underwent grueling chemo and radiation therapy and several surgeries — all the while continuing to work at FDNY.
Throughout her EMS career, she witnessed too many deaths to recount, but now she had to deal with the real possibility that her own life was coming to an end. On many days, she says, "The treatment was more traumatizing than the disease. At times, the pain was almost too difficult to bear, but I refused to live in a negative space and instead forced myself to focus on the goal: to become cancer free; to choose life over death." In February 2021, she heard the words she had been praying to hear, that her cancer was in remission.
"As an EMS female cancer survivor, I have an obligation to spread the message — busy lives are not an excuse for postponing annual medicals, including PAP smears and mammograms."
In 2015, Lieutenant Joe Brosi was diagnosed with lung cancer. Throughout multiple treatments that included chemotherapy and radiation, the WTC Health Program (WTCHP) and the FDNY Family Support Team was always there for Lieutenant Joe Brosi. According to Brosi, “support is your biggest asset” and support is what was needed to help him get through this tough time.
In 2006, Lieutenant Joe Minogue was diagnosed with head and neck cancer and in 2017, he was diagnosed yet again, but with bladder cancer. Throughout multiple treatments that included chemotherapy and radiation, the WTC Health Program (WTCHP) was always there for Lieutenant Joe Minogue and his family. Lieutenant Minogue feels that being part of the FDNY is "like having a family with [him] the whole way…It was nice and that relationship continues to this day".
“If it wasn’t for that [WTC Health Program] monitoring, I don’t think I’d be here now.” Fire Marshal Conrad Tinney opens up about his experience battling Stage 3 lung cancer and how he stayed positive and focused on recovery. His illness was detected and diagnosed by FDNY WTC Health Program clinicians during routine monitoring and treatment visits.
Fire Captain Mike Mulqueen will tell you that “every day is a gift”. In August of 2011, at the age of 47, he experienced rectal bleeding. He credits his wife with insisting he gets this looked into. His colonoscopy revealed stage 3 colon cancer.
“It was tough getting through those treatments,” Chief Biesty remembers. “It was hard to picture that life would get better. I don’t know how I could have gotten through it without my wife, children, my entire family and my fire department family."