Queens Courier Cited In Halls of Congress

by HOWARD GIRSKY In what is perhaps a first-time event, a New York City Congressman took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives last week and applauded the efforts of a Queens newspaper for its campaign to help eradicate a life-threatening epidemic that is rooted in Queens immigrant communities.
That newspaper is The Queens Courier and the publication’s exclusive coverage of the hepatitis C epidemic was trumpeted in the halls of Congress by Congressman Anthony D. Weiner on August 3.
Weiner called upon the Congress and the Centers for Disease Control of the U.S.Public Health Service to recognize this serious condition which claims almost 10,000 deaths every year in this country, and causes over $600 million in medical bills.
He urged the Congress and the CDC to "address the problems of hepatitis C."
The Queens Courier campaign involved mobilizing the borough’s liver disease specialists and political leaders who felt the City is not doing enough to stop the epidemic and, most importantly, that the disease should be considered a reportable condition so officials understand the scope of this insidious disease.
The series resulted in changes in public policy making hepatitis C a reportable disease and requiring physicians to notify the City Health Dept. of any cases they treat.
As Congressman Weiner told his colleagues on the floor of the House last week, "The Queens Courier performed a great national service for calling the nation’s attention to this serious disease."
He pointed out that hepatitis C is a medical condition that is rooted in immigrant communities in Queens.
"It’s poignant to note that immigrants who come to Queens–the most ethnically diverse community in the nation–often are incubating hepatitis C because they were treated with dirty needles," Weiner said.
This insidious disease reportedly takes 15 to 20 years before its symptoms become obvious and by then it is often too late to cure it.