New York City - $30 Million for Sick 9/11 Residents, Students

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New York City - Federal officials said Thursday they will give $30 million to offer health services to New York residents and students affected by the Sept. 11 attacks and their aftermath.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control announced it would distribute the money to as many as three hospitals or clinics, based on the grant applications the agency receives.

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, thousands of ground zero recovery workers have complained they were sickened by exposure to toxic debris. At the same time, New York elected officials have charged the Bush administration has not done enough to track and treat those illnesses or the needs of non-recovery workers, such as the people who lived or worked or went to school near the disaster site in lower Manhattan.

CDC Director Julie Gerberding said the agency has ``never done anything like this.''

The $30 million effort to treat residents and students is ``our good-faith estimate, and if we're wrong, we will adjust,'' she said.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat whose district includes the World Trade Center site, said he and other lawmakers ``fought tooth and nail to see that these people were provided with the care they need. As we approach the seventh anniversary of 9/11, I am relieved that the Bush administration has given up their stall tactics and finally begun to release this funding.''