UCH-Carrollwood Treats 9/11 Responders
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, more than 90,000 police, fire, EMS and search and rescue personnel from around the country converged at Ground Zero to work. Years later, negative health affects with those first responders came to light. Months of 18-hour workdays in the smoke, soot and ash took its toll: reports of breathing problems, chest pain, cancers, insomnia and other ailments are widespread today.

To better get a handle on how many first responders were affected and what they now suffer from, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services is sponsoring a program to evaluate patients and collect data so medical specialists can intervene with needed help. The government has designated University Community Hospital and UCH-Carrollwood as data collection sites for 9/11 responders who now live in the region. UCH is the only health care provider in the large metro area to join HHS in this effort.

In March, the UCH-Carrollwood Occupational Health office evaluated the program's third patient, a 44-year-old local man who spent 20 years on street patrol with the NYPD. Arriving just after the towers fell, he worked for six months at Ground Zero, many shifts without a mask or other gear to protect from airborne contamination. Retiring to Tampa with his wife and two children, the former officer is plagued by constant chest and joint pain, insomnia and other ailments.

If you were a responder after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack and are living in the Tampa Bay area, you may qualify for federally-funded testing and treatment. For information, call toll-free 1-877-498-2911.