(no subject)
i am working for the summer again at the WTC Health Registry. the first day back at work they had a public meeting and people could ask questions to a panel of researchers and policy makers, including John Howard, who i was told is the 9/11 health czar. he has alarmingly bright orange hair. he is the 9/11 health coordniator, a new position created by the health and human services to oversee the federal money that is given to health monitoring and treatment programs (why did it take 5 years to create this position?) the meeting lasted for about 4 hours. one by one, residents got up and told 9/11 health czar and a bunch of other guys in suits detailed accounts of all of the health problems they experienced since 9/11. asthma, chronic heartburn, anemia, cough, loss of lung function, coughing up all sorts of brown and gray particles, they went on and on. many people broke down in tears, all of them were pissed off. it was kind of amusing to watch how uncomfortable the panel guys were while they were being yelled at by the audience, fumbing to answer their questions but saying the same thing over: "our hands are tied" "your voices are being heard" "we're doing all we can"
its alarming how abruptly i have once again entered this field. i have now read almost every article on 9/11, i know my shit have numbers to back it up. i see opportunities were non-profits, policy makers, and public health departments could benefit from my research, but because i'm not some stuffy academic with a ph.d no one wants to bothered. these past few days of meetings and press conferences i have just been another pair and arms and legs to carry boxes from one site to the other. at hampshire my committee and professors always treated me as an equal and a collegue and were never condensending. this is not the case in the city government. but i'm a hampshire graduate dammit, i will find ways to get my work out there. i just have a lot of information and i want others to have it too. i am going to work with elizabeth over the summer to get it published in a journal. and i'll be presenting my work during a poster session at the american public health association's conference in boston this november. (i just found out yesterday, yay!)
i miss hampshire like crazy. yesterday at work i looked around at the buildings and concrete and asphalt around me and thought of the rolling green hills at hampshire and was amazed that such difference places could exist on the same land.
damn i am tired.