• Five years after the World Trade Center (WTC) attack, many New Yorkers continue to suffer disaster-associated physical and mental health conditions.
• Primary care providers should ask patients about WTC exposure, especially patients with respiratory symptoms, reflux disease, mental health problems, or substance use disorders.
• Providers should know how to identify, evaluate, treat, and refer patients with conditions that could be associated with exposure to the disaster.
• Because physical and mental health conditions are often intertwined, a coordinated approach to care usually works best and referral may be necessary.
Download the CHI — Clinical Guidelines for Physicians Treating Adults Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/chi/chi25-7.pdf
To access the City Health Information website and to browse past issues visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/chi/chi.shtml
