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American Red Cross Family Specialists Helping Thousands Regain Self-Sufficiency Through September 11 Long-Term Recovery
18 Months After Attacks, Hundreds Have Used Help to Transition into Next Recovery Phase
WASHINGTON, March 11, 2003 — A year and a half after the September 11 attacks, the American Red Cross continues to meet the disaster-caused needs of thousands of those most directly affected with a wide array of services. One example of ongoing assistance under the September 11 Recovery Program is Family Support Services, where Specialists are working one-on-one with 4,450 families of the deceased, the injured, rescue and recovery personnel and affected residents. Thus far, more than 430 clients have either utilized Family Support Services and the full spectrum of Red Cross assistance to transition into the next phase of their recovery, or communicated to the Red Cross that they no longer need support at this time. “We are pleased that 18 months following the worst tragedy in our nation's history, several hundred of the most seriously affected individuals have utilized Red Cross services as a bridge to recovery and self-sufficiency,” said Alan Goodman, administrator of the September 11 Recovery Program. “Our goal is to help families reclaim their lives and their independence. We will continue that work with the thousands of people who still need and deserve our assistance.” New York City resident Nancy Morrison, who was trampled at the World Trade Center September 11, said her turning point was when Aneissa Rosas became her Red Cross Specialist about a year ago. “From that point on I felt tremendously anchored; I felt that I had a true ally,” Nancy said. “When I developed back spasms, Aneissa streamlined the process for me to get an MRI. She personally walked me through the voucher approval with concentration and focus, and I will never forget it. It makes a tremendous difference if you have an advocate when you are feeling isolated. It changes everything.” “I am financially safe for the time being because of the Red Cross assistance,” she continued. “In addition to the gifts, Red Cross paid for various medical services and is covering the cost of my mental health counseling. I would be nowhere near where I am in my personal recovery without the Red Cross. I still have a way to go but I am so much better than I was. I am very grateful.” Red Cross Specialists provide personal assistance to clients, offering support and guidance. They are helping individuals access Red Cross benefits such as mental health and health care services, financial assistance and air purifiers and HEPA vacuums for downtown residents. In conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Red Cross is assisting downtown residents with home cleaning through services that include relocation, storage, and replacement of damaged home furnishings. Those with unmet needs will continue to receive support for the duration of the Red Cross recovery effort as they work to transition back to self-sufficiency. Albertson, New York resident Laura Baierwalter lost her husband, Robert, in the World Trade Center attacks. Her children, Veronica, age 14, Richie, age 11 and Raymond, age 7, lost their dad. Laura and her family have been working with their Red Cross Specialist, Paul Mauro, since the disaster. Financial assistance was only one component of assistance for the Baierwalters; Paul worked one-on-one with Laura to help meet her family's additional needs. “The Red Cross has helped in so many ways,” Laura said. “Red Cross connected us with four free support groups. I'm in a mother's group with about fifteen other women and each of my children is in a separate support group with other kids their age.” “For me, it's all about my kids and they are doing so well,” she continued. “If my kids weren't doing well, I wouldn't be. I bounce issues off of my Specialist about how my kids are doing and he always has a good attitude. If I hadn't known about the Red Cross assistance, I would have been overwhelmed. Having a representative to be the middleman worked out tremendously well.” The Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program Mental Health benefit is helping thousands of individuals and families access mental health treatment, including: individual, group, couples and family counseling; outpatient substance abuse treatment; inpatient substance abuse and/or psychiatric hospitalization; and psychotropic medications. Red Cross Health Care Services provides injured clients with clinical case management, financial assistance with uncovered health-related expenses, and referral to additional health-related resources. Developed with input from those directly affected by the tragedy and other service agencies, the September 11 Recovery Program is consistent with the objectives identified by Senator George Mitchell. Mitchell served as the Independent Overseer of the Liberty Disaster Relief Fund, the Red Cross fund dedicated to helping those directly affected by the September 11 tragedies. Full details of Senator Mitchell's final report, along with the Liberty Disaster Relief Fund Distribution Plan, previous quarterly reports and expenditure breakdowns, are available on the Red Cross website at www.redcross.org. For information about assistance or support related to the September 11 attacks, contact the Red Cross at (877) 746-4987. To access the Mental Health Program, call 1-800-LIFE NET. As of January 31, 2003, and in accordance with the Mitchell Plan, the Red Cross has already used $741 million from the Liberty Fund to help more than 55,000 families cope with the death of loved ones, serious injuries, physical and mental health concerns, financial loss, homelessness and many other effects of the attacks. Of that, $596 million has been in the form of direct financial assistance to families of those killed and seriously injured, along with displaced workers, residents and emergency personnel who were seriously impacted. Additionally, $99 million has been spent on immediate disaster relief, which included serving more than 14 million meals to families and emergency workers, providing crisis counseling for over 238,000 individuals and operating 36 service delivery sites throughout the impacted states. Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 1,000 chapters and Blood Services regions dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1.2 million volunteers and 30,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 67,000 disasters, trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide.
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