NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MetroPlusHealth, New York City’s five-star health plan, celebrated the opening of its new flagship location at 136-13 Roosevelt Avenue yesterday in Flushing, Queens. The new Community Office will assist Queens residents with enrollment, recertification, renewal, as well as customer service functions. With the support of its community partners: Zhu Associates, the Chinese-American Planning Council, Queens Library, Flushing BID, Flushing Development Center, Lion’s Club 20-K Treasurer, and many more, MetroPlusHealth is looking forward to providing critical services needed by the community.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit everyone, every industry, and every area of our city hard. Throughout, MetroPlusHealth has stood in solidarity with our communities, including the Asian American community in the borough of Queens,” said Talya Schwartz, MD, President and CEO of MetroPlusHealth. “As part of our ongoing commitment to community health, we are excited to announce the opening of our newest MetroPlusHealth office, located on Roosevelt Avenue, in the heart of downtown Flushing.”
Deputy Superintendent for International Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer at the New York State Department of Financial Services, Linda Sun awarded MetroPlusHealth a signed letter on behalf of Governor Andrew Cuomo. MetroPlusHealth also received Citations from Assemblyman Ron Kim, Councilman Peter Koo, Office of the Queens Borough President, and Office of the Brooklyn Borough President.
The celebration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the morning with a Dancing lion’s performance, followed by an open house to the community. Guests enjoyed dim sum, desserts, and fruit drinks prepared by local Flushing small businesses, as well as a special performance by Lincoln Center Viola/Erhu musicians – and brother and sister – Wei-Yang Andy and Kelly Lin. DJ Whutever, of iHeartMedia’s Power 105, was also on hand to add even more excitement to the event.
“MetroPlusHealth doesn’t just cover its members when they’re ill or injured. We believe in keeping them healthy, too. Our ‘Let’s Get Healthy Together’ initiative promotes healthy activities to improve the health and lives of New Yorkers through The MetroPlus Healthy Rewards Program,” said Dr. Talya Schwartz, President and CEO of MetroPlusHealth.
“We are very happy that MetroPlusHealth is here in Downtown Flushing,” said Peter Koo, New York City 20th District Councilman. “Everything is local - politics is local, healthcare is local, businesses are local. Healthcare should be comprehensive to include nutrition, mental health, housing, etc.”
“On behalf of Governor Cuomo, I am excited to be here with all of you today. Congratulations to the MetroPlusHealth Grand Opening. MetroPlusHealth is known for its multilingual services, accessible healthcare, and everything that our Flushing Community needs, especially now with this global pandemic,” said Linda Sun, Deputy Superintendent for International Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer at the New York State Department of Financial Services.
“One of the greatest things about MetroPlusHealth is their holistic approach to providing services to the community. We all know that Queens was the epicenter of the epicenter and how this community was ravished by the pandemic and unfortunately, because of the delta variant, it’s still being ravished,” said Franck D. Joseph II, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at Office of the Queens Borough President. “Last year, and still now, one thing that we saw was the Anti-Asian stigma that also ravished the community, and the hate that was spewed because of misinformation and MetroPlus said that we are not here to just provide health services, but we want to educate people of all areas of living.”
“MetroPlusHealth is important and now in our neighborhood. Everyone needs good health, and if you have good health, a good family, the economy will come back,” said Winnie Greco, Representative at Office of the Brooklyn Borough President.
“MetroPlusHealth provides everything that we need. Everyone should stay safe, and stay healthy,” said Ellen Young, Senior Advisor of Assemblyman Ron Kim’s Office.
“I want to say that we all know how hard this community has been hit during the pandemic – physically, mentally, and financially, and I am so glad that MetroPlusHealth made the extra effort to get closer and closer to offering better services,” said Minwen Yang, Director of Community Outreach and Projects at State Senator Toby Stavisky Office.
“It’s been a very difficult year for all of us, individually, professionally, as a city, as a country, and as a world. It makes me so proud to be a part of NYC Health + Hospitals and MetroPlusHealth, where our very reason for waking up every morning is to serve the people most affected by the pandemic,” said Eric Wei, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals and the Interim Chief Executive Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst.
The new Flushing office reflects MetroPlusHealth’s commitment to being more than a health plan to its members and their communities. This year, the Plan provided no-and low-cost high-quality health insurance to individuals and families; addressed food insecurity by offering free food distributions at Elmhurst Hospital; partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals and its providers to ensure everyone eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine could secure one and hosted a town hall with Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul and other NYC Leaders to address the rise of anti-Asian bias and hate crimes in New York City.
For a list of MetroPlus locations and hours of operation, including the new Flushing location, visit https://www.metroplus.org/business-community-partners/metroplus-near-you.
About MetroPlusHealth
Since 1985, MetroPlus Health Plan has built a reputation for providing access to affordable, quality health care to residents across New York City. MetroPlusHealth is the plan of choice for over 600,000 New Yorkers and has a five-star rating based on the State’s 2020 Consumer’s Guide to Medicaid and Child Health Plus Managed Care Plans in New York City. It was recently ranked the #1 health plan among all 15 New York State Medicaid plans in overall quality. The health plan’s robust network of primary care doctors and specialists includes many independent community providers. Culturally sensitive, and fluent in more than 40 languages, MetroPlusHealth’s staff is as diverse as the great city it serves. For more information about MetroPlusHealth plans, benefits, and services, visit www.metroplus.org and join the conversation at facebook.com/metroplushealth and twitter @metroplushealth. MetroPlusHealth is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NYC Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest public health system.