Third place went to Janell Caballero, a 4th Grader from P.S. 114 in the Bronx.  Second Place was Jenny Lam, a 5th Grader from P.S. 169 in Brooklyn, and the first place winner was Elionel Maldonado, a 3rd Grader from P.S. 112 in the Bronx.  Nine other students received honorable mention; while the top three took home American Express Gift Certificates for $150, $100, and $50, respectively.  The artwork of all twelve finalists will be featured in the 2008 Asthma Awareness Calendar, published by the DOT.

The young honorees, along with their families and teachers, were given a chance to pose with Mets relief pitcher Pedro Feliciano, as well as Health Plus Executive Director – and lifelong Mets fan – Tom Early, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Clifford Marbut, and Vice President of Network Development & Provider Relations Cleo Dixon.

Judges Julia Choe, of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Felicita Saldana, of the Department of Education; Betty Perez-Rivera, from the Childhood Asthma Initiative at Montefiore Hospital; Rosanna Quezada, of the American Lung Association; Dr. Cheryl Lawrence, from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Joseph Barr, from the Department of Transportation; and Margaret Wilson, RN, Patient Care Coordinator, from Health Plus, were also on hand to pose for pictures with the winners.

Everyone in attendance was given a ticket to stay and watch the game that night – as the Mets defeated the San Francisco Giants, 4 to 2.

Asthma treatment and control is an ongoing project for the Health Education team at Health Plus.  Each year they visit schools across the five boroughs of New York City and Nassau County to educate children about the dangers of asthma, the importance of proper medication, and how to avoid the triggers that can cause an asthma attack.  Each year they pull an idea from their lesson book and use it as the theme for the contest.  The theme for this year’s contest was Air Quality and Physical Activity.  All contestants were rated using six criteria: Accuracy of message, effectiveness, creativity, originality, adherence to the guidelines, and positive concept.  The contest, which began in the art classrooms of 22 New York City School, selected winners from among 84 entries that were critiqued and rated at judging ceremony, held last month at the Health Plus Executive Offices in downtown Brooklyn. 

“Health Plus is proud to put this event together and partner with these great organizations to promote better asthma management,” says Tom Early, Executive Director for Health Plus, one of New York City’s premier providers of free and affordable healthcare to children and adults.  “This effort will not only encourage young artists, but it will educate many people about a disease that affects this city drastically. Our company offers a number of great programs to help families fight asthma. But this annual poster awards ceremony is certainly the most fun.”