If you were a responder to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, monitoring exams are an important way to protect your health. Participants in NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence are eligible for one monitoring visit every year.

There are two main reasons to monitor your health over time. First, many WTC-related illnesses can take years to develop and manifest. Second, even though you may feel fine, changes to your body may already be taking place. Your first monitoring exam gives your doctors a baseline against which to compare the exam results in subsequent years. These comparisons help doctors track changes to your health.

Monitoring exams may involve several different staff specialists, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and support personnel, all working together to detect any WTC-related illnesses as early as possible so treatment can begin. Monitoring visits also allow you the chance to learn about lifestyle practices that can improve your health.

The following services are available at baseline examinations and monitoring visits:

• 9/11 exposure assessment (baseline exam only)
• blood tests
• chest X-ray (every two years after baseline exam)
• electrocardiogram (EKG; for program members age 45 or older or if needed for medical reasons)
• medical history and mental health questionnaire
• physical examination
• screening colonoscopy (for members age 50 and older; frequency depends on your health and the recommendations of your healthcare provider)
• screening mammogram (for female program members ages 40 and older; frequency depends on your health and the recommendations of your healthcare provider)
• spirometry (pulmonary function testing; breathing test)
• urinalysis