A couple of portable tables. A few physicians' police association badges. A magic-marker notice on a piece of cardboard: "Chiropractic Care If Needed." And, for some, a way to help in a situation beyond anyone's ability to really make better. All these came together in the weeks following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, as rescue workers and health professionals descended on the site of the worst civilian casualties in U.S. history. And, as it slowly dawned that the rush to rescue or donate blood or money would be of no help to most of these victims, it became clear that the focus had to shift to helping the survivors, rescuers and recovery workers continue their gargantuan task. From afar, and on television, the images are horrific enough. But for those nearest the devastation, just looking out the window or driving on familiar highways evoke a continual assault on the senses and rude jolts to the mind, as reality confronts ingrained memories. For chiropractors in New Jersey and New York, going to help the rescue workers has provided moments of usefulness at a time when most have felt powerless to help. In Franklin Lakes, NJ, Dr. Robert Warsak can see downtown New York on his daily drive to his office. He was with a patient at the time of the attacks, and watched the news coverage unfold from his home afterwards. That weekend, Dr. Warsak received a call from his brother-in-law, Dr. Steven Clarke, a chiropractor in Nutley, NJ. Dr. Clarke's friend, Dr. Joe Garolis, of North Bergen, had already gone to Ground Zero, and wanted to know whether the two would like to go with him the next day. So, on Sunday, September 16, before hope had faded for so many of the missing, the three doctors packed two portable exam tables and made the 30-minute trip into the city. A Call to Action As the rescue efforts were still unfolding, the doctors didn't realize they were supposed to register and get special health profession credentials in order to gain admission to the work areas at Ground Zero. Flashing a couple of Policeman's Benevolence Association badges, the doctors talked their way through security checkpoints. Not knowing where to report, the three looked for the area with the most human activity. "We were looking for the people and activity," said Dr. Warsak, "which happened to be at the American Express Building. They had food set up there for some of the rescue workers; they had cots there, and medical supplies. It almost looked like a pharmacy, with all the things you would need." Stunned by the devastation around them, and wearing respirators because of the uncertainty about air quality, the three men decided to set up shop. "The building's lobby was blown out. We actually took out shovels and brooms and cleaned out a 1 Ox 10 area to set up two adjustment tables. We found some cardboard, took a magic marker, and wrote "Chiropractic Care If Needed". We put one sign outside the building, and one inside where we were, to let people know we were there, if they needed us." As the day wore on, a line formed at the makeshift "clinic." Dr. Warsak estimated they took care of about 100 people that Sunday, including police officers, firemen, EMS workers, army rangers, iron workers, and construction workers. Dr. Garolis and Dr. Clarke returned to the area the following Tuesday and helped 300 people. Getting patient information and history was not the priority. "We all tried to do as best of a quick, cursory exam as we could under the circumstances," Dr. Warsak said. "We tried to get a history as far as a chief complaint. Most of the time we got, 'Everything hurts.'" Dr. Warsak remembers that most of the people they took care of were already chiropractic patients, and some were seeking relief for previous injuries and stress areas. Others, as many as 25%-to-30%, had never been to a chiropractor before. "They absolutely loved what we did for them," said Dr. Warsak. "Nine-out-of-ten got off the table and said they felt so much better." Although they had checked with the New York state licensing board and the malpractice insurance companies for clearances before heading to the city, the nagging question persisted of whether their presence was allowed in the area, since they hadn't obtained the official credentials. They stopped worrying about it as they continued to help grateful police officers who had no intention of arresting them. Dr. Warsak said most of the complaints were related to the physical and emotional stress and exertion. The rescuers were "very tired; a lot of these guys were there through the night, sleeping on cots in blown out office buildings. They were living there for the first weeR, working 16-hour shifts. They were doing most of the moving the first week or two, all by hand, and with buckets". The Spirit of Cooperation Compared to the work the rescue and recovery workers were doing—and even the amount of time other chiropractors and therapists have put in at the recovery site— Dr. Warsak felt his personal contribution was quite small. He is impressed, however, with the level of commitment of the chiropractic profession. "I did a very, very little thing, I feel, compared to what these rescue workers did. I just realized how much the chiropractic profession was there in this emergency situa-Continued on Page 28 ...from page 27 tion. There were a lot of chiropractors there that did a lot more than 1 did. Many more from NY and NJ volunteered and were there quite a few days." Upon leaving that Sunday, the doctors discovered two other teams of chiropractors had been working in the nearby vicinity. One New Jersey doctor ended up spending two weeks in the disaster area. By now, three months later, the images are still fresh to Dr. Warsak and everyone living in the New York City area. The brother of Dr. Warsak's sister-in-law died at the World Trade Center, along with one of his patients. In all, more than 100 people from his local area of Bergen County were lost. Through it all, Dr. Warsak shared his pride in the chiropractic profession, with how many fellow doctors went in to help and did all they could. "We all felt we wanted to do a little something," Dr. Warsak said. "What made me cry, as we were leaving the city that day, we got in the car and were heading home on West Side Highway. There were hundreds and hundreds of people lining the street, clapping and cheering, waving signs that said, 'You are our heroes. ' And they were doing that with anyone leaving the (rescue) area." "We were just trying to help, making the situation a little better for the rescuers, and our services were so appreciated by them." Nearly a Half Million in Chiropractor Donations Move Mountains-Of World Trade Center Rubble When Doshia "Shay" Goodwin first saw the mounds of debris at ground zero, II she wanted to do was to "dive right in and start swimming around to see if there was someone, anyone I could save." Shay is a customer service representative at Foot Levelers. Inspired by the calls she received from doctors in response to Foot Lcvelers' matching campaign for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief effort, Shay decided to do more than just give money and answer phones. So, she hopped in her Honda Civic and drove nonstop to New York. Among tears and smiles, she handed out water and granola, consoled victims, bagged DNA samples, sorted donations, and helped people fill out Search Forms. "I kept thinking how desperately the money was needed there. Everywhere I looked there were people just screaming-some out of despair, some out of joy, at the hope of finding someone alive. One family had a son that was inconsolable, and I asked them if I could help. They told me their apartment and everything they had was gone. Their car, which was parked underneath the building, was gone. They had no money to get to a city where they had family. They had nowhere to sleep, nojobs to go to, nothing except for the clothes on their backs. It was heartbreaking." Shay's words merely amplify the concerns that she and other Foot Levelers staffers heard on the phones from the chiropractic community during the two-week campaign. On the financial end alone, donations were received totaling over $452,555. Some of these donations represented entire groups of people, such as the national chiropractic associations, state chiropractic associations, chiropractic colleges, elementary schools, chiropractic clinics, practice management firms, civic groups, church groups, families, and more^xtending the total number of contributors to over 2,000. Foot Levelers announced the matching campaign on September 14, via e-mail and fax, and the calls to customer service started pouring in almost immediately. At first, the contributions came in from individuals. "But then a ripple effect started to happen," says Foot Levelers' President Kent S. Greenawalt. "As the word got out, leaders in the chiropractic community started making collections doing the same thing-they challenged the people around them with matching as well so that every dollar was doubly matched." One letter to Foot Levelers read, "Thank you for providing a vehicle for people to help. My husband is a police sergeant for the NYPD and he says you can't fully appreciate the destruction until you see it for yourself." "I wish that I could have somehow bottled up this feeling of unity to share at our next chiropractors'conference. When we started the campaign, I knew if any group in America could help, it would be the people in the chiropractic community. And I'm affirmed by what we have witnessed here in these last two weeks," says Greenawalt. "It was tremendous to see chiropractors emerge as leaders in their communities. The nearly half-million dollars is just the tangible result of so much caring. The acts of kindness that we heard are so inspiring." Greenawalt is referring to the numerous health fairs, low-cost (or no-cost) adjustments, and other fundraisers that chiropractors conducted to raise money for the fund. After giving blood, some chiropractors gave adjustments and massages to staffers at the non-stop blood drives. Editors and webmasters of chiropractic media announced the campaign on their websites, broadcasted it on their e-mail lists, and wrote about it in their publications. Another contributor wrote, "The service spirit of chiropractic has again touched me across the miles; not along the phone lines, but through the universal ties of innate that bind all of chiropractic together. In the past, my contributions were for the profession. This contribution is for America. " As Shay was driving home, she felt a surge of pride and peace. "I felt so glad to be a part of it all, working with a company that cares so much, in a profession that cares so much. And although I could not jump into the rubble and save anyone, the dollars that we have given as a profession have moved mountains."
