Frank Donnelly and Sally Geldenberg
Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Castleton Corners office previously offered only mental health and counseling services For years, scores of Staten Island firefighters injured when they responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks had to trek from as far away as Tottenville to Fire Department headquarters in Brooklyn to receive medical treatment and monitoring.

Now they can ditch that time-consuming cross-borough slog and get the care they need in the borough.

Yesterday, Fire Department officials and Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) announced the expansion of the FDNY's 9/11-related treatment site in Castleton Corners. The satellite facility, at 1688 Victory Blvd., will offer medical monitoring and physical health services to active and retired FDNY members who responded to the attacks.

Previously, the office, which opened in 2002, had offered only mental health and counseling services.

Similar satellite centers in Queens and in Suffolk and Orange counties also will offer the expanded monitoring services in coming weeks, officials said.

$75M in Funding
The facilities will continue to be funded by $75 million in federal cash that Fossella helped secure in 2005, as well as with money from the Red Cross, the September 11th Fund and the FDNY, said Tony Sclafani an FDNY spokesman.

"Today's announcement is an acknowledgment of how hard 9/11 hit Staten Island," Fossella said at a news conference at the site. "We always talk of rebuilding Ground Zero and the buildings and subway, but I think our overall responsibility is to help these individuals rebuild their lives. Every community on Staten Island has been affected."

In a statement, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the expanded sites will "ease the burden" of members' treatment and help officials to continue keeping tabs on and analyzing their conditions.

Retired FDNY Lt. Robert Wallen likewise hailed the expansion, but also said he hopes coverage is boosted. Wallen, a Tottenville resident who underwent a bone marrow transplant two years ago, takes 14 pills a day, some of which he has to pay for out of pocket.

"It would be a definite relief for me not to have to travel to Brooklyn." said Wallen, 43. "It's a great program, but it doesn't cover all my medication."

Each year, more than 2,000 FDNY members receive treatment for 9/11-related physical health issues and more than 3,000 FDNY members are monitored for mental health issues, said Dr. Kerry Kelly, the FDNY's chief medical officer and a Staten Island resident.

So far, more than 14,300 active and retired FDNY members have received medical monitoring exams through the department's FDNY World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program.

She said many FDNY 9/11 responders are receiving treatment for respiratory problems and mental-health issues.

The Fire Department could not say how many Staten Islanders have been treated for 9/11-related issues.

The Castleton Corners center, housed in a three-story professional building, is open five days a week for counseling and mental health services. With the expansion, a doctor and nurse will be there once a week for medical monitoring and examinations, said Dr. Kelly.

Also yesterday, in a related development, a non-profit group in the city launched a poster blitz reminding sickened first responders of next year's deadline to register for state Workers' Compensation claims.

The Aug. 13, 2008, cut-off date is not exclusive to ailing first responders; anyone who worked between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 12, 2002, on recovery efforts below Canal and Pike streets, in the former Fresh Kills landfill, in the city morgue or on barges transporting remains to the landfill can register in anticipation of future potential illness.

"You're registering to preserve your right to file a claim," said Susan O'Brien, the associate director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, which unveiled its poster campaign yesterday. "Should you get sick anytime in the future, you can refer back to the fact that you were there. Many of these illnesses have long latency periods."

So far, only 25,000 of the estimated 200,000 first responders, including volunteers, have registered to file Workers' Compensation benefits, according to a NYCOSH document.

Those wishing to register can contact NYCOSH at 1-866-WTC-2556 or online at www.nycosh.org.

The forms must be notarized.

Copyright 2007 Advance Publications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved