Healthfirst in the Community

In the beginning of 2024, Healthfirst teams continued to invest time and resources to deepen our connections with and improve the well-being of the communities we serve. Our engagement with community leaders around key cultural observances, such as Lunar New Year and Ramadan, demonstrated our ongoing commitment to increasing our hyperlocal presence.

Our deep roots in the local community allow us to truly understand the diverse healthcare needs and challenges that our members face. This enables us to design and deliver culturally relevant, tailored healthcare solutions that are responsive to the specific needs of our community.

By being locally present, we have established strong relationships with local healthcare providers, community organizations, and key stakeholders. This fosters collaborative efforts to address community health issues and allow us to deliver high-quality, accessible healthcare services that positively impact the health and well-being of our members and the community.

We are committed to fostering a healthier community for all.  I hope you enjoy reading about some of our efforts and appreciate the collaboration with many of you to bring them to life! - Miguel Centeno , VP Community Engagement at Healthfirst.

Spring Cultural Observances

Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. Celebrated among diverse Asian communities, Lunar New Year is a fifteen-day celebration marked by many traditions. At home, families decorate windows with red paper cuttings and adorn doors with couplets expressing auspicious wishes for the new year. 2024 marked the year of the dragon and Healthfirst was ready to celebrate with our communities and members. Our community offices were decorated to welcome visitors with good health and good fortune, featuring original artwork created by Healthfirst designers.

Healthfirst has long had the honor and privilege of serving the Chinese community, and we appreciate the trust that they have placed in us. 

Pat Wang, President and CEO of Healthfirst, joined in celebrating Lunar New Year with our communities. We were honored to jointly host Queens Borough President Donovan Richards with CAIPA, Inc. at our Lunar New Year celebration. CAIPA currently provides culturally and linguistically relevant medical services and care to many of our Healthfirst members, and the broader Asian community.

Pat Wang was also honored by the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) at their annual Lunar New Year Benefit, receiving the Corporate Responsibility Award for her career championing the health care needs of vulnerable New Yorkers. The CPC mission is to empower and uplift over 80,000 Asian American, immigrant, and low-income communities annually in New York City.

“I am honored to receive the Corporate Responsibility Award from the Chinese-American Planning Council. For more than 30 years, Healthfirst has ensured that Corporate Social Responsibility is embedded in all our organizational efforts and we actively support the elimination of barriers to optimal health outcomes. We look forward to our continued work where we can help impact more lives together.” - Pat Wang, President and CEO of Healthfirst

February at Healthfirst also marked the start of Black History Month, a time when Healthfirst recognized the incredible impact that historical Black figures have had on the communities we love and serve. This year’s recognition of Black History Month at Healthfirst was a month-long celebration under the theme, "Our Past Fuels Our Future," acknowledging the strength, resilience, and contributions of the Black community throughout history. In collaboration with the Black Employee Inclusion Network (BE-IN) employee resource group (ERG), Healthfirst created programming for employees to deepen our cultural competency through informative sessions, with themes including: 

• Embracing Our Roots – a discussion on Black heritage, exploring the rich tapestry of our roots and celebrating the diversity that makes us stronger. 
• Stories That Inspire – sharing inspiring stories that continue to motivate us to strive for greatness. 
• Today’s Trailblazers – a presentation highlighting individuals who are breaking barriers and leading the way forward. 
• The Way Forward- exploring strategies, initiatives, and collaborative efforts to pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable future. 

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can play a significant role in better serving our members. Below are some areas in which they can contribute to improving member satisfaction and overall healthcare outcomes: 

• Cultural Competency: ERGs focused on diversity and inclusion can help employees enhance their ability to understand and address the diverse needs of members from different backgrounds and communities. 
• Health Education and Promotion: ERGs can organize health and wellness initiatives, such as workshops to educate employees on preventive care, healthy lifestyle choices, and disease management strategies. 
• Care Coordination and Support: ERGs can enhance care coordination for members by improving communication between different departments within the organization.  
• Mental Health and Well-being: ERGs can raise awareness about mental health issues, reduce stigma, and promote a supportive environment for employees, which can lead to member care and support.  
• Professional Development: ERGs can offer networking, mentorship opportunities, and career development activities that empower employees to enhance their skills and knowledge, ultimately leading to improved service delivery to members. 

By harnessing the collective expertise, perspectives, and passion of ERGs, we create a more inclusive, culturally competent, and member-centric organization that is better equipped to meet the diverse healthcare needs of its members. 

Healthfirst also celebrated and amplified the stories of a select few employees from across our enterprise on social media with the theme of “Honoring Black Voices.” In this social media campaign, Healthfirst employees shared personal experiences and outlooks that shape their experiences.

Many of our communities observe Ramadan in the month of March and Healthfirst was honored to join many events across our service area in support of our members. Thank you to all who joined us for Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Hicksville, Long Island and Brighton Beach!

Celebrating International Women's Day

As winter began to fade in the month of March, Healthfirst was meeting community members where they live to support Women for International Women’s Day (IWD) while launching campaigns to educate members about the importance of nutrition and health screenings.

At our Parkchester community office, our Healthfirst team took to the streets to celebrate International Women’s Day with the community. Thank you to all who joined us!

We were also lucky to have the leadership of Laisha Washington, Vice President of Clinical Quality at Healthfirst, sharing her personal story of what it means to her to be a working parent:

“As a leader at Healthfirst, I hope that if I talk about the investment it takes to successfully take on what is important to me, I can be a good role model for those balancing their professional and personal lives. Many people depend on me in all my various roles as a Healthfirst leader, colleague, working parent, partner, friend; I must be cognizant of what is depleting but also what is restorative. I make time to go to the gym, take mental health walks, have dinner with my girlfriends and get a monthly massage. Prioritizing your family should not be construed as a negative as it relates to your career but oftentimes come with compromises.” - Laisha Washington , VP Clinical Quality at Healthfirst

Read more in Laisha’s article here.

Pat Wang, President and CEO of Healthfirst, also joined in our strong support of International Women’s Day reflecting on the day in an interview with HealthLeaders .

A Focus on Nutrition and Health Equity

March is also recognized as National Nutrition month. To help keep our members happy and healthy, Healthfirst launched an awareness campaign to educate and encourage action.

Nutrition and food insecurity are two issues that Healthfirst utilizes its organizational capabilities to address in the communities we serve. Based on years of research from the CDC, we know that:

• The availability of healthy, affordable foods contributes to a person’s diet and risk of related chronic diseases.
• Each year, chronic diseases account for 70% of all deaths in the United States. Poor diets lead to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
• American diets are generally poor in nutritional quality and do not align with the dietary guidelines for Americans.
• Low-income and minority communities often lack convenient places that offer affordable, healthier foods.

To address this, Healthfirst collaborates with organizations like Pronto of Long Island to provide resources to communities in need. Collaborating with community-based organizations like Pronto of Long Island is essential in addressing nutrition and food insecurity issues in the communities we serve. By partnering with organizations that have established connections and expertise in serving vulnerable populations, Healthfirst can leverage its organizational capabilities to maximize impact and reach those in need more effectively. Recently, New York State Senator Monica R. Martinez , commented on Healthfirst's work on Long Island:

"Ensuring Long Islanders have access to nutritious meals isn't just about filling stomachs; it's about their health. Unfortunately, hunger remains a significant concern in Suffolk County, with nearly 1 in 4 residents reporting that they are food insecure. That is why I am grateful for Healthfirst’s commitment to addressing this issue and its partnership with on-the-ground, community-based organizations serving our residents. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those facing hunger and build a healthier, more resilient community for all."

These collaborations allow us to pool resources, share knowledge, and coordinate efforts to provide comprehensive and sustainable solutions to address complex health and social challenges. This helps us to reach a broader audience, build trust within the community, and ensure that our efforts are culturally sensitive and responsive to the unique needs of the populations we serve. By working together with community partners, we can create a more integrated and responsive approach to addressing nutrition and food insecurity, ultimately improving the health and well-being of individuals and families in our communities. Together, we can make a greater impact and create lasting positive change.

Residents of Suffolk County will have the opportunity to attend events like the Annual Community Resource Day.

While Pronto gave away items such as blankets, coats and shoes, Liga de Justicia joined the event, donating toiletries and securing healthy meals from Carroll's Kitchen .

The Community Resource Event with Pronto was attended by over 700 community members provided with resources, health screenings, lunch, dancing and singing! Read more about Healthfirst’s work with Pronto of Long Island here.

Healthfirst Joins Mission to Dominican Republic

Earlier this year, Healthfirst had the privilege to serve once again on the Dominican Medical & Dental Society (DMDS)/SOMOS Humanitarian Mission in the Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic.

In our 17th year of collaboration with DMDS/SOMOS, our largest Independent Provider Association by membership, our objective as always was to provide top-tier medical and dental care that is both culturally sensitive and compassionate to those in need within disadvantaged areas of the Dominican Republic who lack access to these essential services. 

The goal was to provide top level care to over 5,000 patients within five days. To meet this ambitious challenge, approximately 30 SOMOS physicians traveled from the USA. Healthfirst volunteers and supporting physicians from MediNova were a key part of the mission operation (MediNova is comprised of Haitian doctors from the U.S. who have many years of experience in volunteering for medical missions). In a resounding success, we served over 7,000 people through a combination of dental and medical services.

Our mission extended far beyond providing standard healthcare services. Our dedicated volunteers harnessed their expertise to intervene in critical situations that profoundly affected numerous underserved individuals. Through our engagement, we have uncovered both diagnostic inaccuracies and social factors that contribute to life-altering circumstances. 

The ability to provide quality health care to someone who has not had access to such care for years is heartwarming and gratifying. The countless expressions of gratitude gave us the energy to continue. In the process, we strengthened relationships with key providers and gained valuable insights that help us better serve our Dominican immigrant members. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve.

Healthfirst in the News

• Healthfirst Medical Director, Maja Castillo MD, MHA , appeared on abc7NY ’s Tiempo to discuss gaps in healthcare coverage experienced by Latino children.

• Susan Beane, MD FACP , Executive Medical Director at Healthfirst, discusses the importance of driving awareness during Black Maternal Health Week on Fox 5 (WNYW-TV New York)

• CERTV (Dominican Republic) program Central Noticias reports on the mission to the Dominican Republic and interviews Miguel Centeno about Healthfirst's support.

Looking Ahead!

• Healthfirst and Newburgh Armory Unity Center Summer Kick Off

When: June 15, 2024

Where: 321 S William St., Newburgh, NY 12550

• Bangla CDPAP Street Fair 2024

When: July 21, 2024

Where: Waterbury Avenue, between Zerega and Seabury Avenue, Bronx, NY 10462