The federal government has hired Eden Prairie-based Optum to operate a new clinic in Manhattan for survivors of the 9/11 attacks who have enrolled in an ongoing health program.
The clinic, which is expected to open this month, will be run by the Optum business that already manages care across much of the country for people at risk for health issues connected to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Optum, which is the health services division of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, said the new contract along with a separate agreement to provide consultations for certain military patients have an approximate value of $58.7 million.
"It is an honor to be entrusted with the care of these two very important groups of heroes, those who responded and survived the 9/11 attacks, and those entering the military to defend our nation," said retired Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, chief executive of a company division called OptumServe, in a statement.
The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program was launched in 2011 to replace two earlier health-monitoring programs related to people impacted by the 9/11 attacks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants, risks of traumatic injury and physically and emotionally stressful conditions in the days, weeks and months following the attacks. The WTC Health Program, which is run through a branch of the CDC, offers care for those directly affected by the attacks on New York City, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa.
The program provides medical and mental health services at no cost to patients. It provides monitoring and treatment services for certified health conditions related to 9/11.
In the New York area, patients receive care at designated centers. Elsewhere, patients can seek care through a national provider network that's managed by OptumServe via a La Crosse, Wis.-based business called Logistics Health Incorporated (LHI).