Health Plus - Health Plus Sponsors Kreyolfest

For Immediate Release

Health Plus Sponsors Kreyolfest
Despite Rain, Music Festival Generate Lots of Heat

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Brooklyn, NY - June 25, 2006 — 5.888 acre Wingate Park, on Brooklyn’s Kingston Avenue, was the site of music, food, and family fun on June 24th, as the Haitian Times presented its 6th annual Kreyolfest to the Haitian community in Brooklyn. Although the Saturday afternoon brought on summer downpours, they proved to be a marginal obstacle as fans of Kreyolfest gathered with raincoats and umbrellas to be part of this new tradition. Equipped with raincoats and umbrellas, as well, representatives of the managed care organization Health Plus were present -- proud sponsors of the event.

“The Haitian community is a big part of Brooklyn’s cultural mix,” says Brooklyn North Regional Manager, Manuel Quezada. “It’s a community whose health is important to us.”

“When we were offered the chance to support this festival,” adds Joseph Bouquet, Regional Manager of Queens and Nassau County for Health Plus – himself a native-born Haitian – “we knew we needed to be here. It’s great to look around a see so much of what makes Haiti special highlighted here today.”

The festival, the largest northeastern Haitian music festival, featured diverse Haitian musical artists such as RAM, Nu Look, Zenglen, and many more. Doors opened to the public at noon, and visitors were invited to sample some of the mouth-watering Haitian cuisine at the festival, while visiting the health fair where free blood pressure, healthcare, and dental check ups were provided for children. Members of the Health Plus team enthusiastically helped promote the importance of good health to the community and were delighted to be part of the ambiance that is part of Kreyolfest.

Despite the rain, Health Plus staff members gathered with raincoats and umbrellas and enthusiastically anticipated the musical acts.

Health Plus team members Manuel Quezada, Isayra Diaz, Alejandro Veras, Ramona Berroa Nieves, Yohanny Diaz, Hommy Peña, and Alcedo Quezada brought smiles and enthusiasm, along with their raincoats, to help out at the 6th Annual Kreyolfest.

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Health Plus, a not-for-profit, multi-cultural organization, is one of the fastest growing managed care organizations in New York City. It was established in 1984 with a commitment to provide coordinated quality health care and improving access to health care for uninsured and underserved families. In its annual review of managed care plans, the New York State Department of Health ranked Health Plus as the top plan for quality in its 2002 and 2003 "Consumer's Guide to Medicaid Managed Care in New York City." Health Plus is New York City's leading provider of Child Health Plus, a New York State Department of Health program that offers parents FREE or low-cost health insurance for children under the age of 19. "CRAIN'S New York Business" magazine ranked Health Plus fifth among the largest health maintenance organizations in the New York area.