Adam Shaffer, chief of interpretation and education at the Flight 93 National Memorial, introduces a new exhibit, "Health Effects of 9/11," on Thursday at the memorial site near Shanksville, Somerset County.

It took years for Ginny Barnett to come to emotional terms with scenes of trauma she encountered in Shanksville and New York City when she responded as a Red Cross volunteer in the wake of 9/11.

"The first time I looked at the crash site here, I started to break down," Barnett recalled of her arrival at Shanksville the day after United Flight 93 came to an abrupt end in a Somerset County field. "That's when I realized I couldn't think about it. The only way I could get the work done was to keep all emotions at arm's length.

"That's how I coped."

Now, in her role as a volunteer ambassador at the Flight 93 National Memorial at Shanksville, she's helping to raise awareness of the thousands of other 9/11 survivors and responders who still are experiencing related physical and mental health problems.

The Unity resident last week attended a preview and briefing on "Health Effects of 9/11," an exhibit that opened Friday at the Flight 93 memorial site, so she can help visitors who view the display. Running through the end of May, it includes informational panels and videos and images that share the experiences of 9/11 survivors and responders.

"We're very excited to have this opportunity to get this story out to people who lived that day who might not be aware of the fact that Sept. 11 isn't quite over yet and for a new generation still trying to figure out what are the ramifications of that day," said Adam Shaffer, chief of interpretation and education at the Flight 93 site.

'Thousands of people'

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which developed the original version of the traveling exhibit, an estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants, risk of physical injury and physically and emotionally stressful conditions in the days, weeks and months following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City's World Trade Center.

It's estimated related attacks affected about 8,000 survivors and responders at the Pentagon and 1,000 or more people who responded to Shanksville, according to Anthony Gardner, public affairs specialist for the federal World Trade Center Health Program.

That program has enrolled more than 134,000 people who were present at one or more of the three 9/11 sites. Reaching out to others who could be eligible for the program's health monitoring and medical care is a primary reason the exhibit has gone on the road and why the Flight 93 site was selected as the first stop, Gardner said.

"There's probably thousands of people out there who have not made the connection between their 9/11 exposures on the day or in the aftermath and the illnesses that they're suffering from," he said. "9/11 isn't a static historic event. It's an event that continues to shape who we are, our communities and our country."

So far, 149 Shanksville responders have enrolled in the health program. Officials came to Shanksville to meet with about a dozen current or potential program participants this week and met with 40 the year before -- including firefighters and emergency management and law enforcement personnel.

Officials urged anyone who was present at one of the three 9/11 sites to register with the WTC health program and with the separate federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which provides financial awards for eligible 9/11-related physical injuries, illnesses or deaths.

The victim fund has more than 93,000 claims on file, including about 75 from Shanksville responders, and has made more than 60,000 awards, according to Stefanie Langsam, a deputy special master with the fund. It has paid about $15 billion in claims since 2011.

The WTC health program recognizes a list of eligible conditions that qualify for care including a range of cancers, respiratory ailments, acid reflux and post-traumatic stress disorder. Uterine cancer most recently was added to the list, Gardner said. A claimant for victim compensation must have their physical condition certified for treatment by the WTC program.

Gardner, who lives in New Jersey's Essex County, said his work for the health program is one way he honors his brother, Harvey, a 35-year-old information technology worker who was killed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center's North Tower.

"My children know him only through family stories and photos and videos," Gardner said. "He lives on through the work that we do, making sure all those people impacted by 9/11 are supported. That's how we keep his memory alive."

'The wake-up call'

Barnett did not sign up for help through the WTC health program but completed her journey of healing from the emotional toll stemming from her post-9/11 volunteerism.

During the two weeks each she spent at Shanksville and then in New York City, Barnett recalled, "I didn't look at the television. I didn't look at the papers. I removed myself from all conversations about what was found that day."

But that coping strategy had its cost.

"I didn't deal with it until around 2005, when my husband and I realized there were just some total blanks in my memory," Barnett said. "He had taken me to a concert, and I had no recollection of it. That was kind of the wake-up call."

She'd also been refusing repeated requests from staff at the Flight 93 memorial site to contribute her experiences as a responder to their oral history archives.

"There were four months of contacts before I said yes," she said. "And that was the beginning of my healing, to start to face all that I saw and did. After that, I truly believe God orchestrated everything that I did.

"When I was keeping everything at arm's length, I couldn't think about the individuals who were on board (Flight 93), but then I started to volunteer up here and I started to work on projects. I started to get to know family members and learn about their loved ones.

"Each step of the way, I went deeper and deeper into their personal lives and their stories, and now I get to serve here as an ambassador and I get to tell their story."