At a recent awards ceremony sponsored by the Queens Courier newspaper and TD Bank, Queens Smoke-free Partnership awarded community leaders for their efforts in promoting tobacco control, especially among vulnerable populations such as children. The honorees included New York State Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn for legislation she introduced to prohibit subjecting a child to second-hand smoke in an automobile; Laura Cadorette, who helped to make her Jackson Heights Co-op smoke- free; health care advocacy organizations, the Korean Community Services and the Queens Health Coalition (QHC)for their work in reaching at-risk people to educate and assist in smoking cessation, understanding the tobacco industry’s use of advertising to promote smoking, especially among children and to encourage retailers not to display tobacco products among family-oriented items such as baby formula.
In accepting the award for her organization, Phyllis Shafran, Executive Director of the Queens Health Coalition challenged the audience of 100 by saying: “I ask anyone here in this room to come up with one good thing to say about smoking. You can’t! It cost lives, it’s expensive, and it’s smelly. For an organization such as ours, which is dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles, it’s a no-brainer that we would get involved. I urge everyone to do the same. If ever there were something that has no redeeming qualities, smoking is it. Let’s continue to work with the Smoke-free Partnership to help ensure that all New Yorkers are convinced of this.”
Pictured: Lorena Flores, QHC’s Senior Health Educator; Jessica Safier, Project Manager, Queens Smoke-free Partnership and Phyllis Shafran, Executive Director, QHC.
Get Your Game Up
The Queens Health Coalition (QHC) recently hosted its Teen Convention
at LaGuardia Community College. High School students throughout Queens
received helpful tips on healthy living from professionals who spoke
on a wide variety of topics ranging from driving safety, to smoking
cessation, to teen dating violence, to landing a dream job. The fifth
annual event is part of a program of QHC’s, funded by NYS Dept. of
Health/Division of Family Health, entitled the Comprehensive Prenatal
and Perinatal Services Network.
As Phyllis Shafran, QHC's Executive Director noted: “Many of these
teenagers are at-risk of making poor health and social choices which
will adversely affect their entire lives. We want them to know that
they have options. We don't want them to become another tragic
statistic because of drinking and driving on prom night. We don't want
them to regret having smoked those cigarettes when they reach age 30.
And, we want them to understand that they don't have to give in to
peer pressure! Abstinence is still the best deterrent to STDs, HIV and
unplanned births. Indeed, the message here today is simple: you can't
be on the top of your game, unless you make wise choices that keep you
in play.”
For more information concerning health and social issues for young
adults call the Queens Health Coalition at 718-762-0346.
The staff of QHC: Surinder Sandal, Phyllis Shafran, Gina Porras Quiroz, Karin Lamhaour, Moona Syed and Lorena Flores
Students register at the QHC table for a seat in the auditorium and to receive free lunch and prizes.
Students at the exhibit area, receiving valuable information and giveaways from more than one dozen health and social service providers.
In the auditorium, students were part of an interactive program in which they role played and won prizes.
Helping Create An Inclusive Society
Queens Forum Conference on Role and Responsibility of Ethnic and Local Media
The Queens Forum, a partnership of LaGuardia Community College and
CAUSE-NY, the intergroup relations division of the Jewish Community
Relations Council of NY, recently held a conference to discuss the
role and responsibility of ethnic and local media. It was part of an
ongoing series dedicated to “Creating an Inclusive Society.” This
program was held in conjunction with Immigrant Heritage Week, a
project of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs. The Queens
Forum will host a Fall 2010 follow-up conference concentrating on
health care.
Panelists included (picture attached): Claudia Cruz, Editor, El
Correo; Marcia Comrie, Founding Editor and Associate Publisher, Press
of Southeast Queens; Renee Lobo, Producer and Anchor, ITV; Tina Lee,
Managing Director, World Journal; Rafael Nektalov, Editor-in-Chief,
Bukharian Times; Sam Sangki Han, President and Founder, The Korean
Channel; and Ranjit Singh, Regional Manager, Chardikala. The moderator
was Michael Nussbaum, Associate Publisher, Queens Tribune.
Among the community groups attending the conference was the Queens
Health Coalition (QHC). QHC’s Executive Director, Phyllis Shafran is
on the Queen Forum Steering Committee that helped plan this event
(pictured attached with QHC staff members Surinder Sandal and Gina
Quiroz). Ms. Shafran noted: “A large part of our job is outreach. We
try to connect people in need of health and social services with care
providers. But especially in Queens, the most culturally diverse
county in the nation, ethnic and local media play a vital role in
reaching segments of our population that would otherwise be isolated
and underserved. The message today is two-fold: community
organizations should understand the significant role that this media
can play in helping to achieve their mission, and ethnic and local
media must accept responsibility in helping to engage the people often
left in the margins of our society.”
Cuts To Health Care Making Us Sick
Protest State Public Health Care Cuts
A recent rally was held at Bellevue Hospital to protest proposed state
cuts to health care, felt especially hard by public hospitals and
other public health care providers. Public hospitals, for example,
stand to lose $68 million this year and up to $100 million over 3
years. Speakers addressing the more that 1000 attendees represented
the NYC Health and Hospital Corporation, community-based
health-related organizations, labor, and patients including: Alan
Aviles, President of the Health and Hospital Corporation; Lillian
Roberts, President of DC 37, the City’s largest municipal workers
union; and Arthur Cheliotes, President of the Communications Workers
of America, Local 1188.
Among the most passionate speeches were those from patients and
relatives who pondered their fate without having the service of public
facilities such as Bellevue. Nearly every speaker noted with alarm
the negative impact that the recent closing of two hospitals in Queens
and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan will have. Fear of patient
overload on the part of those public facilities who take on the
disenfranchised patients in their community, leading to the possible
disruption or elimination of services, was a concern echoed throughout
the 1 hour rally.
Phyllis Shafran, Executive Director of the Queens Health Coalition
attended the event and noted: “My organization links those in need of
health and social services with care providers. We help save lives
and money. However, when there are fewer providers for the public to
access, not just the individual in need is affected. The disease
untreated, the pregnancy without prenatal care and the elderly
caregiver without respite care make us all vulnerable. Indeed, these
cuts to health care are sickening!”
Phyllis Shafran, Executive Director, Queens Health Coalition.
At the podium, LaRay Brown, Senior VP, NYC Health and
Hospital Corp for Intergovernmental Relations. Speakers gathered in
back of Ms. Brown are: Lillian Roberts, President of DC 37(second from
Ms. Brown’s left); Alan Aviles, President, Health and Hospital Corp.
(second on her right); and (also on the right, at the end) Arthur
Cheliotes, President of the Communications Workers of America.
Calling All High School Students learn how to
GET YOUR GAME UP!
at the fifth annual
Teen Convention
Monday, May 3rd 10:00am-2:00pm
LaGuardia Community College
E-BUILDING, LITTLE THEATER, 2nd Floor
31-10 Thomson Avenue
Long Island City, New York 11101
Presented by Comprehensive Prenatal and Perinatal Services Network, a program of
Queens Health Coalition
your link to quality health care
Hear Guest Speakers On Topics That Matter To You:
*Healthy Relationships*Self-Esteem*Stereotyping
*Making good social choices*Plan your future*
*Healthy lifestyles*Able body, able mind and much more
Everything FREE!
Refreshments, Music, Gifts
For more information call Queens Health Coalition
718-762-0346
Ask for Lorena ext. 12 or Gina ext. 11
Funded by the NYS Department of Health, Division of Family Health
Queens Health Coalition Joins Smoke-free Partnership
The Queens Health Coalition has joined forces with the Queens Smoke-free Partnership to combat exposure to second-hand smoke.
At a recent press conference convened by Queen Borough President Helen
Marshall, Queens elected leaders and community-based organizations met
to pledge support for a new initiative funded by the New York State
Tobacco Control Program aimed at reducing tobacco-related death and
disease. 25,000 tobacco-related deaths are recorded in New York State
annually.
In addition to targeting second-hand smoke, another key component of
this program is to defend children against tobacco addiction. An
estimated 6,000 children living in Queens smoke, and one-third will
die prematurely.
Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn, a member of the Health Committee,
announced that she has introduced legislation to protect children
under the age of 16 from exposure to second-hand smoke while traveling
in a car. She was joined by the bill’s Co-sponsors Assembly members
Grace Meng and David Weprin. The bill calls for heavy fines for
drivers smoking with minors present. Underscoring the need for this
legislation is a California Environmental Agency’s report which stated
that exposure to closed car smoking is comparable to firefighters’
exposure to four to eight hours of fighting a wildfire.
Phyllis Shafran, Executive Director of the Queens Health Coalition,
said: “Just ask anyone if there’s one good thing that can be said
about smoking. I’m sure we’d all agree: Smoking kills, smoking is
expensive, smoking stinks! Yet, 15.5% of Queens residents still do
it. Our organization is dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles by
making healthy choices, so it’s natural that we would join the efforts
of Queens Smoke-free Partnership and applaud the responsible
leadership of our elected officials who understand that nothing
positive can come from smoking. We are confident that this
collaborative effort will protect the vulnerable and save lives.”
For more information on joining this program or on programs for
smoking cessation, call Smoke-free Partnership at 718-520-4922 or the
Queens Health Coalition at 718-762-0346.
Pictured: Phyllis Shafran, Executive Director, Queens Health
Coalition; Jessica Safier, Program Manager, Queens Smoke-free
Partnership; Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn; Helen Marshall, Queens
Borough President; Dan Carrigan, Program Director, Queens Smoke-free
Partnership; Assembly members Grace Meng and David Weprin.
OMG! TEXT4BABY
The Queens Health Coalition (QHC) is a proud partner of text4baby, which is the largest national mobile health initiative to date, launched by an unprecedented group of public and private partners, including the White House, the Health and Human Services, Johnson and Johnson, Voxiva and CTIA Wireless Foundation.
Each year in the US, over 500,000 babies are born prematurely and an estimated 28,000 children die before their first birthday, signifying a national public health crisis. Text4baby is a free mobile text message information service designed to help women in having safe and healthy pregnancies by providing them with information they need to give their babies the best possible start in life. Text4baby is an educational program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB). Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY to 511411 (or BEBE for Spanish) will receive three free SMS messages each week timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth. These messages focus on a variety of topics critical to maternal and child health: birth defects prevention, immunization, nutrition, seasonal flu, mental health, oral health, and safe sleep among others.
With over 1 trillion SMS text messages sent in the U.S. last year and texting use disproportionately higher among women of childbearing age and minority populations, text messaging represents an enormous and as yet untapped channel for delivering this vital health information to those who need it most. The goal of text4baby is to address a critical national health priority through the use of mobile health technology and demonstrate a new model for reaching and engaging underserved populations and promoting healthy behavior
For additional information or to find out how to become involved with this initiative, please contact Rose at the Queens Health Coalition, 718-762-0346x14, rdorvily@qhcnyc.org or visit the text4baby website: www.nyc.gov/health/pregnancy.
QHC Celebrates The Year Of The Tiger
For the Queens Health Coalition (QHC), Happy New Year’s greetings, did not end January 1st. This community-based non-profit that links health care providers with those in need of care, recently welcomed Chinese New Year celebrants to its office to help usher in the Year of the Tiger. As QHC’s Executive Director Phyllis Shafran noted: “At QHC cultural diversity is among our greatest assets and we delighted to share in the richness of all ethnic groups. Indeed, we are proud of our multi-lingual staff and the diversity they represent which helps us to achieve our mission of serving the underserved communities of Queens, often at-risk due to their inability to navigate the system.”
For information about QHC call 718-762-0346
Helping Haiti
Queens Health Coalition’s Program Director, Rose Marie Dorvily, lent a helping hand to assist victim’s of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. Born in Haiti, many members of Ms. Dorvily’s family and friends felt the earthquake’s wrath, first-hand. Traveling back to her homeland in part to bring her mother to the United States from her hard-hit town, Rose was enlisted by the Haitian Consulate in New York to help coordinate activities to aid victims in Haiti. “The degree of destruction was overwhelming, but so too, was the spirit of the Haitian people to rebuilt and go on. Matched with this, were the many volunteers willing to band together to save lives and help to ease the pain, physically and emotionally,” said Rose upon her return.
Phyllis Shafran, QHC’s Executive Director noted: “We’re an organization dedicated to helping people and Rose’s efforts represent the ultimate application of our mission. I commend her and the volunteers who are succeeding in making a tragedy into a lesson in the kindness of strangers, the resolve of the human spirit and the difference that an individual can make in the lives of so many.”
For more information call Rose at: 718-762-0346 extension 14.
A group of 28 volunteers (doctors and nurses) at Atlanta Airport ready to board the plane flying to Haiti to offer their help. Once in the country, Rose Dorvily dispatched the group into several hospitals and clinics in order to help the many victims who are suffering and waiting for services.
Rose Dorvily at The “World Harvest New Life Children’s Home”, an orphanage converted into a pediatric discharge facility to receive the injured children or children after surgery because they lost their family and have no one to take care of them. Rose worked with the medical team of the University of Miami Hospital offering post-surgery follow up to the children.
Grandma the "Techie"
Thanks to a project of the Queens Health Coalition (QHC) entitled: Junior-SeniorPartnership, 15 young adults met with 15 older adults to swap information on communications. For the oldsters’ part, they reminisced about pre-high tech days: no cell phones, no computers, no text messaging. As one senior recalled: “In those days, you looked for a quarter and a pay phone; Google was just a dream and instantly knowing what your friend was up to, was unheard of and would be thought of as more information than you needed to know.” The teens were aghast! To them, a world without immediate communications; the need to own a library card and not sharing your every thought, every minute seemed, well, primitive.
Most of the older adults did admit that regardless of the simplicity and charm of “the good old days” they would gladly take on the trappings of this “new tech age” except for one problem: despite countless gifts of BlackBerrys, PCs and Sidekicks from their sons and daughters, few really understand how to work them.
As Phyllis Shafran, Executive Director of QHC noted: “This is where the great value of the Junior-Senior Partnership is seen. While the teens welcomed the stories of surviving time-delayed information and the art of personal communications, the seniors left that day with email accounts set up, learning to Twitter and how to find the side effects of their new medication on Google.”
The next Junior-Senior Partnership program is being planned for mid-March. Participants receive a stipend, a MetroCard and refreshments. For more information call Moona at 718-762-0346 extension #13 or Lorena at extension #12.
Queens Health Coalition conducts the Junior-Senior Partnership, hosted by partnering agency, Voces Latinas of Sunnyside
Queens Health Coalition your link to quality care Call Us: 718-762-0346
