Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst partnered to host the annual “Winter Wonderland” wellness event on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the hospital, located at 80-02 41st Ave. in Elmhurst.
The event featured free holiday gift giveaways, aromatherapy and sensory therapy stations, refreshments and more.
“We are enormously grateful to Borough President Richards for his support of our annual Winter Wonderland toy giveaway event and our pediatric patients during this special time of year,” NYC Health + Hospital/Elmhurst CEO Helen Arteaga Landaverde said. “The holiday season can be difficult for many, so the additional mental health resources we are receiving through his office will be deeply meaningful to our community.”
Multiple leaders of the hospital and the borough spoke at the event, including Deputy Queens Borough President Ebony Young.
“We want our people to feel and know that they can come here today and just speak their voice and release tension right here in our community therapy groups that our trained licensed therapists will be leading,” Young said. “This impacts the community by giving them a breath of fresh air when it comes to not having to worry about or think about buying gifts for their children.”
Attendees of the event also had access to mental health breakout sessions with various focuses, including men’s wellness, women’s wellness, youth stress management and combating senior loneliness.
“Mental health challenges do not discriminate based on race, religion, identity, orientation or background. All of us, myself included, struggle with mental wellness at times, especially this time of year,” Richards said. “If you aren’t feeling your best, you are not alone.”
Among the organizations that supported this year’s Winter Wonderland wellness event were Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities, Las Doñas, MetroPlusHealth and Ponce Bank.
