Rx’s From Around The World In Queens

By Noah Zuss
Queens is an international hotbed of culture. With nearly every language in the world spoken within its variety of neighborhoods, people from all over the Earth come here to live, strive to succeed and lead healthy lives.

There are several hundred pharmacies in New York’s largest borough serving nearly all the cultures of the world. From unorthodox Eastern healing to traditional Western medicinal techniques, Queens is home to health remedies from all over the world.

This pharmacy in Forest Hills serves the borough’s Russian immigrant population.

To remain healthy, residents in Queens from diverse backgrounds use different means, different pharmacies and different philosophies. Some are traditional Western medicinal techniques, like the ones employed by most Russian Pharmacies.

When Russian immigrants arrive in America, one thing that is instantly recognizable is the pharmacy, or ‘Anteka,’ as it is called.

Roman Kheit, a Russian speaking émigré from Ukraine, appreciates this. When he first arrived in the United States in 1996, the first thing he says he worried about was communicating his needs in this new, unknown country.

“I was worried that I would get sick and no one would be able to understand how to help me,” he said. “Now I know that help is not far, all I would have to do is go to my local pharmacy where they speak my language and I will be ok.”

This natural anxiety is normal, and understandable. Moving an ocean away can cause much nervousness, but fortunately for scores of immigrants like Roman help is available.

Roman found help at the KS pharmacy in Rego Park.

“They made me feel really comfortable, I was sick with a cold like a month after I arrived and I was worried. So I went to my Anteka and they helped me a lot. They gave me a traditional Russian tea that I drink when I am sick, that was a big relief.”

Not just Russian immigrants face the problem of searching for care when sick.
Adil Raman, an Iranian émigré from Tehran fled to the United States during the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and has made a home in Queens. He is now a high school teacher and says that when he first arrived there were many less health care options.

“Back then I would go to doctor and they would not understand my problems,” he said. A cultural barrier to talking about certain problems also kept Raman from being completely honest with medical professionals.

“In my family, in my way of life, we didn’t talk about certain things, it could be construed as a sign of weakness, like you were less of a man,” he said.

Included in this category were discussions around issues of prostate health and heart attack.

“In my country back then, people didn’t want to talk about prostate. It was like your manhood was insulted if you let a doctor feel you there. It was in America that I learned from Western Doctors that it’s so much better to be safe than sorry,” Raman said.

All men can relate to the uncomfortable feeling of a stranger examining them, but that is the price to stay healthy today, and not a hefty one.

Personal Chefs Create Healthy Meals For A Price
By Noah C. Zuss
All health fads seem to emerge then recede quickly. New information on eating and healthy dieting come and go without much longevity. But the move towards wiser, designer eating is here to stay, according to doctors and personal chefs from around Queens.

Ideally, most people would like to be healthy and glamorous looking like celebrities that parade down the red carpet on Oscar Night. Unfortunately a perfect body requires strict dieting, stringent exercise and the money to pay for it all.

Chefs from nypersonalchefs.com want to cook for you.

Personal cooking services have become more available over the last decade, but employing a full-time personal chef remains out of the reach of most. Many of the healthiest things people can do are within their own reach and based on personal choice.

Doctors say that in our maniacal quest for thinness we can forget to do normal things to help meet our goals.

Simple things like eating fruits and vegetables, keeping away from fast-food and greasy treats and watching the size of portions we eat can all go a long way towards maintaining a healthy weight.

In fact, nypersonalchefs.com, a Web service that matches customer’s preferences to personal chef’s by area recommends the service because of its convenience. The Web site claims that by having others cook for you, busy adults will have more free time to spend with family, on personal projects or just relaxing.

The Web site recommends the service for busy professionals, families on the go, people with special dietary needs, affluent seniors.

Mitch Crandall, a spokesman for the company, said that while the service may be expensive, appearance fees for culinary creators range from $200 to $500 per meal and up, it is worth it on many levels. Included in the sales pitch for the services is a thorough waxing on the benefits of having someone else cook for you. If these positives were not obvious already, they will be hammered home.

“Imagine having 5, 10 or 20 percent more free time because you don’t have to worry about cooking. That is an amazing amount of less stress. What personal chef’s do is liberate people from their kitchens,” Crandall said.

Framed in this way it becomes a quality of life issue. Not just from the standpoint of what you eat and how much of your time is taken up cooking, but also what kind of lifestyle people can afford.

Queens is full of busy working professionals that get home late. They are tired and dreading the stove, but have no other choice than to cook. Many of these people cannot afford the luxury of a personal chef, and often opt for faster, less healthy dinner options.

Tapping into this fertile market are companies like Zone Chef’s and Fresh Direct that deliver pre-cooked meals to hungry customers.

These meals are not all the same and most doctors say that customers should use caution.

“When eating anything pre-made a person should not assume that it is healthier just by definition,” said Milton Friedman, a family doctor in Brooklyn. “These companies claim that they are cooking healthy meals for you, but if you don’t know what oils are being used or how mach fat and sodium is present, it may not, in fact be any healthier. Less time consuming, yes, but not always better for you.”

So the jury is still out on the benefits of personal chefs for the non-wealthy. Sure, we all would like to live in Miami, eat perfect food prepared by our friend the chef and not have to concern ourselves with monitoring out saturated fat intake.

But in reality we have to worry about those things and for the majority of Queens residents the next way to stay in shape remains getting regular checkups, exercising often and, of course, watching what we put into our bodies.

Choosing A Trainer Is A Personal Choice
By Liz Skalka
She runs Queens Adventure Boot Camp, and has a lot of advice for people seeking personal trainers.

Rebecca Wenner, a certified personal trainer, runs an all-women’s group that meets in Queens and helps women of any fitness level reach their goals.

But people looking for a different approach to fitness might want to try one-on-one sessions with a personal trainer, which Wenner also does.

At Rebecca Wenner’s boot camp women motivate each other.

People generally find trainers through word of mouth or referrals. They also come across trainers through the Internet, which is how many have found Wenner and learned about her services.

It’s important to find a trainer that you work well with. Sometimes, people only come across a good trainer through trial and error.

“There needs to be a good chemistry between the client and the trainer for success,” Wenner said. “The trainer has to be able to motivate that person.”

Trainers need to evaluate the goals and experience of the person they’re working with.

“They would take time to talk to you and find out what your goals are rather than just training you,” Wenner said. “Some people want to get healthy, some people want their bodies to look a certain way.”

A trainer should also be a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine or the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. This proves they’ve taken a test and gone through a course on personal training.

‘There’s a lot of anatomy and physiology that needs to be known in order to become a certified personal trainer,” Wenner said.

Unless a personal trainer is also certified in nutrition, they generally won’t help you with a diet plan. Wenner, however, is a certified nutrition coach, though she said she usually refers people to an endocrinologist to evaluate their metabolisms. She generally advises people to eat balanced meals and to stay away from fast food.

People can either find a personal trainer through a gym or find one who works privately. Wenner said using a trainer through a gym is usually more cost efficient and ensures that you’re working with someone with their paperwork in order.

“Going through a gym you’re going to ensure your personal trainer is certified, they’ll be accessible to you and you’ll get the best rate,” Wenner said.

She added, however, “Many clients don’t like the gym, so that’s when hiring a private trainer is also an option.”

Wenner works privately and also offers online personal training sessions, which for $50 a month gets you a customized fitness routine and e-mail check-ins from Wenner.

“It’s really a one-on-one program just through the Internet,” she said. “It takes a little bit more discipline.”

But overall, Wenner is concerned about “making each client go through their experiences and their goals, making each program personal to the client.”
For more information about Wenner and her services, visit www.queensbootcamp.com.

Dieticians Can Instruct More Than What To Eat
by Liz Skalka
There are a variety of reasons why people seek the help of dieticians. You could be looking to lose or gain weight, or maybe you suffer from a condition that requires you to follow a strict diet.

When you realize it’s the food you eat that may affect how you feel, it might be time to visit a dietician, said Susan Ornstein, MS, RD, CDN, whose practice is based in Bayside.

“Doctors may have told them they need to lose weight and they’ve tried everything else,” Ornstein said of people who seek the help of dieticians. “They’re just looking for something else that would help them.”

Ornstein said most of the clients that come to her are either diabetic and need special help planning meals or are looking to lose weight. She pointed out that the hardest people to work with are actually those looking to gain weight.

Most people locate dieticians through word of mouth or through the American Dietetic Association, Ornstein said, which has a database of certified dieticians throughout the country on its Web site. To find a dietician in your area, visit www.eatright.org and click “Find a Nutrition Professional.”

Ornstein noted people seeking diet guidance should always work with someone who has the proper credentials. Dieticians should have an “RD” after their names, which means “registered dietician” and indicates they are registered with the American Dietetic Association and have completed certain training. In New York State, dieticians should also have a “CDN” after their names, meaning they are recognized by the state as a “certified dietician-nutritionist.”

Ornstein said people should work with “someone who has credentials, someone who they feel comfortable talking to, someone who sounds like they know what they’re talking about.”

She pointed out that it’s important to find a dietician who talks about more than food, and to work with someone who is emotionally supportive.

“To find out how a person eats, it could entail beyond eating to find out what their situation is, other things that affect their eating lifestyle,” Ornstein said.

She added, “Most people are emotional eaters. I’m asking about how they’re eating but in between I ask about other stuff.”

Sessions with a dietician can occur anywhere from once a week to once a month, Ornstein said. They include working on a meal plan and also encouraging exercise.

“It’s very individual,” she said. “Some people really don’t know what to do and some people come to me because it’s like a crutch, because it’s a motivation.”

Some insurances cover sessions with a dietician and some do not. Some providers will only cover you if you are a diabetic seeking the council of a dietician. For more information, contact your insurance provider. Ornstein said she will also negotiate prices with people who are paying out of pocket.


Jamaica Hospital Keeps Kids’ Hearts Beating
By MICHAEL CUSENZA
The small television sat atop the black mobile audio/visual equipment cart near the windows on the far wall. The volume was dialed down, but Simba, Timon and Pumbaa still flickered across the screen, captivating passersby in the auditorium at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Children, parents and even medical staff clad in pristine white lab coats paused to give Disney’s “The Lion King” a second look.

Dr. Jayendra Sharma (second from l.) visits his patient, Ashley, and her parents Beronica Flores and Ismael Osorio.

It was Thursday. Valentine’s Day. An annual affair marked by flowers, chocolate and hearts – lots of red and pink heart-shaped ballons, boxes and candy.

But it was more than a Hallmark holiday for the dozens of pediatric cardiology patients in attendance. They were there to reunite with Dr. Jayendra Sharma, the heart surgeon that helped keep their little tickers ticking.

Sharma, 46, is the director of pediatric cardiology at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The native of India and his staff treat eight to 10 complex heart defects every year, in addition to numerous smaller structural defects of the heart, including Atrial Septal Defect, Ventricular Septal Defect, Patent Ductus Arteriosus and Coarctation.

Sharma, who studied medicine in India but completed his internship and residency in the U.S., has been working with children for 10 years.

“The kind of satisfaction you get [with pediatric cardiology], you don’t get with any other branch of cardiology,” Sharma said. “You are able to do certain things that other people are not able to do.”

According to JHMC, More than half of the children with heart defects are diagnosed in the prenatal stage by fetal echocardiograms. The risk factors in an expecting mother include: diabetes, a history of congenital heart disease in the family, connective tissue disorders, and/or abnormal fetal scan and chromosomal anomalies.

Sharma said that though defects differ, the approach to care remains categorical.

“You fix it in a way that it can function like a normal heart,” he said. “That’s why we do stage surgeries.”

After the surgical process, all patients need regular follow-ups, on a periodic basis, depending upon their individual health.

“One of the big advantages with pediatrics is the kids don’t remember the surgeries,” Sharma noted.

Beronica Flores, 23, mother of 5-year-old Ashley, said her daughter’s ventricle defect was discovered in the womb. She said that while she was anxious about her first child’s illness, Dr. Sharma has been a tremendous help in many ways.

“He’s there for everything – anything I need,” Flores said with a grateful smile.

Gina Alvarez has been Sharma’s patient for 10 years, since she arrived in New York from her native Ecuador. Now a healthy and vibrant 18-year-old, Alvarez thanked Sharma in a heartfelt address to the audience.

“I don’t see him as my doctor,” she said of Sharma, “but as a friend and a father to me.”


Queens Walks Miles To Fight Cancer
By Liz Skalka
Looking for a way to stretch your legs while supporting an essential cause? Relay for Life is the activity for you.

Relay for Life is sponsored by the American Cancer Society and seeks to raise money and awareness for cancer research. More than 3.5 million people nationwide will participate this year in Relay for Life.

2007 Relay for Life team of Forest Hills.

In Queens Relay for Life will take place in the coming months in Jamaica, Fresh Meadows, Richmond Hill, Corona, Bayside, Floral Park, Cambria Heights, College Point and Middle Village.

Relay for Life is to celebrate those who have survived cancer, to remember those lost to the disease and to fight back against it. Money raised will go toward helping the American Cancer Society in its mission of eliminating cancer as a major health issue and to support services in local communities.

To sign up for the event, visit www.relayforlife.org and click “Find Relay Events.” If you enter your zip code, you will be directed to the Web site for your local walk. You can either sign up, start a team or join a team. Once you sign up, you will be given online login information.

If you do not have Internet access, contact the Queens American Cancer Society offices. They are located at 41-60 Main St. in Flushing and 97-77 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park and can be reached at (718) 886-8890 and (718) 263-2224 respectively.

There is no minimum fundraising requirement for the event, though the Society recommends each participant set a goal to raise $100. The only requirement for Relay for life is a $10 registration fee.

The next Relay for Life event taking place in Queens is Relay for Life of St. John’s University, which already has 57 teams signed up and has raised $3,116. The event will take place at 5 p.m., April 4 at and will cover .84 miles.

Pre-registration for Relay for Life of St. John’s University continues until March 1, and people registered by this time will receive a free Relay for Life T-shirt. From March 2 to March 20 participants need to raise $75 to get an event T-shirt. Registration will be increased to $20 after March 21.

If you’re interested in learning more about the event at St. John’s, email stjohns.university.relay@cancer.org, or call (718) 263-2225 ext. 5538.

After this, the next Queens relay will be Relay for Life of Shea Stadium taking place May 17. For more information about this relay, email shea.stadium.relay@cancer.org, or call (718) 263-2225 ex. 5526.

For more information about Relay for Life, visit www.relayforlife.org.


Man’s Life Saved By Unknown Organ Donor
By Sasha Austrie
Mark La Rose was just about to board the E Train and disappear into a throng of straphangers when he received the call he had patiently awaited. There was a kidney and pancreas available for his ailing body.

“I was happy to get the good news,” La Rose said. “But at the same time, I was sad because someone had passed. I prayed about it.”

He knows nothing about his donor, other than this person spared his life and his son’s future.

Since the age of 13, La Rose has struggled with an insulin dependency when he acquired juvenile diabetes.

“I always believed that there would be a cure for diabetes,” the 47-year-old said.

In 2004, with no cure insight La Rose’s body was fighting a losing battle. His diabetes had progressed and his worst fears were surfacing—kidney failure. La Rose said he was told by his doctor that his creatine levels were rising and approaching levels tantamount to kidney failure.

“I was tired and exhausted,” he said. “I was devastated. Kidney failure was my greatest fear.”

La Rose said he had to change his lifestyle or face dialysis, which he said would cause him to lose his independence.

“I was placed on vitamin D and calcium,” La Rose said. “I had some real growing pains. I was mostly hungry all the time.”

After 13 months on a severe diet, La Rose would finally have his life back with the organ donation.

“The donor made a great wish,” La Rose said. “I have respect for the family to follow the donor’s wishes. It is the most humble thing an individual can do.”

La Rose was one of the lucky ones- because of his deteriorating condition he was fast tracked to the head of the donor list.

According to a press release from the New York Organ Donor Network, “The stark truth is that on average 17 people die each day in the United States while waiting for life-saving transplants.”

The release goes on to say that five in 17 that die awaiting transplants are black. In celebration of Black History Month and life, the Donor Network “is dramatically seeking to increase the number of organ and tissue donors during Black History Month. It is asking every New Yorker of African origin to become a donor.”

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, there are 27,797 blacks waiting for organ transplants across the United States. In New York State, there are 2,669 alone.

“The largest need for transplantation in the black community is for kidneys, with more than 2,400 individuals waiting in New York State,” UNOS states.

La Rose said that although blacks are the ones most in need of transplants they are least likely to donate.

“In 2007, of the 322 deceased organ donors in the greater New York metropolitan area, a total of 82 were African-American,” states the release.

La Rose said the reason many don’t donate their organs is because of “myths and fears,” that are unfounded. He said many blacks believe that if nurses and doctors know of their donor status they would cease to help. He also said there are fears that blacks would be overlooked.

“I don’t think that I’m better than the next person,” La Rose said.

La Rose didn’t face an uncertain life alone. His son Stephen walked every mile with him. While his father faced kidney failure, he faced losing the only living parent he had.

“It relives a lot of pressure on my part,” Stephen said of the transplant. “It was hard for me. I had to wake up in the middle of the night to see if he was OK. I wanted to make sure I did my part to be there for him.”

La Rose said the transplant has drastically improved his life.

“It is a positive thing to do,” La Rose said of organ donation. “It saves lives. It saved my life.”

He said that he and his son recently spent a weekend in England to view a soccer match between their rival teams. He is even thinking of getting back into the dating game.

“Family members make the ultimate decision,” La Rose said. “Donors make the ultimate choice.”

Doc At LIJ To Treat Neurosurgical Diseases
Mark Eisenberg, MD, an expert in the treatment of all neurosurgical diseases, with an expertise in skull base, pituitary and minimally invasive spine surgeries, has been appointed chief of neurosurgery at LIJ Medical Center and the hospital’s director of the neurosurgery residency program.

Dr. Mark B. Eisenberg

Dr. Eisenberg joined the full-time faculty of the North Shore-LIJ Health System in 2005 when it established the Harvey Cushing Institutes of Neuroscience. He has been an attending neurosurgeon at LIJ and North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) since 1996.

A leader in the areas of endoscopic pituitary and skull base surgery, Dr. Eisenberg directs the skull base surgery program at the Harvey Cushing Institutes of Neuroscience. He also is an active member of the Neurosurgery Division of the Spine Institute of the Cushing Institutes. Currently, Dr. Eisenberg is the only fellowship trained skull base surgeon in Queens and Long Island.

“Dr. Eisenberg brings to LIJ not only his expertise in the field of skull base and neurospinal surgery, but his leadership skills and strong relationships with area neurosurgeons and other physicians that will enable him to build neurosurgery programs at LIJ and at the other health system facilities,” said Thomas Milhorat, MD, chairman of neurosurgery at LIJ and NSUH, and director of the Harvey Cushing Institutes of Neuroscience.

In his new position at LIJ, Dr. Eisenberg will help strengthen neurosurgical programs in the areas of pediatrics, spine surgery, brain tumors and epilepsy. In addition, Dr. Eisenberg will spearhead efforts to develop the first neurosurgical step-down unit at LIJ.

Dr. Eisenberg received his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completed his residency in neurosurgery at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Following residency, he completed a skull base surgery fellowship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences with Ossama Al-Mefty, MD, one of the leading pioneers of skull base surgery in the world. While in Arkansas, he also worked closely with the father of modern microneurosurgical techniques, M. Gazi Yasargil, MD. Dr. Eisenberg is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at New York University.

Dr. Eisenberg is a frequent lecturer and teaches courses about skull base surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery. He has an extensive bibliography including his textbook, The Cavernous Sinus, A Comprehensive Text. Dr. Eisenberg is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgery, the AANS/CNS Joint Section of Tumors, and the North American Skull Base Society.

Hospital Translation Services Can Save A Life
By Noah C. Zuss
It’s every patient’s worst nightmare.

Upon arriving at the emergency room of your local hospital, you are unable to speak with medical professionals because an accident has left you unconscious. Now imagine being able to communicate, but doctors not understanding your words because of a language barrier.

Jamaica Hospital employs translators to help non-English speakers.

This was the fear thousands of Queens’ residents experienced regularly on their way to the emergency room before 2006.

Diversity is a great thing for a city. But, with the benefits of a diverse population also come the challenges.

The 2000 Census found that 47 percent of all New York City households speak a language other than English at home and one in four New Yorkers do not speak English. As the City’s demographics have changed dramatically through the years, criticisms about access to health care for immigrants have intensified.

To address fears of a lack of access to translation in an emergency, Albany handed down regulations in 2006 that require all New York State hospital’s to provide comprehensive translation services onsite to patients.

Michael Hinck, Spokesperson for Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, claims that there were always interpretation services available, they were just all voluntarily based. He says the only major change was that comprehensive translation services are now required.

“As a hospital we are held to the highest standards,” he said. “There were always lesser levels of translation available, now we are required by limited English proficiency standards to provide comprehensive translation services.”

In the past, most patients were able to bring a family member or other person along to serve as an interpreter, but to maximize efficacy in an emergency, interpretative services are now required at all hospitals.

More stringent laws in the Empire State requiring translation were necessary to address this issue.

Relying on a well-intentioned relative proved problematic, and often failed to deliver the highest quality medical care. A relative may hesitate to share upsetting information, or fail to reveal information crucial to making a prognosis.

Maria Goncalves is a volunteer translator in Jamaica, and has worked at the hospital as a financial investigator for over a decade. She completed the course to become a certified medical translator three years ago, and since then helped so many patients and their families, but a few stick out as incredibly memorable.

“I have helped so many patients and their families, it has become routine. One man came in with chest pains and was taking all these medication that were not helping. We contacted his family and it turns out this patient had heart surgery previously. We were able to contact the family and get him the care he needed.”

She works closely with the Language Assistance Program, a hospital department where patients can access translation in 30 languages, to ensure non-English speakers are well taken care of while in the hospital.

“There have been so many times in the past when a patient came in with family members and the patient wouldn’t speak freely or something would get misinterpreted,” she said. “It’s necessary (translation) because patients in the emergency room are nervous and there are communication problems. This program helps doctors and patients communicate and bridge together. It makes me feel good personally because I have family members that don’t speak English. Professionally it feels great because I was able to help someone in need.”


Flushing Hospital Offers Many Services
Founded in 1884 as Queens’ first hospital, Flushing Hospital has always taken pride in the services its been able to offer the community, and as another year continues, it has shown that its commitment to the culturally diverse Flushing community remains the same.

Flushing Hospital currently serves a community of over 1.9 million residents and has over 40 general and specialty clinics, including Internal and Pediatric Medicine, Ophthalmology, Podiatry, OB/GYN, Dentistry, and Mental Health, to name a few.

In recent years, several departments have upgraded their facilities, expanded their services, and implemented new programs in order to provide patients with superior services.

The Department of Pediatrics at Flushing Hospital has both inpatient and outpatient services, with the following specialty areas: allergy, asthma, cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, infant apnea, infectious disease, nephrology, neurology, pulmonary, surgery. Contact (718) 670-5534 for additional information.

Flushing Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry offers a wide array of mental health and addiction services to the community, including a 19-bed Acute Care Inpatient Unit, a 30-bed Chemical Dependency Unit, an Outpatient Mental Health clinic, the “Reflections Chemical Dependency” clinic, and Asian and South Asian Behavioral programs, as well as a Spanish speaking program. For additional information, contact (718) 670-4416.

Flushing’s newly expanded Wound Care Center is now a six-bed outpatient center designed to treat and heal patients in need of wound care. The center provides specialized treatment for chronic or non-healing wounds and helps patients heal quicker, avoid amputation, and improve their overall quality of life. (718) 670-4502.

The Department of OB/GYN features eight ultra- modern and spacious Labor Delivery & Recovery suites and provides expecting mothers with the most positive birthing experience. Flushing Hospital has also established a Centering Pregnancy Program, a new type of prenatal care that allows expecting mothers to receive group care with other pregnant women. Contact (718) 670-5540 for additional information.

Flushing Hospital recently expanded its Cardiology Department to provide enhanced inpatient and outpatient testing. Through the addition of state-of the art equipment and additional staff, the cardiology department now provides a wider variety of services and advanced testing with better diagnosis and quicker results for both the inpatient and outpatient care. For additional information, contact (718) 206-5489.

In addition to the hospital’s most notable services, Flushing Hospital boasts a full service, fully renovated and expanded Emergency Department that consists of separate adult and pediatric units, with a separate cardiac emergency unit and Fast Track, a speedy service to treat routine injuries and illnesses.

Flushing Hospital is also a state designated stroke center, treating patients who suffer from a “brain attack,” and as part of the MediSys Health Network, is one of only four centers of Bioterrorism Preparedness in New York City.
As Flushing enters its 124th year of service, the hospital continues to offer patients the most up-to-date treatment in a state-of-the-art facility and strives to position itself as a leader in the Queens community.

For more information about Flushing Hospital Medical Center, please visit www.flushinghospital.org.


Clergy Making a Difference in Southeast Queens
By Sasha Austrie
AIDS is a vicious disease. It has snuffed out the lives of millions, and in its wake has destroyed countless lives as children are left without parents. For those living with the virus, normal no longer exists.

It is a pandemic of cataclysmic proportions that has held the world in its grasp for more than 20 years. Christened as the gay man’s disease and initially known as gay related immune deficiency, AIDS has run rampant, spreading like wild fire.

The uncertainties surrounding the virus caused widespread ostracism for people branded with the disease. Even those pledging to assist their communities were staved off by the vice grip of the disease.

“We didn’t want to touch it,” Rev. Charles Norris Sr., Clergy United for Community Empowerment’s executive secretary. “It was known as a gay white man’s disease.” He added that when the disease started inundating the black community their concern grew.

The organization had originally come together in 1984 to help Rev. Jesse Jackson ascend to the White House. Although it didn’t fulfill its original goal Clergy United stayed together to lend a helping hand to the community.

Out of concern with the quickly spreading pandemic the organization’s members went on a retreat to understand the problem and deal with their own biases.

Rev. Ernestine Sanders, vice president and chief executive officer said on the retreat in 1991 the group discovered that the virus didn’t discriminate on the basis of gender or race.

She said a woman who accompanied them on the retreat was HIV positive, but they weren’t aware until she told them at the latter end of the retreat.

Sanders said the woman testified about how she was ill-treated by her church and community.

“It pinched my heart,” Sanders said.

Because of the organization’s change of heart many people are able to reap the benefits of its HIV/AIDS programs along with a host of other programs such as men and women support groups and parenting programs.

A 39-year-old client of the organization that didn’t want to be named said she was infected with the disease 14 years ago. She was one of the lucky ones. Her HIV positive status didn’t change the attitudes of her close friends and family.
“I was kinda nervous,” she said of contracting the disease. “It was scary, but you adapt and move on with your life.”

She said that Clergy United helped her find an apartment.

“I’m content and happy,” she said. “They helped with what I needed. They were there for me.”

The HIV/AIDS programs the organization hosts are HIV/AIDS Prevention; Intervention; Case Management, Early HIV Intervention Program and Scattered Site II Housing.

The 39-year-old source is part of the scattered housing program.

Fitzroy Rowley, who is not infected with HIV/AIDS, said almost three years ago he went into the organization’s facility to get condoms.

Rowley is a benefit of the Multiple Service Agency program of the organization.

Latonja Richardson, Deputy Director of the organization said the MSA program caters to people inflicted with the virus or people at high risk for acquiring the disease.

Rowley said he went into the organization’s facility to get condoms almost three years ago. He said the organization has helped him with food stamps, housing and replacing his lost identification card.

“They really care about what they do,” Rowley said. “They love what they do.”

To learn more about the organization call (718) 297-0720 or visit 89-31 161 St. Jamaica, NY in the old Chamber of Commerce Building.

Strumming up Spirits With Songs
By Juliet Werner
Musicians On Call, a Manhattan-based organization, has been providing musical entertainment for hospital patients since its inception in 1999. Founders Michael Solomon and Vivek Tiwary had the idea to play room-to- room following a hospital-wide concert at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center that failed to cater to those patients who were either in treatment or too sick to leave their beds.

Musicians on call visit Mount Sinai patients once a week.

Solomon and Tiwary were happy to go out of their way to entertain, and that ethos continues to this day. Musicians On Call has expanded its service to all City boroughs except Staten Island.

“Little by little we’re trying to get out there,” Director of Volunteers and Programming Michael Hill said. “If you’re in the outer boroughs, you’re not getting the same attention.”

Since the fall of 2006, musicians affiliated with MOC have been performing at Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens every Wednesday evening. The musicians spend three hours visiting with patients, taking requests, and brightening the mood in the acute geriatric care ward.

“We don’t look at our music as therapy, it’s entertainment,” Hill said. “But it’s the kind of recreation that has a relaxing and calming effect.”

Ana Rodriguez, Hospital Director of Community Affairs, said patients, especially the ones who don’t get visitors, look forward to Wednesday evenings.

“Patients have started singing along,” Rodriguez said. “There are patients who can’t speak and whenever they hear the music they smile.”

MOC program coordinator Johnny Butler also plays the saxophone. An Astoria resident, he performs regularly at Mount Sinai.

“I had one guy who said, ‘I don’t know if you’re religious or if you believe in God, but you’re going to heaven,’” Butler said. “It was intense. But in a good way.”

The organization is currently looking to increase its presence in Queens. It recently installed “CD Pharmacy,” a program that provides CD libraries and players for patient use, at New York Hospital Queens and the Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

For more information, call (212) 741-2709 or email info@musiciansoncall.org.