WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), author of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act and its subsequent reauthorizations, on January 13 called on the City of New York to expedite COVID-19 vaccine access for World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) participants.

She said, “9/11 responders and survivors who, because of their 9/11 injuries, have medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19 both need and deserve expedited access to the COVID-19 vaccine. The pre-existing conditions they live with because their exposure to the toxins in the air at and around Ground Zero have led to the types of health conditions that experts have warned put them at higher risk for severe outcomes should they contract COVID-19.

“The World Trade Center Health Program is a promise to our 9/11 heroes that we will support them just as they supported our city and our nation. In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, that promise extends to preventative care as well. New York City should make provisions to honor that promise by ensuring that our heroes have immediate access to the COVID-19 vaccine, and that their vaccination registration process is simple, user-friendly, and swift.”