At least 6,900 New Jerseyans who survived the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York City have received free treatments for cancers, lung diseases, mental health issues, and other health conditions linked to the terrifying and toxic soup at Ground Zero. 

Their care is coordinated through the World Trade Center Health Program at Rutgers University, part of a nationwide program that has benefitted more than 144,000 Americans since two commercial airliners struck the Twin Towers 25 years ago. The attack killed nearly 3,000 people, including close to 700 from New Jersey. 

Decades later, patients — a mix of first responders and people who lived, worked or attended school near Ground Zero — continue to enroll in the federal program, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes some 3,500 Americans who signed up in 2025, according to program data. 

“We are still here and would love the privilege of taking care of you,” said Dr. Iris Udasin, a Rutgers professor of environmental and occupational medicine who is medical director of New Jersey’s World Trade Center program, one of six centers of excellence providing this care. 

The federal program also serves people who experienced the attack on the Pentagon as well as responders to the airline crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Care is provided by a handful of New York clinics, the centers of excellence, and a national network of clinicians who diagnose, treat, and monitor patients for 9/11-related issues, with zero out-of-pocket costs. 

Udasin said some cancers and chronic illnesses can take decades to emerge. Nationwide, some 40% of participants have been treated for cancers, 30% for chronic lung issues, 25% for gastrointestinal concerns, 16% for asthma and 13% for PTSD, program data shows. 

Capt. Kristi Anderson, a physician who is the federal program’s chief medical officer, said the diagnoses make sense, given what patients experienced at Ground Zero. Like certain cancers, she said mental health issues can take years to surface. 

“People have coping mechanisms, they’re just busy, they don’t think about their mental health. Then sometimes later in their life, when they can sit down and have a chance to breathe, they realize they have symptoms,” said Anderson, an officer in the United States Public Health Service. 

The federal program often sees an uptick in interest following the anniversary of the attack, Anderson said, something she and others welcome. “It seems to happen every year, but this one will be pretty impactful,” she said. 

New research shows the World Trade Center health program — which spent $355 million on medical claims for 61,000 people nationwide in 2025 alone — is helping participants lead healthier, longer lives. Enrollees lived 35% longer than lower Manhattan residents of the same age, Anderson said, results she said likely reflect access to regular disease screenings, free care, and the sense of community the program offers. 

The nationwide program grew out of New York City-based efforts to provide free care for firefighters and other first responders who were at Ground Zero and soon experienced symptoms, including breathing issues and PTSD, according to its website. 

After years of first responders and their advocates fighting for federal funding for health care, Congress, in late 2010, finally passed the James Zadroga Act, named for a New York Police Department detective who died from his exposure at Ground Zero. In early 2011, President Barack Obama signed the bill which set aside $1.6 billion over five years for what had become a nationwide program. In 2015, Obama extended the program through 2090 and it received supplementary funding several times before President Donald Trump approved the current federal spending plan, which includes nearly $1 billion for the World Trade Center initiative. 

Since its start, New Jersey — where nearly 17,000 people have received free cancer screenings, or other diagnostic work — has been home to the second-highest number of participants, after New York. Florida is third and Pennsylvania is fourth. Thousands of patients also live in Texas and Arizona, while more than 10,000 are Californians, according to program data. 

“That highlights the importance of having that nationwide provider network, so patients don’t have to come back to the New York metropolitan area to get care. They can just get it where they live,” Anderson said. 

As time passes, Congress has expanded the effort to include more diagnoses, like uterine cancer, which was added to the covered conditions list in 2023. The program has also provided nearly $200 million in research to support more than 150 studies related to environmental health concerns. 

Program eligibility is limited to people who lived, worked or were in school within a specific zone near Ground Zero, or those who responded to the attacks. It covers diagnosis, treatment and monitoring only for certain conditions that have been linked to that experience. Participants must have some form of insurance, Anderson said. 

While the program continues to grow over time, Anderson said estimates suggest there were some 400,000 people who lived, worked, or attended school in the Ground Zero area when the towers were struck and crumbled. That means more than 250,000 who remain eligible for care. 

“It’s a lot of people that could potentially receive benefits,” Anderson said.


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