First Responders Advocate for Dementia Coverage in 9/11 Health Program

Why it matters locally: North Carolina is home to many veterans and former first responders, some of whom may have served at Ground Zero or been exposed to similar environmental hazards.

First responders to the September 11, 2001, attacks are advocating for the inclusion of dementia in the World Trade Center Health Program. This effort comes as some responders, 25 years after the attacks, receive dementia diagnoses. Tom Llamas of NBC News reported on this developing health issue as part of a series titled “The Cost of Denial.” Investigators are exploring a potential connection between the responders’ dementia diagnoses and their exposure to toxins present at Ground Zero. The World Trade Center Health Program does not currently list dementia among the conditions it covers for eligible individuals.