40 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • AUGUST 12, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Queens native Lorraine Chambers Lewis named
new executive director of LIJ Forest Hills Hospital
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Lorraine Chambers Lewis has been
named the new executive director of Long
Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital.
Chambers Lewis, who was Northwell
Health’s vice president of employee health
services, succeeds Susan Browning, who
has led the Queens community hospital
since 2015 and is taking on the role of
senior vice president of business development
for the health system.
“LIJ Forest Hills is on a trajectory,”
Chambers Lewis said. “Th ey’re going up
in the right direction and I want to help
keep moving them to the next level in
health care to be number one in Queens.”
A physician assistant for 28 years,
Chambers Lewis has worked in emergency
medicine, critical care, internal medicine
and occupational health.
She began her career at Queens Hospital
Center and came to Northwell, then
North Shore-LIJ Health System, in 2002
as a supervising PA for Long Island Jewish
Medical Center. In that role, Chambers
Lewis oversaw the daily operations of
the hospital’s emergency department fast
track area, which treats patients with less
serious medical conditions.
In 2007, Chambers Lewis became corporate
director of Northwell’s
Employee Health Services — a
department she would stay in
for the next 14 years as her
roles and responsibilities
increased.
While in that department,
she helped
launch Northwell’s
fi rst injury management
and prevention
program for
employee safety
and an occupational
health
business model
for direct-toemployer
clients
including
an onsite
health and
wellness clinic
at Cold
Spring Harbor
Laboratory.
Chambers Lewis and her team helped
create and implement digital surveillance
programs for disaster planning and mass
occupational exposures, screenings and
vaccinations, including infl uenza H1N1,
Ebola and now COVID-19.
Under her leadership, EHS rapidly developed
and launched COVID-19 testing programs
for Northwell employees and
their families and an employee
vaccination program that has
immunized over 50,000 team
members to date.
In her new role at LIJ
Forest Hills, Chambers
Lewis will take on leadership
of Northwell’s
most diverse hospital
serving a diverse community
where 164
languages and dialects
are spoken.
The challenge
is one in which
Chambers Lewis
can draw on
her own experience
as a
f irst-generation
American
born to Jamaican
immigrants in St.
Albans.
“When I was growing up, we aff ectionately
called ourselves ‘Jamericans,’”
Chambers Lewis said. “When I stepped
outside of my house as a kid and I went
to school, I was American and I adapted
to American culture. When I went
home and I stepped in those doors, it was
Little Jamaica. Th ere’s diff erent rules and
diff erent things that I knew very clearly
were part of Jamaican culture. I understand
the experience of immigrants having
seen so many of my family members
go through it.”
She’ll be using those skills to help educate
and outreach to community members
on topics ranging from COVID vaccines
to basic health screenings, through a
grassroots team approach.
Chambers Lewis lives in Elmont with
her husband and two daughters, ages 16
and 20. An adventure seeker, she has 18
skydiving jumps under her belt and loves
roller coasters, especially Th e Incredible
Hulk Coaster at Universal Studios.
“I like doing things that I have to sign a
waiver for,” Chambers Lewis said.
Chambers Lewis is a board member of
the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning,
a multidisciplinary arts center in southeast
Queens, and an active member of
Emanuel Baptist Church in Elmont.
A graduate of Th e CUNY School of
Medicine Physician Assistant Program,
Chambers Lewis received her MBA
from Hofstra University and is a fellow
of the American College of Healthcare
Executives. For the last four years,
she has also served as president of the
New York Chapter of the Association
of Occupational Health Professionals in
Healthcare.
Photo courtesy of Northwell Health
Lorraine Chambers Lewis, the new executive
director of Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital
Borough Hall hosts Peruvian Bicentennial independence day celebration
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A gathering at Queens Borough Hall
celebrated the Peruvian Bicentennial on
July 28, marking the nation’s 200th anniversary
of independence from Spain.
It was the fi rst time the Peruvian
American Coalition of New York held an
Independence Day celebration in a government
space.
“Th e Consulate General of Peru in New
York and myself are honored to participate
in this special commemoration of my country’s
bicentennial,” said Ambassador Marita
Landaveri, Cónsul General of Peru. “Th is
celebration brings together many Peruvians
who live in Queens, New York City or anywhere
else in this great state of New York
and as a community we will continue to
share our values, our heritage and will continue
working for the improvement of the
quality of life for all of us New Yorkers.”
Th e event highlighted the cultures of
the Andean and Afro-Peruvian people
through dance and spoken word and a
video presentation on Afro-Peruvian poet
Victoria Santa Cruz.
Th e Peruvian American Coalition of
New York presented awards to elected
offi cials, community leaders and event
sponsors.
“Queens congratulates Peru on its 200
years of independence and extends a
heartfelt salute to the people of Peru and
to all Peruvian Americans on this happy
occasion,” Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards said. “Our borough
is proud to host what will be a wonderful
observance of Peru’s bicentennial.”
General Jise de San Martin declared
independence from Spain on July 28,
1821, which began the decline of Spanish
colonial domination in South America.
“Congratulations to Peru on its
200 years of independence,” Corona
Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz said. “Th e
Peruvian people are integral to the diversity
that makes Queens, and I am proud to
represent a district full of Peruvian food,
art, culture and, of course, neighbors.
My district thanks and appreciation goes
to the Peruvian American Coalition of
New York and Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards for holding this
important celebration.”
Renowned Peruvian singer William
Luna performed two musical pieces and
Peruvian cuisine was off ered by some of
Peru’s top chefs living in New York City.
“Th is event aims to give visibility to our
Peruvian community, their contributions
and culture not only in Queens or in New
York City but in the United States and
around the world,” Peruvian Coalition of
New York President Sandro Navarro said.
“Places of power like Queens Borough
Hall are symbolic spaces of justice and
economic prosperity and we want our
Peruvian community to understand that
they have access to both, and that we
have allies who advocate for our rights as
immigrants in this country.”
Congresswoman Grace Meng was
unable to attend the event but a representative
from her offi ce did on the elected
offi cial’s behalf.
“I thank everybody for coming together
to commemorate Peru’s Bicentennial
Independence Day right here in the
‘World’s Borough,’” Meng said. “It is an
honor for my offi ce to participate. I send
congratulations to the people of Peru, and
wish them and Peruvian Americans an
enjoyable celebration.”
In the coming weeks, Queens Borough
Hall will also host ceremonies honoring
the independence days of Jamaica, India
and Pakistan.
Photo courtesy of PACNY
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz join Sandro
Navarro to celebrate the Peruvian Bicentennial.
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