Bravo, New York, for dropping barriers to treatments for lingering mental health problems from 9/11. The New York City Department of Health announced a benefit plan last week for those still struggling with anxiety, PTSD, depression, or substance use disorders.
Six and a half years later, the city is doing the right thing for rescue workers, families and citizens affected by 9/11. The benefit applies broadly, generously and appropriately to city residents who were also affected by attacks on the Pentagon.
It has been painful to see officials duck responsibility, point fingers, and argue over jurisdiction or pre-existing conditions for men and women who instinctively ran into burning buildings, spent weeks digging through smoldering debris, and clocked hundreds of hours of public service. And the consequences for these selfless citizens has often been humiliation and delays in treating the well documented, toxic impacts affecting physical and mental health.
If ever there was an issue reminding us of the moral and social costs of parsing rights to health care, it has to be how we failed those who did not fail us . New York is to be commended for taking this action.
