TransCanada, Riis Settlement, and New York Hospital Queens Host Asthma Screening and Education Day

Third annual event raised awareness about persistently high rates of the disease in Long Island City

On October 12th, Riis Settlement, TransCanada Ravenswood, and New York Hospital Queens presented the third annual Asthma Screening and Education Day at Riis Settlement’s Queensbridge campus. The location was fitting, as Queensbridge sits at the southern end of what is known as “Asthma Alley,” an area stretching from the South Bronx, through East Harlem and into Western Queens.

Long a center of manufacturing in the city, surrounded by bridges and crisscrossed by major transportation arteries, the Long Island City/Astoria area has one of the highest child asthma rates in the New York, a situation that is particularly acute in the Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing development in the nation. For the third consecutive year, TransCanada, Riis Settlement, and New York Hospital Queens addressed this issue through an event that was educational, entertaining and practical.

Physicians and other healthcare professionals from New York Hospital Queens were on hand to offer on-site basic screenings, consultations and referrals for both children and adults.  There was also facilitated healthcare enrollment, face-painting and balloon twisting featuring Cookie the Clown, arts and crafts activities for kids, and lunch and refreshments for all.  Music was provided by Riis Settlement’s own Albert Pollard, a local DJ and Program Coordinator at the organization’s Riis Academy- InfoTech High School. This year’s successful event drew over 200 community members and organizers expect to increase that figure next year through continued collaboration with these invaluable partners. William T. Newlin, Riis Settlement’s Executive Director, introduced City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who stopped by on a busy Saturday to offer his support in the fight against asthma.