8 APRIL 23, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Queens activist gives back to EMS workers
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
First responders at three FDNY
EMS stations in Queens received
a sweet treat on Easter in appreciation
for their heroism and bravery
working to protect and save lives
during the coronavirus pandemic.
FDNY EMS Station 45 in Woodside,
FDNY EMS Station 46 in Elmhurst and
FDNY EMS Station 47 in Far Rockaway
each received three large tubs of ice
cream with cups, spoons and other
items.
The initiative was spearheaded by
Edwin Wong, president of the Forest
Hills Asian Association, in partnership
with The Original Chinatown Ice
Cream Factory and the FDNY Phoenix
Society, which represents FDNY and
EMS Asian-American workers.
Growing up in a Catholic household,
Wong remembers attending Easter
mass with his mother, Winnie Wong,
and father, Thomas Wong — who both
recently died of illness unrelated to the
coronavirus.
This year, Wong decided to turn his
grief into giving to encourage charitable
actions.
“Anyone who works on Easter Sunday
deserves a treat. This was an opportunity
for me to give back to our FDNY
EMS fi rst responders, and to support
a Chinatown small business which has
seen its business decline,” Wong said.
“This also highlights Asian-American
first responders and their selflessness
and heroism amid the increase
Members of the FDNY Phoenix society (r.) pick up ice cream donated by Edwin Wong the Chinatown Ice Cream
Factory. Courtesy of The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
in attacks and harassment against
Asian-Americans.”
Additionally, Wong is encouraging
anyone to donate to the EMS FDNY
Help Fund and to support equal pay
for EMS workers, in memory of his
father.
“No one really mentions the EMS
workers, only the fi refi ghters,” Wong
said. “These are the folks that are also
on the front lines right now answering
the phones and working to save lives.”
According to Wong, FDNY EMS Station
45 and FDNY EMS Station 46 are
the closest stations near his parents’
home in Maspeth, where they lived for
50 years and raised their three sons.
The FDNY EMS workers have also
cared for his parents when they fell
ill.
“They resuscitated my dad when
he stopped breathing, and took great
care when they transported him to
the hospital,” Wong said. “They had
also previously taken great care of my
mom when she had to be transported to
the hospital, aft er she had fainted and
another time when she was complaining
about chest pains and they came to
check on her.”
Looking forward, Wong says he is
planning to send ice cream treats to
the three FDNY EMS stations every
year on Easter. He will also continue
to inspire others to make monetary
donations.
Christina Seid, owner of The Original
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, said
they were honored to have been able
to partner with the FDNY Phoenix
society and the Wong Family on the
Easter collaboration.
“Right now the world seems turned
upside down and things are so uncertain,”
Seid said. “Mr. and Mrs. Wong
would be proud of their sons for carrying
on their tradition of love and
giving during this diffi cult time.”
COVID-19 testing site for pediatric patients opens in Forest Hills
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
PM Pediatrics, the nation’s largest
provider of pediatric urgent
care, has opened a new COVID-19
testing site in Forest Hills.
Patients wishing to receive a test
at the center, located at 70-20 Austin
St., must first be evaluated by a
pediatric expert from PM Pediatrics
to determine if they’re eligible,
either in person at one of the offices
for patients age 0-26, or via the PM
Pediatrics Anywhere telemedicine
app for all ages.
On-site testing is conducted one
person at a time either in the office
vestibule or under secured tents
located in the parking lot of each
location. Test results are reported in
approximately two to four days. All
COVID-19 screening appointments
must be booked in advance.
“We continue to offer this incredibly
popular, convenient and helpful
service to all families, both to
provide peace of mind and medical
direction,” said Dr. Jeffrey Schor,
co-CEO of PM Pediatrics. “Our PM
Pediatrics Anywhere app is an excellent
avenue for medical guidance, as
well as a support for families maintaining
social distancing practices
by limiting trips out of the home.”
PM Pediatrics Anywhere, the PM
Pediatrics telemedicine app program,
recently expanded to all 13
states in which one of its more than
50 offices is located, including New
York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Washington, D.C., Texas
and California.
PM Pediatrics accelerated the
rollout of the telemedicine program
in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since March 1, more than
26,000 parents have signed up to use
the telemedicine program. PM Pediatrics
doctors, nurse practitioners
and physician assistants are treating
about 300 telemedicine patients
daily. The average wait time for an
appointment is under four minutes.
In addition to screening for
symptoms of COVID-19, PM Pediatrics’
experts can answer a variety
of questions about any pediatric
emergency, from rashes to sprained
ankles.
“Some injuries still need to be seen
in person in a timely fashion, such
as large lacerations, burns, broken
bones and other non-coronavirusrelated
conditions,” said Dr. Christina
Johns, senior medical adviser for
PM Pediatrics. “Everyone is staying
home, which is absolutely appropriate,
but sometimes more free time at
home can mean more injuries, and
some of them should not have a delayed
evaluation. Telemedicine can
also provide an excellent gateway to
help families determine what level
of in-person care they may need, if
any.”
The opening of its three new
COVID-19 testing sites in Forest
Hills, Riverdale, NY, and Paramus,
NJ, brings a total of 16 testing sites
nationwide exclusively serving
children and adults. To date, PM Pediatrics
has administered a total of
more than 2,000 tests at its COVID-19
testing sites nationwide.
PM Pediatrics on-site testing for
COVID-19 are conducted one person
at a time either in the offi ce vestibule
or under secured tents in the
parking lot.
Photo courtesy of PM Pediatrics
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