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

Why it matters locally: While the District of Columbia was not a site of the 9/11 attacks, many federal employees, including those from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (DC FEMS), and other first responders from the DC metropolitan area participated in recovery efforts at the Pentagon and other related sites. This advocacy for dementia coverage in the World Trade Center Health Program could set a precedent for similar health programs or benefit individuals from the District who were involved in those efforts and may be experiencing similar health issues.

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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.