A series of counseling sessions began yesterday for almost 2,000 employees of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, many who fled the World Trade Center as it was under attack.
Three employees remain hospitalized in New York area burn units and nine employees are still listed as missing, spokesperson Soraya Rodriguez said. Twelve employees had been hospitalized following the attacks.
Two counseling sessions took place yesterday at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx and at a banquet facility in Long Island City. Senior management and grief counselors were on hand to discuss how the firm will continue to rebuild corporate operations and relocate the remaining 1,905 employees who worked at One World Trade Center. Transportation and other work force issues were also discussed, Rodriquez said.
A tribute was paid to those still missing and then employees broke into smaller groups to share stories, she said. A third session is scheduled to be held today at a hotel in Seacaucus, NJ.
“We’re just trying to get through the healing this week,” Rodriguez said. “Folks have really been hanging on to hope. It’s been really tough for folks. It’s going to be a slow process.”
With its headquarters in ruins, the company has set up operations from one of its facilities in Melville, NY. Some 200 senior management and support staff from One World Trade Center are operating from the site. The remainder of the outplaced employees will be brought back in stages to existing Empire locations across the state, Rodriguez said.
The firm is in early negotiations on 250,000 square feet of office space in the Metrotech complex in Brooklyn.
The location of Empire’s offices in the Twin Towers played a tremendous role in employee’s ability to escape the devastation. The offices were located on 10 floors in One World Trade Center–17, 19, 20, 23, 24 and 27 through 31.
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