To receive our monthly eNews as well as event notices and other updates, just enter your email address.
Take a moment to learn more about NYAM's activities and events.
On this day, the eighth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, we recall the largest man-made disaster on United States soil. Nearly 3,000 people in New York City (NYC) died as a result of the attacks, more than 100,000 jobs were lost and billions of dollars in damage have been incurred. Our government continues to seek those responsible for this tragedy and our nation is investing in surveillance to protect our country.
As we remember and honor those who were lost, we must also be sure that their legacy includes work to address the health issues of those that survived.
|
| As we remember and honor those who were lost, their legacy must include work to address the health issues of those that survived. |
Early work at The New York Academy of Medicine’s Centers for Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES) demonstrated the substantial mental health burden in NYC as a result of the attacks. CUES developed cross-sectional and longitudinal research projects investigating the psychological costs of the September 11th attacks on residents of New York City. They followed-up a cohort of more than 2,500 NYC metropolitan area residents three years after the disaster. The survey assessed rates of new onset posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health outcomes. Next, the subgroups with the highest rates of these conditions were targeted for specific interventions. Data from these cross-sectional surveys and from this cohort were provided to the New York City Department of Housing and the State Health Department of Mental Health to provide information for program planning. To date CUES has published over 50 papers addressing issues surrounding the World Trade Center attacks. This work has been heralded because of its focus on population health and the response to the disaster among all residents including victims, rescue workers and their families.
Interestingly, CUES studies have found that although rates were higher among persons most directly affected by the September 11th attacks, the number of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) cases in those not directly affected were substantial and demand attention. The work showed that PTSD rates went up across the population soon after the disaster but then people started to recover quickly (two-thirds within 9 months) and rates have continued to decline with time. Factors associated with developing PTSD were intensity of exposure, demographics, but also having a panic attack around the time of the disaster. This last point is a key finding for developing early interventions to target those most likely to suffer PTSD and to specify types of treatment. Most gratifying was the fact that this work could be, and was extended, to assist Spanish researchers after the Madrid Bombings. And even more positively, this work provided the foundation for NYAM to continue to develop a population mental health strategy. Currently, we are engaged in work on mental health in older New York City residents, linking neighborhood characteristics (e.g., safety) with depression and cardiovascular health.
“If you were there, You deserve care” campaign reached underserved residents who were still sick from 9/11.
NYAM Public Health Productions produced the “You deserve care” outreach campaign for the NYC HHC’s World Trade Center Environmental Health Center to promote healthcare for people sick from 9/11. The campaign, launched in September of 2008, boosted calls to the WTC EHC by 91% over the previous month ??? and brought in hundreds of people who were still sick from the dust of 9/11 seven years after the event. More than 500 people qualified for free healthcare to address their long term 9-11 related illnesses. The campaign, written and directed by NYAM PHP director, Amy Hart, was produced in five different languages ??? English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and Polish ??? and was on TV, radio, subway ads and newspaper ads.
"If you were there, You deserve care" English AD
"If you were there, You deserve care" Spanish AD
Posted on September 11, 2009
Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
amartin@nyam.org
Reporters: to arrange interviews with NYAM medical and urban health experts, contact
Andrew J. Martin, Director of Communications
212-822-7285 / amartin@nyam.org
The 2012-2013 Duncan Clark Lecture - The Affordable Care Act: An Insider’s View
Featured Speaker: Sherry Glied, PhD, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
November 19, 2012 - The NYAM Section on Health Care Delivery welcomes Sherry Glied, PhD, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who will deliver the 2012-2013 Duncan Clark Lecture on "The Affordable Care Act: An Insider's View."
Learn more »
The New York Academy of Medicine with support from the New York State Heath Foundation released a new report, Federal Health Care Reform in New York State: A Population Health Perspective.
This report identifies opportunities that build on both the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) and New York’s ongoing efforts toward improving the health of its 19 million residents.
Read press release
Read report
