14 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 25, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Elmhurst Hospital celebrates Lunar New Year with food drive
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
MetroPlusHealth and Elmhurst
Hospital hosted a Lunar New Year food
distribution event on Wednesday, Feb. 17,
to bring some relief and joy to a struggling
community that had been the epicenter
at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic
last year.
Th e food distribution event, scheduled
from Feb. 17 through Feb. 19, is serving
500 community members a day who had
to pre-register via Eventbrite to ensure a
safe and socially distanced setting.
Guests included Queens Borough
President Donavan Richards, state Senator
Jessica Ramos, state Assemblyman
Jeff rion Aubry, President and CEO of
MetroPlusHealth Tayla Schwartz, and
Helen Arteaga Landaverde, the new CEO
of Elmhurst Hospital.
On Saturday, Feb. 13, volunteers from
the community, as well as Elmhurst
Hospital and MetroPlusHealth staff ,
packed 1,500 bags with tea bags, instant
noodles, rice and canned food, donated
by MetroPlusHealth. Schwartz made
it a family aff air, as she and her 15-yearold
daughter helped prepare the bags on
Saturday.
In a one-on-one conversation with
QNS, Schwartz discussed how Elmhurst
Hospital stepped up during a challenging
time by supporting the community and
meeting the tremendous health care challenges
COVID-19 caused.
“At this point, we are really seeing a signifi
cant comeback. You can see Elmhurst
is back. Elmhurst Hospital is back,”
Schwartz said. “So we wanted to celebrate
this comeback together with a new year
and combine the celebration supporting
the community.”
In her speech during the event, Schwartz
pointed out this Lunar Year is the Year of
the Ox, a symbol of mental, emotional
and physical strength and stamina.
“Strength and stamina are what this
community has exhibited every single
day. We are wishing a happy and better
Lunar New Year,” she declared.
Helen Arteaga Landaverde, the new
CEO of Elmhurst Hospital, thanked
MetroPlusHealth for their continuous
support and for helping them celebrate
Dr. Tayla Schwartz hands out bags during the food distribution event at Elmhurst Hospital.
Queens’ diverse population. She acknowledged
how diffi cult the past year had been
and that the event was a way to thank the
community.
“Th is new year is going to be a year
of resilience and hope, and we just want
to share the happy and hopeful message
with everyone today,” Arteaga Landaverde
expressed.
Referring to the long line that had
formed outside Elmhurst Hospital,
Richards noted that it spoke to the needs
of the community and how the pandemic
has exacerbated the disparities
surrounding food and housing. He
also promised that, as the borough
president, he would honor
any capital request Elmhurst
Hospital has.
“Th e bottom line is you do
such important work. And I
want to thank the frontline
workers who literally are
always on the front line,
whether it’s in the hospital
or outside,” he said. “One of
the things that I love about this institution
is that the people who work
here are truly community-driven.”
State Assemblyman Jeff rion Aubry
also commented on how challenging the
past year had been and praised Elmhurst
Hospital for meeting that challenge.
“Where would we have been
in this community if we
Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
didn’t have Elmhurst Hospital? Where
would people have gotten the care? Where
would people have gotten tested? Where
would they have gotten the food that has
been served continually?” he asked.
He also appealed to everyone to use the
celebration of the Lunar New Year as a
reason to come together.
“Th is is clearly a time when we must
pull together. We can not aff ord division,”
Aubry added. “We need to be standing
together no matter who we are, what race
we are, what ethnicity we are. Th is is the
time for us to stand together. Th is is a
great celebration for that.”
For state Senator Jessica Ramos,
Elmhurst Hospital is more than just a
clinic — it’s a community center where
people from all over the world come
together and fi nd ways to help each other
out.
“Elmhurst Hospital has been a lifeline
throughout this pandemic and for
decades in this community. It’s the Year
of the Ox, and it’s a good thing that it
is because we need strength and stability
now more than ever,” she concluded.
State Senator Jessica Ramos
at the food distribution
event at Elmhurst
Hospital.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards distributes bags during the food distribution event at
Elmhurst Hospital on Feb. 17, 2021. Elmhurst residents wait in line at a food distribution event at Elmhurst Hospital.
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