Healthfirst Honors Exceptional New York Women Leaders at Third Annual Women’s History Month Community Awards Celebration

Business Wire

Celebration is Part of Healthfirst’s 25th Anniversary Year

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Healthfirst, the largest not-for-profit health insurance company in New York City, is recognizing the accomplishments of 10 outstanding women who have made lasting contributions to the New York communities that Healthfirst serves.

Healthfirst’s annual Women’s History Month Community Awards Celebration takes place this year on Thursday, March 29, at Maestro’s in the Bronx.

“Healthfirst is proud to salute these women, who have made a positive and significant impact on residents in the neighborhoods we serve,” said George Hulse, Healthfirst Vice President of Community Engagement. “The honorees represent the very best of our communities and share Healthfirst’s 25 years of dedication to supporting the well-being of others. They deserve our thanks and praise for all they do.”

Healthfirst was founded in 1993 as a not-for-profit corporation sponsored by New York’s leading hospitals with a shared mission to improve patient health and well-being. Healthfirst’s approach aligns incentives between the health plan and healthcare providers by returning to our sponsor hospitals the savings from higher quality and better care management. This pioneering approach has helped spur our growth, and today 1 in 8 New Yorkers uses Healthfirst’s Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and long-term care plans; our qualified health plans; or our individual or small group plans. Healthfirst is proud to be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The 10 women being honored have demonstrated a willingness to focus on solutions that make a difference. While each honoree has a unique story and has chosen a different career path, they share years of giving back to and improving our communities.

This year’s distinguished honorees are:

Carmen M. Garcia Albarran, M.D., a pediatrician and managing partner of Access Medicare
Tonya Boyd, Deputy Chief of the New York City Fire Department
Gale Brewer, Manhattan’s 27th Borough President
The Honorable Yvette D. Clarke, representative for the people of Brooklyn’s Ninth Congressional District
Jacqueline Contreras, Executive Director of El Show de Jackie (The Jackie Show) on Telemundo 47
Nilda Irizarry-Hofmann, New York Police Department’s Chief of Community Affairs
Dr. Marcella Maxwell, Clinical Supervisor of Teaching Fellows, Brooklyn College
Melissa Salguero, 2018 GRAMMY Music Educator Award Honoree and teacher at P.S. 48 Joseph R. Drake in the Bronx
April Simpson, the New York City Housing Authority’s Queens Bridge Houses Resident Association President
Lin Tan, TV Host and News Anchor, Sinovision

“The honorees have made an outsized impact across the five boroughs and are role models for their courage, character, and commitment,” said Mr. Hulse.

More than 450 guests are expected to attend this third annual community event that brings together elected officials, journalists, and community leaders to recognize the honorees.

For more information on the Women’s History Month Community Awards Celebration, visit here.

For more information on Healthfirst, visit www.healthfirst.org.

About Healthfirst

Twenty-five years ago, Healthfirst was founded on a unique approach to healthcare rooted in a heartfelt mission: partner with the very best hospitals and doctors to offer to New Yorkers health insurance with high-quality patient care at its core. Under our approach, the health plan and providers have a common goal—to make healthcare work for patients and to return the savings from better and more efficient care to sponsor hospitals. We now serve 1.3 million members across the five boroughs and Long Island. As the largest not-for-profit health insurance company in New York City, Healthfirst offers Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and long-term care; family plans; and small group plans.