28 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 22, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
AdvantageCare Physicians opens new offi ce in Jackson Heights
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
AdvantageCare Physicians (ACPNY),
one of the largest primary and specialty
care practices in New York, opened
its new medical offi ce in Jackson Heights
on Wednesday, July 14, and a co-located
EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care center,
off ering one-on-one support and free
health and wellness classes.
“At ACPNY, we know that accessible
and quality care is both life-affi rming and
life-saving,” said Dr. Navarra Rodriguez,
president and chief medical offi cer at
ACPNY. “Th at’s why we are so excited
to provide a new home for health where
the people of Jackson Heights both live
and work.”
Th e Jackson Heights offi ce is located
at 40-31 82nd St., and is open Monday
through Th ursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Th e facility, which is approximately
18,000 square feet, includes a full laboratory,
Birch Family Services holds graduation ceremonies for disabled students in Queens
BY JULIA MORO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th ree Birch Family Services schools celebrated
hundreds of students with developmental
disabilities with graduation and
moving up ceremonies.
Th e Long Island City Early Childhood
Center, Springfi eld Gardens Education
Center and the Phyllis L. Susser School for
Exceptional Children all participated in
the celebrations.
Espa Sergiou, the director of Education
Programs, said that her schools had to
pivot quickly as COVID-19 hit. Th is year,
the school was hybrid or fully remote
learning.
“Many kids had a rough time with this
learning approach, especially our kids with
special needs,” Sergiou said. “Th e key was
to work closely with families to provide
what was needed.”
Birch Family Services provides educational
assistance to students with autism
and developmental disabilities all over New
York City. Every year, about 1,200 students
are given tailored education plans to
their individual needs. Th e organization
also helps connect older individuals with
job opportunities and residential programs.
Sergiou said the goal is to help students
lead fulfi lling lives; one student’s mom said
that’s exactly what Birch Family Services
has done for her son.
Kimberly Berry’s 21-year-old son
went to the Phyllis L. Susser School for
Exceptional Children and just graduated
this year. Jordan Berry had a hard time getting
used to remote learning but was able
to adjust.
“Although this was his last year, the outcome
was very positive,” Berry said. “Th e
teachers worked very well with the children.
It was a very productive year for
him.”
Berry said that Birch Family Services
was the best thing for her son and his
growth.
“Th e longer he attended the school, the
more I saw his maturity level improve,”
Berry said.
At the ceremony for the Susser School,
Berry said she was dancing and singing as
she watched her son graduate.
“It was a big day for him,” Berry said. “It
was a big moment for him and my family.
We’re very proud of Jordan. He has come
a long way.”
Sergiou said that the ceremonies were
very moving aft er a diffi cult year.
“We didn’t expect to be able to have such
a joyous event as we were able to,” Sergiou
said. “To see the looks on those faces of
students and their families is really very
rewarding.”
accommodations for 25 doctors, primary
care, pediatrics, behavioral health,
endocrinology, OB/GYN and GYN surgery,
optometry, podiatry and rheumatology.
Th e Jackson Heights location reinforces
ACPNY’s care approach in the communities
it serves through more than 40 offi ces
across New York City and Long Island.
Th is location marks ACPNY’s ninth
offi ce in Queens — with other locations
in Astoria, Cambria Heights, Flushing,
Forest Hills, Jamaica Estates, Richmond
Hill, Rochdale Village and Rockaway —
that work together to bring comprehensive
care to the community.
With this new opening, all ACPNY
patients in the borough will have easier
access to specialty care provided by doctors
and nurses who live in the community
they serve and are trained in cultural
competency.
Th e new facility is situated in the most
ethnically diverse urban area of the world,
as Jackson Heights has a population of
more than 175,000 residents with over
80 percent of them identifying as either
Latino or Asian.
AdvantageCare Physicians is part of
EmblemHealth’s family of companies,
which also opened a new EmblemHealth
Neighborhood Care center at the Jackson
Heights location.
The strategic co-location of
EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care and
ACPNY is part of EmblemHealth’s commitment
to addressing social determinants
of health. In one convenient location,
community members can access primary
care providers and specialty care
services at ACPNY, and fi nd connections
to community resources, such as
food and housing, free wellness classes
and customer care navigators who can
answer questions about health benefi ts at
EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care.
For more information on AdvantageCare
Physicians and the care options they provide,
visit acpny.com.
Photo courtesy of Phyllis L. Susser School for Exceptional Children
Graduation ceremony at the Phyllis L. Susser School for Exceptional Children.
Photo courtesy of EmblemHealth
The new AdvantageCare Physicians center in Jackson Heights.
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