Health Plus - Show Me the Red, Yellow, and Blue

For Immediate Release

Show Me the Red, Yellow, and Blue
Festival Celebrates the Independence of Colombia

Media Inquiries:Kathryn Soman (718) 491-7493
Customer Inquiries: Marketing Department (888) 809-8009

Queens, NY - July 17, 2006 — A little over a week after the celebration of American Independence, the Colombian community of New York found itself at the brink of yet another reason to celebrate. Yesterday – on one of the hottest days of the summer – thousands of people from the Colombian community congregated at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens to commemorate the day on which the country gained its independence from Spain in 1819. Staff members of Health Plus – the managed healthcare organization serving the five boroughs and Nassau County – were at hand to help organize the event and to help enroll qualified applicants interested in the free and affordable health care programs Health Plus provides.

A sea of red, yellow, and blue – colors comprising the Colombian flag – did not seem to feel the heat wave that took the New York area by surprise. The event lasted from 10am to 6pm, and revelers, along with Health Plus staff members, enjoyed every minute of it. From the delectable Colombian dishes to the cumbia music that prompted crowds of dancing, this year’s activities promised to bring prized traditions a little closer to home for many of those of Colombian descents who attended. While its large community outreach vehicle parked by the 1964 World Fair’s famous Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Health Plus contributed to the fun as well with a spin wheel that gave many participants a chance to win memorabilia of the day’s festivities.

The festival continues to be one of the most popular events held each year at the renowned park which hosts, amongst other spectacles, New York Mets baseball and the U.S Open tennis tournament.

Jose Garcia, Senior Marketing Representative of Health Plus, smiles as he watches a young attendee.

Two of Health Plus’s Regional Marketing Managers, Manuel Quezada and Joseph Bouquet and dancers – Lilliam and Tiffany Uribe -- at the Colombian Festival held at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

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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.