Borough-wide Flu Campaign Immunizes Chinese Community

The First Annual Queens flu Immunization Program provided flu shots to members of the boroughs Chinese community on Dec. 10 at the Flushing Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library. Staffing was provided by New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens.
The campaign is a collaboration between the American Lung Association of Queens (ALAQ), area hospitals and the Borough Presidents Office. Local efforts are being augmented by the New York City Dept. of Public Health, which is providing flu shots at senior centers throughout the city.
The Sunday initiative was chaired by Meilin Tan, a local businesswoman and community activist. "Meilin Tan was the catalyst behind Sundays immunization project," said Bernard D. Solow, ALAQ Board president. "By doing special outreach in the Chinese community ALAQ is better able to serve people who often do not access healthcare through traditional sources. By working with Meilin, we are able to provide traditional lung association programs in settings that are both culturally and linguistically competent. We thank Governor Patakis office for providing the additional vaccine that allowed us to offer this special component of our flu campaign," Solow said.
Arthur Makar, CEO, American Lung Association of Queens, stated that, "this is the first step in strengthening our relationship with the Chinese community in Queens. We now have a bilingual Chinese staffperson and plan to offer additional programs to the community concerning asthma and tobacco use.
ALAQ wants to work with Meilin Tan and other community leaders to ensure that their lung health is protected through our prevention and health education programs."