Mayo Clinic
911 Health Watch learned in March of 2025 that the nationally known Mayo Clinic at all its locations in Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida, is now refusing to participate in the World Trade Center Health Program Network.
Having previously participated in the program’s network for years, the Mayo Clinic has suddenly discontinued participation in the program and we have learned of at least two cases of a 9/11 responder and a 9/11 survivor who are being treated for cancer in Arizona will be losing their health care providers. We believe that there may be many more than the two cases we have identified, but because of the Trump Administration’s “Communication Pause” we cannot determine if there are more cases in Arizona or in Florida and Minnesota.
911 Health Watch is deeply concerned that the Mayo Clinic’s refusal to participate in the World Trade Center Health Program and provide cancer care will cause great hardship and harm to 9/11 responders and survivors in the program.
Other national recognized cancer care facilities, including Moffett Cancer Care Center, Roswell Park Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering and even MD Anderson of Florida are participating in the WTC Health Program. Why has the Mayo Clinic decided to stop?
Last year, MD Anderson of Texas announced that they would no longer participate in the World Trade Center Health Program Network, but would only provide care to individuals through a cumbersome single-case agreement procedure that would make it much more difficult and costly for WTC responders and survivors to receive needed care. After an outcry from the 9/11 community, MD Anderson reversed their decision. This sorry episode is detailed on our website here.
And in these press reports:
MD Anderson accused of cutting off sick 9/11 responders
Modern Health, June 12, 2024
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is disrupting care for three dozen patients sickened while responding to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack over a payment dispute, the advocacy organization 911 Health Watch alleges.
The renowned Houston-based oncology provider would not comment on these claims but insists it stands ready to treat the 9/11 survivors. Yet 911 Health Watch maintains MD Anderson will not accept reimbursements established under the federal World Trade Center Health Program.
MD Anderson joins 9/11 support initiative amid controversy
Becker’s Health IT | June 17, 2024
On June 14, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center took to X to release another statement, saying it would participate in the World Trade Center Health Program Network.
At this time, we don’t know the reason the Mayo Clinic has taken this action, if it was the same as MD Anderson of Texas when they sought to be reimbursed more than even Sloan Kettering was receiving.
We do know that while they are denying responders and survivors of 9/11 cancer care, they still, every year declare in social media posts like this below that they continue to remember 9/11.
Mayo Clinic is lighting buildings across the institution in red, white and blue today, the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The building lighting recognizes the memory of those who lost their lives that day in 2001, when planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a fourth plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
And in these:
911 Health Watch wrote on March 19th, 2025, to the CEO of the Mayo Clinic,
Mr. Gianrico Farrugia. We stated that while we have only documented two program members with cancer so far who are being denied care, we would hope he would agree that even just two are too many to be denied care.
We told him that we did not want him to respond by saying they plan on allowing program members access to their facilities through the use of cumbersome single-case agreements—which require an immense amount of paperwork, impose additional costs, and most importantly delay access to care.
We want him to reverse this position and return the Mayo Clinic to participate in the World Trade Center Health Program Network as had been the case for years.
We will be updating this page when we hear back from the Mayo Clinic.
IF YOU ARE A WTC HEALTH PROGRAM MEMBER RECEIVING CARE FROM THE MAYO CLINIC, LET US KNOW.
If you are a member of the World Trade Center Health Program and are getting care currently from the Mayo Clinic through the WTC Health Program we want to hear from you.
Use this form to contact us at 911 Health Watch.
Documents
March 19th, 2025 911 Health Watch Letter to Mayo Clinic