Meng Announces First Annual Healthy Families Fair

August 3, 2013
Press Release
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) wants to keep her constituents healthy. So today, she announced her first annual “Healthy Families Fair,” a major initiative to promote healthy living for kids, adults and families who reside in Queens.
The event, scheduled to take place on August 17th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the cafeteria of Newtown High School in Elmhurst, will feature a wide array of health services and medical screenings. It will also provide valuable information, presentations and advice from nearly two dozen of the borough’s leading healthcare providers including local hospitals, government agencies, area health organizations and non-profit entities, all of which will be set up with information booths.
The public will be afforded the opportunity to speak one-on-one with these healthcare professionals about health topics that concern them. They’ll also be able to obtain resources, materials and handouts that can educate them about their medical needs, and guide them through their healthcare decisions.
All services will be provided free of charge; no health insurance is required and no appointments are necessary.
Participants include:
  • Alzheimer’s Association
  • American Cancer Society
  • American Cleaning Institute
  • American Red Cross
  • Charles B. Wang Community Health Center of Flushing
  • Elmhurst Hospital
  • EmblemHealth
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Healthfirst
  • Hispanic Federation
  • Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
  • Korean American Family Service Center of Flushing
  • Make the Road New York in Jackson Heights
  • New York Hospital of Queens in Flushing
  • New York City Department of Transportation – Safety City Program
  • Parker Jewish Institute in New Hyde Park
  • South Asian Council for Social Services of Flushing
  • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • U.S. Department of Education
  • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Voices for Healthy Kids (an American Heart Association program)
  • YMCA (Flushing and Long Island City branches)
Health screenings include:
  • Vision and hearing for kids and diabetes and blood pressure for adults (provided by Elmhurst Hospital)
  • Hepatitis B (provided by the American Cancer Society)
  • Bone density (provided by the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center)
The health fair will also feature fun activities for children (exercise classes, arts and crafts projects, coloring sheets), giveaways from many of the participating organizations and information about the new health insurance law (the Affordable Care Act). In addition, they’ll be representatives that speak several languages to ensure language access for all who attend. These languages include Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Punjabi, Bengali and Hindi.
“With diseases and obesity rates continuing to climb, it is critical that we encourage the public to live healthy lifestyles, and the Healthy Families Fair will go a long way towards accomplishing that goal,” said Meng. “Making sure kids and adults exercise eat right and take important preventative measures are vital to maintaining good health. I urge all Queens residents to attend this critical health fair so that they can take advantage of important screenings, and make certain that they’re doing all they can to stay healthy.”
Newtown High School is located at 48-01 90th Street in Elmhurst.
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