Queens News - Local News

By Kent Ye Physical Therapist, VNS Health  Queens Voice  July 29, 2025 NEW YORK - Falls can be life-changing—impacting both body and mind. Each year, more than 14 million adults aged 65 and older report having a fall—and once you’ve had one fall, the risk of falling again doubles. Falls are the leading cause of injury in older adults, and while the physical toll can be tough, the emotional toll can hit just as hard.  As a physical therapist working with my patients in their homes, I’ve seen how a single fall can start a vicious cycle: After someone experiences a fall, they become overly cautious and try to avoid moving, worried they’ll fall again just doing everyday things. That fear can prevent them from getting help or support and may also result in their becoming sedentary, all of which may actually increase their risk for another fall.  ...

Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office By Mayor Eric Adams Community OpEd Queens Voice July 25, 2025   NEW YORK - Ask any young person, senior citizen, or working-class New Yorker about the biggest issues facing our city and you’ll hear the same response: affordable housing.  When our administration came into office, we were clear that our city could not afford to keep kicking the can down the road on housing; it was not enough to tinker around the edges of our housing crisis, and we could not pass the buck off to a future administration. We had to undertake ambitious initiatives to build hundreds of thousands of new homes as soon as possible — and that is exactly what we have done for three years.   From the Bronx to Staten Island, across every borough and neighborhood in New York City, our administration has created record amounts of affordable housing year after year. We p...

By Dr. Steven Angelo, Chief Medical Officer UnitedHealthcare, Medicare and Retirement of New York  Queens Voice  July 24, 2025   NEW YORK - If your 2025 New Year’s resolution was to improve your health and well-being, and you have not made as much progress as you had hoped, it is not too late to refocus your efforts.   Review your list of health goals Maybe your plan was to eat better, be more active, be more social, or just feeI better and more energized. So, make a list, be specific and establish a timeline. And bring this with you when you go for your annual wellness visit or your next care provider visit.   Plan your care visits Make a list of the care appointments you will need this year – but have not yet scheduled. This includes your annual wellness visit, screenings, dental and vision appointments, and vaccinations. Then start making those appointments. Care providers may be able to schedule appointments months in advance, w...

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...

By Dr. Steven Angelo, Chief Medical Officer, Medicare & Retirement, UnitedHealthcare of New York  Queens Voice  July 1, 2025   NEW YORK - Experts are forecasting that 2025, especially this summer, will be particularly hot, which may pose heightened health risks for older adults, according to a University of Southern California study. Seniors may be more susceptible to heat-related illnesses like heat stroke as well as complications from chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure that are worsened by extreme heat.   How older adults can stay cool Plan ahead – Follow local weather reports to ensure you have enough food, prescription medications and other home “staples” to get through a heat wave. Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water, even if you are not thirsty. Limit caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Drinks with elect...