Mount Sinai Hospital has pulled out of a “9/11 health fair” after a personal-injury law firm began using the event to gain potential clients for lucrative Victim Compensation Fund claims, officials told The Post.
The law firm, Barasch & McGarry, promoted the Sept. 9 event, claiming it was co-hosted by Mount Sinai, which treats 9/11 responders for illnesses linked to their work at the World Trade Center after the terror attacks.
An RSVP required to attend the health fair leads to a law-firm website, which asks registrants for contact information, their employer on 9/11, and whether they were in Lower Manhattan on Sept. 11 or in the eight months after. It also gives a phone number for “a free case evaluation.”
When questioned by The Post, Mount Sinai said it never hosted the event, but was asked to provide doctors to speak on a panel. The doctors will no longer take part, said spokeswoman Lucia Lee.
A free public-health or education event should not be used to find clients to file claims, sources said. Also, the hospital’s grant funding prohibits participation with law firms.
Lawyer Michael Barasch said, “Recruiting VCF clients is not the purpose of the Health Fair.” He said he will announce at the event that people do not need an attorney to file claims. But the sign-up form remained in place.
Mount Sinai told the Post that it never had hosted the event in question. Robert MillerIn another case of the firm going too far, Barasch & McGarry recently was forced to remove statements from its web site that were falsely attributed to the federal WTC Health Program. One said “bladder cancer is disproportionately common in the 9/11 community.” Another said “people who were in Lower Manhattan on or after 9/11 have a much higher risk of developing blood cancer.”
The WTC Health Program denied such findings and called both statements “misleading.”
Meanwhile, the United Federation of Teachers is co-hosting the Sept. 9 health fair and accepts the law firm’s involvement, a spokeswoman said. Northwell Health in Queens, which also treats 9/11 responders, confirmed it will co-host a similar health fair on Long Island on Sept. 12.
