The Quiet Courage of Nurses and PSWs on 9/11

September 11, 2001 is remembered as a day of profound loss, but also of extraordinary courage. The world witnessed firefighters running into burning towers, paramedics rushing to aid the injured, and police officers maintaining order in chaos. Yet, among those who also played a vital role were nurses and personal support workers (PSWs). Their contributions may not have always made the headlines, but they were essential to survival, healing, and recovery in the days and months that followed.

The Critical Role of Nurses

Hospitals across New York City—St. Vincent’s, Bellevue, NYU Langone, and others, quickly filled with patients on 9/11. Nurses became anchors of calm amid chaos.

• Emergency Care: They handled triage, treated burns and smoke inhalation, managed respiratory crises, and tended to the injured as waves of survivors arrived. (National Library of Medicine)

• Emotional Support: Nurses comforted survivors, grieving families, and even their fellow responders, serving as steady presences in the face of heartbreak.

• Sustaining the System: Many worked through exhaustion, with scarce supplies, doing whatever was needed to keep hospitals and makeshift care centers functioning.

  
  

The Quiet Power of PSWs

PSW: known in the U.S. by titles such as nurse aides, home health aides, or caregivers—played quieter but vital roles in the aftermath.

• Supporting daily needs: In hospitals, shelters, and long-term care, PSWs assisted with bathing, feeding, mobility, and personal hygiene, providing dignity to those who had lost so much.

• Extending hospital capacity: By covering basic care tasks, they freed up nurses and doctors to focus on urgent medical interventions.

• Community Care: In homes and shelters, PSWs helped the elderly, displaced, and disabled who needed continuity of care amid crisis.

Their efforts fall within what the CDC’s World Trade Center Health Program defines as “related support services” an acknowledgment that caregiving roles were essential to the recovery process. (CDC WTC Handbook)

Shared Challenges and Sacrifices

Both nurses and PSWs paid a high price for their service.

• Toxic exposure: The collapse of the towers released a deadly mix of asbestos, glass, cement, and other toxins. Health monitoring programs now document long-term impacts like respiratory illness and cancers among healthcare and support staff. (Mount Sinai WTC Program)

• Emotional toll: Caring for survivors and grieving families left many with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. (PMC Research)

• Under-recognition: While nurses were praised but often overshadowed by first responders, PSWs remained even less visible, despite the dignity and relief they brought to patients.

Recognition and Support

The recognition of all who served after 9/11—including nurses and PSWs—has grown over time:

• The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 created the WTC Health Program, which now provides free medical monitoring, mental health care, and treatment for certified 9/11-related conditions to responders and support staff alike. (CDC)

• Mount Sinai’s Clinical Center of Excellence continues to treat healthcare workers and volunteers for both physical and mental health conditions tied to their 9/11 exposure. (Mount Sinai)

• Oral history archives at the 9/11 Memorial Museum and Stony Brook University preserve the voices of responders, nurses, and caregivers, ensuring their sacrifices are remembered. (911memorial.org)

Why Their Contributions Matter

• For survivors: They delivered not just medical aid but human dignity and comfort.

• For responders: Nurses and PSWs cared for the firefighters, police, and volunteers who sacrificed so much, sustaining their strength.

• For families: They stood beside those facing unimaginable loss, offering presence and compassion.

  
  

Their contributions remind us that resilience is built not only through dramatic heroism but also through steady care and compassion.

Conclusion

When we say “Never Forget,” it must include nurses and PSWs—those who wrapped wounds, held hands, prepared meals, and restored dignity amid despair. Their courage and compassion are part of the legacy of 9/11, reminding us that even in moments of profound darkness, care itself becomes an act of extraordinary bravery.