FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com june 11, 2015 • The Queens Courier 33 Astoria nonprofit brings together LGBTQ activists BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected]/@aaltamirano28 One Astoria-based nonprofit is looking to unite and provide support for LGBTQ human rights activists from around the world. Husband and husband duo Evan Davidoff and Hugo Fernandes founded the organization the Global Partnership for Emerging Leaders (GPEL) earlier this year with the goal of helping empower emerging leaders within the LGBTQ global community. The idea of the group was born after Davidoff, who has a background in nonprofit/ fundraising and LGBTQ rights, attended numerous conferences which brought the LGBTQ community together and he wondered what happened to the connections made after the events were over. “It’s this amazing thing, you have these three to four days where everyone is charged and all together but then after it’s like what’s next?” Davidoff said. The Astoria resident always had the idea of forming the group as a passion project on the side but then decided to make it a reality after sitting down and speaking with his husband. GPEL is based out of Astoria, which the couple has called home since 2008, and the couple plans to use the neighborhood as the location where LGTBQ activists from around the world will come together for the group’s first conference in July 2016. Although the location of the conference is still being determined, the group would like participants to stay at hotels in either Astoria or Long Island City. “I think there’s something nice to staying in the community and having the organization exist from here because from my viewpoint Astoria and Long Island City is right for startup culture,” Davidoff said. “Just for us in the eight years we’ve been here, Astoria and LIC have really changed and transformed and I think Astoria has always had this international fare. It’s something that stood out to me and I think that’s something that’s really novel of Astoria particularly and to me it would be interesting to be based here.” Photos by Hugo Fernandes Those who participate in the conference will be able to use the tools provided by GPEL and other LGBTQ activists to “use in the fight” back in their home countries. The group also plans to be a network where members can communicate and share experiences even after the conference is over. To help with starting out, GPEL also began an Indiegogo online campaign with the goal of raising $2,000 which will go toward activities for the LGBTQ human rights activists and also help provide funds for participants making the trip to the city for next year’s conference. An official launch party for GPEL, which has already created a leadership team in New York and is forming a team with members throughout the world, is expected to take place in September. For more information on GPEL visit gpel.org or facebook.com/TheGPEL. Evan Davidoff and Hugo Fernandes GPEL’s Leadership Team New York Hospital Queens’ Center for Healthy Aging Focuses on Prevention, Chronic Care of Elderly Special health needs develop for all of us as we age. As our U.S. population continues to live longer, more of our friends and family are requiring care targeted to their needs. With this in mind, three years ago the professionals at New York Hospital Queens Jackson Heights Family Health Center established a Center for Healthy Aging to offer preventative and chronic care to the elderly of the Queens community. The Center for Healthy Aging offers a spectrum of health programs designed to help senior citizens stay well. These can range from fall prevention evaluations, to screenings for the leading chronic diseases “We help them learn how to handle the that require ongoing care, i.e., diabetes, common activities of daily living. We help cancer, and cardiovascular disease. them to set realistic goals and maintain an “One of our goals is to help seniors be able optimal level of function,” she said. to continue to live at home independently,” Dr. Roseme-Frederic explained that says Nathalie Roseme-Frederic, M.D., a the Center for Healthy Aging tends to deemphasize family medicine specialist who joined the medications and tries to limit the Center three years ago soon after it opened. amount of drugs that patients take. When a patient comes into the Center for the fi rst time, there is an initial assessment of his or her health status, followed by an inventory of medications the patient is taking, and a discussion to gain understanding of the home environment where the patient lives. For example, does the individual live alone or with a caregiver? Are there social aspects to the patient’s life? Who is the nearest contact person for the patient? Sometimes a caregiver may know more about the patient than the patient’s family. A patient’s mental health is carefully evaluated. Depression is very common among the elderly, Dr. Roseme-Frederic notes, and this can be treated with medication. Also, sometimes when dementia is suspected, a blood test can demonstrate whether the real issue may be a medical problem or defi ciency, she says. Visiting nurses are another resource that the staff at the Center for Healthy Aging can access. Dr. Roseme-Frederic often has them visit a patient at home to help with teaching about diabetes and using needed equipment. The Center for Healthy Aging is a welcome addition to the arsenal of health services in Queens. Visit the New York Hospital Queens Jackson Heights Family Health Center webpage for more information: www.nyhq.org/jackson_heights_family_health. 73-15 Northern Boulevard • Jackson Heights • 718-424-2788
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