By Stephanie Gaskell
Wednesday, June 17th 2009
NYDailyNews.com
A New Jersey hospital that treats sick 9/11 first responders got a last-minute
reprieve Tuesday when the feds vowed to send cash to keep it open through September.
The Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute at the Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick had told its 1,800 patients it
wasn’t sure it could stay open past next month.
Federal funding had been held up over an accounting dispute, but late Tuesday
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said it was sending
$575,000 to cover summer expenses.
John Feal, founder of the Fealgood Foundation, which pushes for health care
for 9/11 workers, said the money isn’t enough.
Feal said, “$575,000 is like putting a Band-Aid on a machine-gun wound.
“Funding for three months is a joke when 9/11 first responders will need
treatment for the rest of their lives.”