Queens News - Local News

By Dan Lynch   Occupational Therapist   VNS Health   Queens Voice  October 7, 2025 NEW YORK - When I first met 87-year-old Lydia, I was coming to help her recover from a fall. More than the physical impact she had suffered, though, I quickly saw how the fall had made her fearful and that this was also impacting her quality of life As I’ve found when I’m out in the field as an occupational therapist with VNS Health, Lydia was not alone— falls are alarmingly common among older adults . Having purchased a new, comfortable mattress, she also was now sleeping in a bed that was much higher for her—in fact, not long after getting her new bed, she suffered from a fall while she was getting out of it on her way to the bathroom. Afraid of injuring herself again, she had taken to sleeping with her pet c...

By Jahanara Ullah, PhD,  Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Montefiore School Health Program  Queens Voice  August 20, 2025 NEW YORK  - The transition from summer to school routine is an adjustment that can lead to conflict or trigger anxiety.  Children might be anticipating big changes, such as going to a new school or meeting new teachers. Kids who learn differently might become anxious about keeping up with their academics or fitting in with their peers. Caregivers often struggle to get kids back on an earlier sleep and wake schedule.  Montefiore School Health Program supports caregivers in the back-to-school transition to support the overall well-being of kids and families. Here are some tips that can help you and your child lay the foundation for a successful school year.  1. Start the transition to school-mode e...

By Neel P. Chudgar, M.D., cancer surgeon at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center and assistant professor of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine  Queens Voice  August 8, 2025  NEW YORK - Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. — largely because it is diagnosed at a late stage. The five-year survival rate for stage I or II lung cancer is over 65%, compared to just 8% for later-stage III and IV disease, according to the American Lung Association. In the Bronx, historically patients have been diagnosed at more advanced and less curable stages than people in other places in the U.S. To turn the tide in our community, in 2022 Montefiore Einstein Comprehensi...

By Amanda Torres  Queens Voice July 8, 2025 An infectious disease expert shares information on NB.1.8.1, which has caused a surge in COVID infections in parts of Asia.     This article originally appeared in NewYork Presbyterian Health Matters. NEW YORK - The new COVID variant known as NB.1.8.1, nicknamed Nimbus, has emerged globally and is beginning to spread in the United States. Nimbus accounted for an estimated 37% of cases in the U.S., during a two-week period ending June 7, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  What sets NB.1.8.1 apart is how quickly it spreads,” explains Dr. Magdalena Sobieszczyk, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “It has a genetic advantage: mutations that make it easy for it to bind to receptors on human cells. The mutations could allow NB.1.8.1 to spread faster and...