3
QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 28, 2019
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A nonprofit organization
that offers Managed
Long-Term Care (MLTC)
opened its first storefront
in Flushing.
V i l l a g eCa r eMA X,
part of the VillageCare
organization, celebrated
the grand opening of its
community center at 41-80
Main St. on July 18.
VillageCare leadership
along with leaders from
the Chinese American
Independent Practice
Association (CAIPA),
Councilman Peter Koo
and Community Board
7 District Manager
Marilyn McAndrews
commemorated the
center’s opening with a
ceremonial lion dance
symbolizing good fortune
and longevity.
According to the
nonprofit, those seeking
health care insurance
will now be able to visit
the VillageCareMAX
storefront to receive
detailed information and
enrollment assistance
from a live Medicare
representative, free
of charge.
“This is an opportunity
for us to serve the
community because
we have number of
members that live in this
community,” said Emma
DeVito, VillageCare
president and CEO. “We’re
gonna be focused primarily
on the Medicare products
for people that come in who
have questions. They bring
in their mail. They don’t
understand what was sent
to them by Medicare. So we
really want to make sure
that we can provide that
service. And individuals
that are interested in
enrolling in our products,
we would want to provide
them with information so
that they could make an
informed decision.”
More than 13,000
members in the
V i l l a g e C a r e M A X
network will have these
services available to
them. DeVito added that
for elderly members, the
in-person interactions
are more effective than
communicating online or
by phone.
“I think in particular,
with the elderly, a lot of
times they may not have
the opportunity to do
things online and it could
be a little bit difficult for
them. I also think there’s
nothing like the face-toface
because you really are
connecting with people.
So I think this gives them
and us an opportunity to
interact and make that
connection,” DeVito said.
In 1977, a group of
community volunteers
founded VillageCare in an
effort to rescue a for-profit
nursing home from closing.
VillageCareMAX began
operating in July 2012 and
is one of the largest and
fastest-growing MLTC
plans in New York City.
To learn more
visit villagecaremax.org.
Mary Ellen Connington, Robert Goldman, Marilyn McAndrews,
Councilman Peter Koo, Emma DeVito, Shaun Ruskin, Jing Shui,
Sherry Dong, Kelly Kwok Photo by Jenna Bagcal/QNS
Holden weighs in at town hall
Councilman talks bicyclist deaths, licenses for undocumented immigrants
Councilman Robert Holden Max Parrott/QNS
BY MAX PARROTT
In a town hall meeting
that centered on Council
District 30’s traffic problems
stemming from congestion,
Councilman Robert Holden
came out with stances on
two hot button issues in
transportation: the rash
of bicyclist deaths this
summer and the passage
of the Green Light bill
in Albany.
Holden said that he
wants a police crackdown
on bike and e-bike traffic
violations, and encouraged
constituents to continue
the fight against the
Green Light law that the
legislature passed in June
making New York the 13th
state, in addition to D.C.,
to allow undocumented
immigrants to obtain a
driver’s license.
During the hour-and-
45-minute meeting, the
attending Ridgewood,
Glendale and Middle
Village residents had traffic
on their minds. Attendees
raised concerns including
the need for traffic light
synchronization on
Woodhaven Boulevard
and Fresh Pond Road, an
unassuming white stop sign
near Rentar Plaza and even
an increase in plane traffic
to and from LaGuardia.
“I know that the mayor
is very gung ho on the
bicycle lanes. They don’t
follow the laws. They
don’t have a license plate.
They’re not insured. They
make lefthand turns in
the right lane. They cross
over two lanes,” said
one attendee.
“Sounds like motorists,”
joked Holden.
“But they’re not
licensed,” responded
the resident.
“And that’s what I have
an issue with,” Holden
said, referencing the
bike messenger who was
fatally hit by a truck in
Manhattan and insisting
that bikes have taken over
as the most dangerous mode
of transportation.
“We need some program
that will train them–that
will register them. But if
they’re going to ride their
bike everyday, they should
be insured,” said Holden.
“We need some enforcement.
The police have got to start
cracking down,” he added
to scattered applause
from residents.
The next constituent
to speak segued from bike
traffic to the Green Light
Bill. “So about 90% of the
issues that were raised have
to do with the volume of
cars on our roads,” started
the resident named Chris.
“What really concerns
me was that a couple of
weeks ago in Albany, state
legislators voted to add
a whole other segment
of our population to get
driver’s licenses. That is
going to increase the cars–
everything that we talked
about tonight is going to
get magnified.”
Holden agreed with
constituent’s concerns,
echoing a talking point of
Senate Republicans this
summer who argued that
the bill opens the door to
fraud and ID theft. He cited
reports from Washington
state and New Mexico,
where similar bills were
passed, that they had
caused individuals to
apply for the identification
based on falsified proof
of residence.
He went on to give the
other side of the argument,
which was confirmed by
a Stanford University
study, that by reducing the
amount of undocumented
immigrants that are
driving without a license
helps reduce the likelihood
of hit-and-run accidents,
thereby improving traffic
safety and reducing overall
costs for drivers.
“But I didn’t really
buy that whole thing,”
said Holden.
The councilman
continued by encouraging
constituents to call their
local representatives to put
conditions on the bill.
“We can put restrictions
on it. I said that you have
to establish that you’re a
resident of New York state
for a certain amount of
time. The more successful
states had said you have to
be resident for three years
or five years in New York
State,” said Holden.
Reach reporter Max
Parrott by email at
mparrott@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at
(718) 260-2507.
VillageCareMAX
opens fi rst storefront
/villagecaremax.org
link
