StuyHealth

Updated Re-Enrollment Information for WTC EHC

2011-12-08T16:30:00.001-05:00

I've heard from a few of you that your applications for re-enrollment to WTC EHC (necessary for anybody who enrolled after Jan. 1st, 2001) have been held up for weeks without any indication as to why.

[Note: Anybody who has not yet enrolled and wishes to can get the applications here: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/wtc/enroll.html]

Today I called the information line to find out why my application has been held up and discovered that I had, in fact, been accepted for re-enrollment a couple of weeks after I applied. NIOSH, however, did not let me know.

Anybody who submitted their application and has not heard anything since should contact NIOSH at this number and check their status:

1 (888) 982-4748 [WTC-HP4U]

Getting Through the Menu:
Dial *1 for English
Dial *1 for information about eligibility and enrollment
Dial *3 to talk to a customer service rep

A NOTE ON ACCEPTABLE ITEMS OF PROOF FOR APPLICATION:

I've been getting a lot of questions about what kinds of documentation are being accepted as proof of exposure for Stuyvesant students.

I sent a copy of my high school diploma from 2002 (I was class of '02, not sure if this will work for later classes). Other people have mentioned that they have sent copies of program cards and/or yearbooks.

For anybody who has re-enrolled with success, please let me know what types of proof you submitted! I'd like to compile a list for everybody else. I am also trying to get this information from the application office itself, and will keep everyone updated.

-Lila

For those of you who signed up with WTC EHC after Jan. 1st, 2011:

2011-10-10T19:33:00.001-04:00

***UPDATE***

I originally wrote that you'd need to reapply if you signed up after Jan. 1st, 2010. That was incorrect. The actual cut-off date is Jan. 1st, 2011.

Now that the program has changed over to being administered by the Zadroga bill, YOU WILL HAVE TO REAPPLY!

You do not need to redo the introductory 5 hour appointment, but please look out in the mail for the application. It needs to be filled in and sent back before you'll be able to make follow-up appointments or refill your prescriptions.

As a Stuyvesant alum from 2002-2005, YOU WILL DEFINITELY QUALIFY during the reapplication process. But, while there is no danger that you'll be turned away, you will need to present proof of your presence at Stuyvesant in 2001/2002. I am compiling a list of acceptable documents, which I will pass along.

If you have any questions about it or do not receive an application to reapply, please email me at stuyhealth@gmail.com!

Article about StuyHealth in The Spectator

2011-09-12T14:08:00.000-04:00

Check out this article about 9/11-related health issues in The Spectator. Thanks for covering this, guys!

This issue contains some great essays by Stuy alums reflecting on their 9/11 experiences as well. You can check out all of the articles at www.stuyspectator.com.

Stuyvesant Alumni Commemorative Event

2011-09-07T15:10:00.000-04:00

Alumni from Stuyvesant High School are planning at event for the tenth anniversary of 9/11! If you are an alumni and would like to attend, please RSVP to the event on Facebook. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104711142968346

The battle to secure permission to use the school has been hard fought and as part of the compromise we'll be supply a list of guests beforehand, so if you on the fence, please still RSVP yes.

For coverage of the event so far, check out these articles on the difficulties we've encountered in getting permission to use space in the school:

And these articles discussing us finally getting permission to use the space:

New York Times

Wall Street Journal

New WTC Health Registry Survey Has Been Mailed Out!

2011-09-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

Please remember to fill it out! If it hasn't arrived, call your parents to make sure it hasn't arrived at their place.

If you need to update your address or want to request an online survey, email wtchr@health.NYC.gov or call 866.692.9827.

Yahoo! News Piece

2011-08-25T21:04:00.003-04:00

Check out this piece by Lila from Yahoo! News about the aftermath of 9/11 and the beginnings of StuyHealth.

NYSUT United Article Mentions StuyHealth!

2011-08-25T14:03:00.003-04:00

"I don't blame the faculty for the decisions they made that day, but I do blame their bosses for returning us to Stuy only a few weeks later. This was a poor decision, and our bodies are paying the price. Twenty-somethings shouldn't have cancer and respiratory illnesses, yet those who were Stuy students on Sept. 11 are falling victim to these conditions.

Luckily, we've got advocates, particularly Lila Nordstrom, founder of StuyHealth. Unluckily, nobody seems to care."

Thanks Laurence for plugging StuyHealth in your piece! Much appreciated! Find the full article here.

NY Daily News Article

2011-07-18T13:02:00.004-04:00

Check out this Daily News article about people who are sick because of 9/11...the StuyHealth media tour continues.

Stuyvesant Alumni NY1 Story

2011-07-16T14:13:00.012-04:00

Check out this story on NY1 that ran Friday and discusses the impact of 9/11 of Stuyvesant alums and students in lower Manhattan! It provides a really good summary of why we organized and even includes some archived footage of a press conference we held in 2006 (we look so little!).

"The Second Day" Screening and Panel Discussion

2011-06-24T20:55:00.002-04:00

The event went well! Stay tuned for photos and a rundown of the event!

June 23rd Screening and Panel Discussion

2011-06-15T20:23:00.009-04:00

RSVP for the screening on Facebook!

Mark Your Calendars for June 23rd!

2011-05-27T15:41:00.006-04:00

On June 23rd, 9/11 Environmental Action, with the participation of StuyHealth, will be holding on event at the Museum of Jewish Heritage's auditorium in lower Manhattan (at Battery Place).

The event will include a screening from 'The Second Day," a film made by a now 14 year-old lower Manhattan resident about the aftermath of 9/11, and will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers, doctors from the WTC EHC pediatric program, and a member of StuyHealth. It should be an interesting event and a good opportunity to see "The Second Day," which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year! Information about the film can be found here.

RSVP information will follow, so stay tuned...

The 9/11 Health Bill

2011-05-19T12:04:00.005-04:00

With the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act about to go into effect, I thought it would be a good time to post a summary of the bill and the full text for anybody who is interested.

Here's a link to a good summary of the 9/11 health bill that was posted online by Rep. Maloney's office.

For the more motivated, here is the full text of the bill.

The provisions that cover members of StuyHealth are in Section 2.

One part of the bill that impacts StuyHealth specifically: This law does establish the need for Centers of Excellence outside of New York City, but primarily to treat First Responders. We are still finding out whether these will be accessible to people in the survivor program (the program that treats residents, students, and office workers), and how we can indicate a need for one should a lot of us be unable to regularly seek care at the program in New York City. As student survivors, we are some of the only people in the survivor program that have left New York City in large numbers, so this is largely our fight.

A Visit to WTC EHC

2011-05-17T16:26:00.009-04:00

Hey all! I just had my first visit to WTC EHC, the health program for 9/11 survivors that I'm always directing people to. I wanted to go over what it entailed, who qualifies, and how you can get an appointment for yourself. Feel free to leave a question in the comments or email me directly at stuyhealth@gmail.com if you have any follow-up questions.

First off, there are a couple of reasons for signing up for WTC EHC if you have 9/11-related health concerns:
1. If you have any pulmonary issues, stomach problems like acid reflux, mental health issues, or others problems caused or related to 9/11, you can be treated for free at WTC EHC by doctors experienced in dealing with 9/11 victims. The medication the prescribe you to treat these problems is also free.
2. In signing up, you are contributing to research on what ails 9/11 victims and what treatments are effective in dealing with their specific health concerns.

The symptoms the WTC EHC treats include:
-Coughing
-Wheezing
-Shortness of breath
-Chronic Respiratory Infections
-Sinus congestion
-Stomach problems
-Depression
-Anxiety

* As of yet, treatment for cancers, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions is not provided by this program, but with the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, there is a system in place for us to petition to add conditions to the list of treated diseases.

Stuyvesant students of any grade level who attended the school in 2001 qualify for WTC EHC, as does anybody who met one of these criteria on 9/11:
-Lived in Lower Manhattan or areas of Brooklyn
-Were a student in a school in the area
-Worked in or around offices, stores, schools, or apartment buildings
-Commuted to Lower Manhattan during 9/11
-Helped in the clean-up of buildings in the affected area

CALLING THE PROGRAM:
When you make the initial call (the number is 877-982-0107), you'll answer a brief series of questions to determine if you qualify, after which they call you with an appointment date. It usually takes a couple of months to get an appointment, but for people from out of town, I can assist in contacting the program and making an appointment that is convenient for you.

WTC EHC has locations at -
Bellevue Hospital Center
462 First Avenue (27th St.)
New York, NY 10016
*The WTC Environmental Health Center's pediatric program is located here.

Gouverneur Healthcare Services
227 Madison Street (Clinton St.)
New York, NY 10002

Elmhurst Hospital Center
79-01 Broadway (79th St.)
Elmhurst, NY 11373

INITIAL APPOINTMENT:
They'll tell you that the initial appointment takes five hours, and they aren't lying. When you arrive, the front desk gives you a checklist of different people to see and tests you'll complete over the course of the day. The list of things to do includes: a vital sign check by a nurse, a 36-page nurse questionnaire that contributes to the program's research, a visit with a doctor, a social worker, and a psychologist, a blood test, a chest x-ray, a pulmonary function test (if you are there with breathing issues), and an EKG if it's indicated. From there, follow up plans are made with either the doctor or the psychologist, depending on what you're there for.

Any medications that you are prescribed are available at the hospital pharmacy for free. The medications the program covers include respiratory and GERD medicines, antibiotics, and medicines that treat depression and/or anxiety.

Overall, I had a great experience at WTC EHC and would highly recommend it to anybody suffering from the problems they treat. Again, anybody with questions should contact me at stuyhealth@gmail.com.

Check Out Our New Facebook Page

2011-05-17T15:52:00.002-04:00

Come "like" us at www.facebook.com/stuyhealth! We'll be keeping everybody fully updated as the 9/11 Health Bill goes into effect and will have information about how to find services for 9/11 survivors!

Calls in Support of 9/11 Health Bill Needed!

2010-09-22T13:55:00.004-04:00

The 9/11 Health and Compensation Act (H.R. 847) will come back to the full House of Representatives for a vote in the next 7 days.

It is critical that EVERY U.S. Representative in the country hear from the people who live in their districts -- urging them to VOTE YES for HR 847, the 9/11 health bill. This bill will provide federal funding for desperately needed medical programs that treat 9/11-related illnesses for tens of thousands of 9/11 survivors and first responders.

If you live outside of NY State, please contact your US Representative to ask them to vote for the 9/11 Health bill.

Also, please send an email to your friends, relatives and contacts who live outside of NY, telling them about the bill and asking them to call their representatives with the same message.
__________

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE:
-Go to the House of Representatives website -- www.house.gov
-Look at the upper left hand corner of the home page, and you will see a "Find your Representative" search box, where you can type in your zip code and click "go" to get the name of your representative in the House.
-Please note, sometimes you may need the extra 4 digits behind your zip, because your zip code includes more than one House district. If so, and you do not know the extra 4 digits, please use this link, where you can type in your address and get the numbers:
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

----------------------------------------------

SAMPLE SCRIPT that can be used in making calls to Representatives:

Hello, I’m (your name) and I'm a constituent of Representative _____________________. I'm a resident of (give your city, state and zip code)

I am calling to urge Representative ____ to VOTE YES ON HR 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, when it comes up for a vote on the House floor later this week. This bill will provide treatment for 9/11-related illnesses to survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- downtown Manhattan residents, students, workers and visitors -- as well as to the thousands of brave responders who came to their rescue. Many, including children, are sick from having breathed the toxic dust and smoke, and are struggling to regain their health. Those who who were harmed as a result of this attack on our nation need and deserve the right kind of medical help, help that this bill will provide. Thank you.

_______________________

We have also provided a “Dear Friends” letter below that you can paste into an email, along with a brief sample message for your contacts to use when they call their Representative.

-----------------------------------------------

Dear (name of your friend or relative in districts beyond NYC),

I am writing to you to ask for your help to gain passage of an important bill in Congress that will protect the health of tens of thousands of people affected by the worst act of terror in our nation's history.

As you know, 9/11 was an attack on our nation that killed nearly 3000. What you may not know is that tens of thousands are now sick as a result of the World Trade Center attacks from breathing in toxic fumes and dust that filled the air after the Twin Towers collapsed

Some were the brave responders who came to the rescue -- they came from every state in the country and risked their lives to help others. Some were the civilians targeted by the terrorists -- the many people who lived, worked or attended school in the area around the WTC. Many were caught in the toxic cloud when the towers collapsed. Many were encouraged to remain in or return to heavily contaminated neighborhoods, when their government falsely assured them that the air was safe.

As early as late this week, on Thursday, September 23rd or Friday, September 24th, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act will come up for a vote in the House of Representatives. I am appealing to you to please call your representative at his/her Washington DC office and urge him/her to VOTE YES. I have a sample message for you to use, below.

You can do this by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121 TTY: (202) 225-1904. Ask to be connected to your representative's office. (If you do not know who your representative is, I have included instructions.)

Thank you for your much-needed help. If you want to call me for further details I can be reached at _____.

Best,
---------------------------------------------------

THANK YOU!!!

Huffington Post 9/11 Health Care Piece!

2010-02-08T20:23:00.001-05:00

Check out my essay in Huffington Post!

2009 StuyHealth Comment Piece in The Guardian

2009-09-11T15:54:00.001-04:00

In honor of the 8th anniversary -- the issues are STILL there. Check out this year's comment piece.

GUARDIAN OP-ED

2008-09-12T00:14:00.002-04:00

Read my op-ed in the Guardian America! I reference StuyHealth and discuss the need to refocus the discussion about 9/11 away from war and towards health care.
-Lila

APRIL 13th 9/11 HEALTH FORUM

2008-04-04T14:54:00.002-04:00

Anybody who would like to help organize this event or flyer for it, please reply in the comments box with your contact information and I will put you in touch with the organizers.
-Lila

NADLER/CLINTON Holding Companion Hearings -- Former EPA Chief Christie Whitman to Testify!

2007-06-20T12:12:00.001-04:00

Finally some action again!
Both hearings can be watched live online --
The Senate hearing: http://epw.senate.gov/public/ (June 20th)
The Congressional hearing: http://judiciary.house.gov/schedule.aspx (June 25th)

We are looking for people to go down to Washington on June 25th for the Nadler hearing, at which Christie Whitman will appear. It should be interesting and it's important that we make an appearance to reiterate how concerned we are about this issue!

If you are interested, e-mail StuyHealth@gmail.com right away! Community groups are organizing busses that will go down for the day.

More from Metro NY

2007-03-15T00:57:00.000-04:00

Check out this article in Metro NY about the difficultly of aquiring data about who is sick among Stuyvesant alumni. It also mentions the lobbying trip to DC!

NYT Editorial

2007-03-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

Check out this editorial from the New York Times. It's about time they came out in support of 9/11 victims on this issue! The link is here.

Sen. Schumer and 9/11 Health

2007-02-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

Check out this article about Senator Schumer's involvement (and lack of) in the 9/11 health issues that came out in today's Village Voice -- It's a really great piece! Here is the link.

DATE SET FOR LOBBYING TRIP

2007-02-19T22:08:00.000-05:00

We've finally set a date for the lobbying trip to D.C. We will be going down March 7th and 8th. The trip will include office visits to several members of Congress and the Senate, as well as a press conference organized with the help of Rep. Nadler's office for our visit. If you will be in DC or would like to join us (we can arrange accomodations) please e-mail stuyhealth@gmail.com as soon as possible!

LOBBYING TRIP REBORN

2007-02-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

We're going down in DC in support of the Nadler/Clinton 9/11 Comprehensive Health Benefits bill in mid-March. The date is still being determined, but if you are interested, please e-mail stuyhealth@gmail.com with any date preferences so we can take people's availability into consideration when deciding on a date.
Thanks!

Jan. 22nd Press Conference

2007-01-22T14:32:00.000-05:00

Today was a major press conference organized by Rep. Maloney's office and also featuring Sen. Clinton, Sen. Schumer (big first!), Rep. Nadler, Rep. Fosella. Additionally, several sick first responders, resident group representitives, and myself spoke.
The conference was organized to publicize the fact that several sick first responders (and in one case, the son of a sick first responder) are being sent to DC by the New York contingent to attend the State of the Union address tomorrow night. The conference went well; Clinton's late addition to the roster proved to really send interest in the issue skyrocketing! Check out the press coverage if you get a chance and check back for more updates and links to the coverage!
-Lila

DC TRIP POSTPONED

2007-01-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

Our lobbying trip to DC has been postponed! We will most likely be going down in March, and will hopefully coincide with people's spring breaks! Please stay tuned and sorry about the confusion! Some changes are being made to the legislation and we need to wait out a final draft of the bill.

LOBBYING TRIP TO DC

2007-01-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

We're planning a lobbying trip to Washington in conjunction with Rep. Nadler's office in support of a bill he is introducing with Sen. Clinton called the 9/11 Comprehensive Health Benefits Act, and we're still looking for people to join us! We'll be speaking to members of congress January 18th and 19th. E-mail stuyhealth@gmail.com if you're interested in joining us! It should be really exciting!

NY Times Op-Ed

2006-12-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

Check out the NY Times op-ed "A Fair Deal for 9/11's Injured" in today's paper. It's interesting and can be found
here.

Rescue Workers with Cancer

2006-11-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

Check out this article about 9/11 rescue workers that have been diagnosed with cancer from the Village Voice. It's written by the same reporter that wrote the story about us "Some Kids Left Behind" (Which incidentally, you can still find here.
We've made some real progress since then!)

Fox 5 Segment

2006-11-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

Last night (Nov. 21st at 10pm) Fox 5 aired a segment that we taped a couple of weeks ago called "The Silent Toll: Sick Students." I was away for the last two weeks and just got back so I missed the airing and wasn't able to warn everybody, but the segment can still be watched online here. Check it out!

SUNY Binghamton Article

2006-10-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

A reporter for the SUNY Binghamtom school paper "Pipe Dream" just wrote an article about health concerns among Stuyvesant graduates. The article wrongly states that we have been working to get health insurance only for the class of '02, but it is otherwise a good article. Check it out here.

EPA Cover Up

2006-10-26T22:35:00.000-04:00

Check out this article from www.rawstory.com about the EPA cover up of the dangerous air quality in lower Manhattan after 9/11.

Documentary Project

2006-10-17T19:42:00.000-04:00

Danielle Turchiano (class of '02) is working on a documentary about students and 9/11 and asked me to post this:

To Stuyvesant High School Students and Faculty Classes 2002-2005:

I know there have been many, many documentaries made about September 11th, the victims, the events, and the impact they have had on our lives, our city, and our world, but for awhile now I've been kicking around the idea of adding one more to that list: one that tells the stories through the eyes of the youth on that day, the eyes of Stuyvesant High School. Our stories are just as emotional and just as worthy of being told of any of them. Right now, I am in the research and development stages of the documentary, and I need your help to find the focal point of the narrative:
originally I wanted to focus on our stories, but more and more lately the health issue creeps up in conversations, and I will be including that in the discussion, although I don't yet know to what capacity. I have written a brief survey for students and faculty to partake in if so interested, and it can be obtained by emailing me at danielletbd@yahoo.com. Any and all feedback/suggestions are welcome!

Thank you!
Sincerely,
Danielle Turchiano
Stuyvesant High School, Class of 2002
Producer/Director, TBD Productions
danielletbd@yahoo.com

Metro Article (Take 4 - Sen. Clinton Letter)

2006-10-16T09:02:00.000-04:00

The New York Metro has an article today about Sen. Clinton's letter. Check it out here!

NY 1 Story

2006-10-15T21:44:00.000-04:00

NY 1 also covered the letter from Sen. Clinton to the EPA. Find the news report here.

Mention in LA Times Article

2006-10-15T21:35:00.000-04:00

Check out this article from the LA Times, which mentions us. The article discusses the plight of the all but forgotten workers that cleaned up buildings in lower Manhattan after the attacks and are now getting sick and in need of care.

Sen. Clinton On Board/Daily News Coverage

2006-10-13T10:17:00.000-04:00

Sen. Clinton has joined us in our fight and just recently sent a letter to the regional administrator of the EPA concerning the health and air quality issues surrounding Stuyvesant students!

The Daily News has covered the issue and the article can be found here!

Leave a comment with your e-mail if you are interested in reading the letter (my lack of web design skills is preventing me from posting it since it's a .pdf file...instructions on how to do that could also be left in the comment box if anybody would like to tell me).
-Lila

NY Sun

2006-10-04T14:15:00.000-04:00

Check out the NY Sun article that was just added under links. Scary stuff, but Amit is mentioned and we helped get this issue out!

Press Conference Coverage

2006-10-02T15:37:00.000-04:00

The press conference was a great success and thanks to all who came! It was nice to see so many people show up in support. You know things are moving along well when a politician organizes a press conference around your issue!
We were covered by NY 1, and Channels 5, 9, and 11 on the 10 o'clock news! We also had articles in all the major local papers, so here are the links:
Daily News
New York Times
New York Post
New York Sun
New York Metro
AM New York
I've also heard rumblings of radio coverage.
Let's keep this momentum going!
Thanks again to everybody who came!

PRESS CONFERENCE TIME CHANGE

2006-09-29T12:36:00.000-04:00

Please be advised that the press conference this Sunday has changed times from 12 noon to 1 pm. Hope to see you there! The location is still in front of Stuyvesant.

Metro Article (Take 2)

2006-09-27T09:28:00.000-04:00

Check out the article about Amit in today's NY Metro. The petiton is metioned! You can find it here.

PRESS CONFERENCE SUNDAY

2006-09-26T15:31:00.000-04:00

Scott Stringer's office is organizing a press conference to address the issue of 9/11 related health needs in lower Manhattan, especially among those of us that were students. If you are in the city this Sunday, October 1st, and are a former lower Manhattan student, please consider coming to show your support! They will be thanking the mayor for his $16 million in funding, and calling for federal funding as well!

Time: 12 Noon
Place: In front of Stuyvesant HS, 345 Chambers St.
Hope to see you there!!!

WBAI Radio Piece

2006-09-25T16:43:00.000-04:00

A piece related to the Post article will be airing on tonight's news at 6 and 11 pm on radio station WBAI (99.5 FM). Check it out!

Television News

2006-09-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

Check Amit and I out tonight on Channels 5, 9, and 11 at 10pm (yes, all three are running at the same time)!

New York Post Article!

2006-09-24T11:20:00.000-04:00

Check out today's article in the Post, which mentions us!

Village Voice Article

2006-09-10T23:15:00.000-04:00

An editorial shift while the Village Voice article was being written caused it to be published online instead of in hard copy, although the voice will still be publishing a story about health effects and 9/11, just a more expansive one.
In any case, here is the link to the article.

Metro NY Article

2006-08-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

Check out the Metro NY here here!

Open Letter

2006-03-31T23:05:00.000-05:00

Stuyvesant Alumni:
If you were at Stuyvesant during 9/11, please consider signing this letter! Although hard copies have already been sent out, we can keep adding signatures for future mailings. Leave your name and class year (and e-mail!) in a comment box or e-mail them to StuyHealth@gmail.com, and you will be added to the list. From now on I will no longer publish the comments that are simply signees, I will just add them to the petition and mailing list. The first round of mailings went to:
Rep. Jerrold Nadler
Sen. Hillary Clinton
Sen. Charles Schumer
Rep. Anthony Weiner
Speaker of the City Council Christine Quinn
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer
Former 9/11 Commission Member (and Stuy Alumnus) Richard Ben-Veniste
Bill Clinton
The New York Times
The Daily News

Open Letter:

To Whom it May Concern,

On February 2nd a federal judge found the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency Christie Whitman culpable enough to stand trial for putting the public in danger by making misleading statements about the air quality in lower Manhattan after the attacks of September 11th, thus upholding a class action suit filed on behalf of residents and school children in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. Students at Stuyvesant High School, were among the many that were directly affected by the misinformation released by the Environmental Protection Agency under her leadership. We had the additional misfortune of being the first students called back to lower Manhattan after the attacks. At the time, fires were still burning at the World Trade Center site and debris was being taken to the landfill by way of a barge located directly outside our school building. We had several fire drills in our first days back that informed us of our new emergency route, which led us even closer to the burning debris at the site of the destruction (our old emergency route, up West St., was being blocked by the barge and a large crane). Although the Board of Education continually assured us of the safety of the air at our school, the smell of smoke was strong every afternoon for months after the attacks. Parents were told at the first PTA meeting after our return, that nobody, even those of us with respiratory health concerns, would be able to leave Stuyvesant for the duration of the clean-up process; we had to stay or would forfeit our spots at the school. Given the effort most of us put into getting into Stuyvesant, leaving was not an option. Eventually, we learned that the school building had not been cleaned as thoroughly as promised.

Most of the Stuyvesant students that were seniors in the year of the attacks are graduating from college this year. We are entering a world in which jobs are scarce, starting pay is low, and public benefits are dwindling. As you know, health coverage is expensive and difficult to obtain, especially on a starting salary. More Americans go bankrupt as a result of health expenses than over any other issue, and the current Administration is making very little effort to make obtaining health coverage any easier or more affordable. Additionally, as college students and soon-to-be graduates, many of us have already accrued large amounts of debt to pay for our educations.

As the canaries used to promote the revitalization of downtown Manhattan after 9/11, we were given no choice but to accept the health risks that went along with attending school in lower Manhattan in the 2001/2002 school year. Ms. Whitman’s assurances were a very relevant part of why we were permitted to return to our building, which had been used as the command center for the rescue effort at Ground Zero, only a month after September 11th, on October 9th, 2001. Our administrators and teachers already have health coverage. As students, we don’t. As victims of 9/11, and, especially, victims of Ms. Whitman’s misinformation campaign, we served as "draftees" in the media campaign to reassure the American people. At the least, in recognition of the risks we undertook simply by attending school, we should be guaranteed health insurance for the rest of our lives. It is imperative that you support us in this effort. We request your help in meeting this goal, ideally by supporting the introduction of legislation towards this end.
Sincerely,
Lila Nordstrom
(+ 240 Stuyvesant alumni and counting)