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By Frederick R. Bedell Jr.

TimesLedger Newspapers

Jerusalem is now recognized as the capital of Israel by the United States.

As of Monday, May 14, the U.S. Embassy has moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Trump made a promise to recognize Jerusalem and has kept his word, where previous presidents have failed to do so.

This has been a long time coming. As such, I praise this decision and believe that once was, is now and forever will be, for Jerusalem will always be part of Israel.

I would like to applaud President Trump and echo this phrase on one of the signs displayed in Israel: “President Trump, mazel tov on your decision to move your embassy to Jerusalem.”

Frederick R. Bedell Jr.

Glen Oaks Village

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Queens elected officials railed against the de Blasio administration’s plan to install a third homeless shelter in the small five-block community of Blissville this week, claiming the homeless will outnumber the permanent residents of the industrial section of Long Island City.

A letter written by the lawmakers to Mayor Bill de Blasio called for the city to rescind the plan to convert the Fairfield Inn at 52-34 Van Dam St. into a shelter as two rallies led by City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) at City Hall Tuesday followed another led by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) at Gracie Mansion Monday.

“According to the Turning of the Tide on Homeless in NYC plan, all neighborhoods would be equally responsible for hosting homeless shelters. This is not the case in Blissville, The request for a third homeless in such close proximity to two existing ones oversteps reasonable limits,” the letter said. It was written by Van Bramer and Maloney signed onto the letter along with U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood).

“We ask that you rescind plans for a new shelter at the Fairfield Inn and find another location that is more suitable for both the individuals that would live in the shelter, as well as the surrounding community.”

Department of Homeless Service Commissioner Steven Banks said the city was moving ahead with its plans for the shelter.

“The city and not-for-profit social service provider partner Home/Life are opening this facility as soon as possible to give adult families from Queens the opportunity to be closer to the communities they called home as they get back on their feet,” Banks said. “We are ensuring the building is ready for occupancy, finalizing all required reviews, and expect to open this facility this spring after all has been completed.”

The Fairfield Inn is slated to join the Sweet Home Suites on Hunters Point Avenue and the City View Inn on Greenpoint Avenue.

Maria Davis, vice president of the Blissville Civic Association, said the concern is not only the fact their community lacks simple services such as a Laundromat for the incoming homeless, but that it is also located nearly adjacent to the Newtown Creek superfund site.

The nearest hospital for people in the shelter is in Manhattan, which would be complicated for elderly homeless and those battling addiction, according to Davis.

“All three shelters together, there are over 500 individuals. We’re only like 450, if that. So the people in Sunnyside, if there’s a shelter they don’t even realize it because the population is so dense. We feel it immediately, we feel it right now,” Davis said at the Monday rally.

Van Bramer led the rally at City Hall, again calling for the de Blasio administration to dial back its effort to place homeless in the Blissville community.

“I and the people of Blissville have compassion and empathy for those who are experiencing homelessness, but the undue burden being placed on this neighborhood is creating profound difficulties,” Van Bramer said at the City Hall rally. “It is unfair and unwise to continue to site shelters in a small, isolated area that is lacking many basic services. The administration should realize that they have made a mistake and pull back from this plan.”

Nolan issued a statement tracking the broader deployment of shelters throughout western Queens, particularly Long Island City, which have been the scenes of protests in recent years.

“Queens, and in particular western Queens, has seen the Maspeth Holiday Inn, the Verve Hotel in Dutch Kills, the former Best Western Hotel in Sunnyside and now City View and the Fairfield Inn turned into homeless shelters over the past few years,” Nolan said. “Our community has always done our share, having been the location for the Borden Avenue men’s shelter in Long Island City for many years. Our community worked with the providers to help our veterans who were homeless. There has been oversaturation of our western Queens Neighborhoods, oftentimes without adequate notice, and we have had enough.”

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

A new report from the Senate Democratic Conference explored potential reasons for low voter turnout in New York and new bills that could help address the problem.

“Why Don’t New Yorkers Vote? A Snapshot Identifying Low Voter Turnout,” was a detailed survey conducted with New Yorkers who did not participate in the 2016 general election despite being eligible to vote. The survey highlighted New York’s poor record on voting participation, ranking 41st in the nation in the 2016 presidential contest.

In Queens 691,209 voters turned up at the polls for the 2016 presidential election, or 62 percent of the 1.11 eligible voters, according to the city Board of Elections 2016 annual report. The percentage was the same for the entire city, where 2.75 million New Yorkers voted out of 4.47 million.

State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), a member of the SDC, announced a legislative package that would help improve accessibility to voting and increase voter participation. She said these new bills will help more New Yorkers get to the polls and have a say in the future of the state.

“New York is a pillar of progressive values and beliefs and should not rank at the bottom of voter participation,” she said. “We need to lead the nation in encouraging citizens to be actively engaged in the democratic process. Empowering New Yorkers to have a more active role in their state government should not be a partisan or controversial issue.”

There were several key findings in the survey: 79 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote in an election if early voting was enacted; 76 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote if no-excuse absentee voting was enacted; 81 percent of respondents who live in counties with voting hours from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Primary Day said they would be more likely to vote if voting hours were extended to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and 28 percent of respondents said they have missed an election because of work or school obligations.

Stavisky said to address the survey findings and strengthen the democratic process in New York state, she will push a series of bills that would make the voting process easier and more accessible.

The Early Voting Bill would establish an early voting system to permit eligible voters in New York state to vote in person during a designated period prior to any primary, special, or general election day. Stavisky said this bill will also establish an early voting fund to cover the expenses of early voting so that local governments are not unfairly burdened.

The No-Excuse Absentee Voting Bill would amend the state Constitution to allow for any voter to request to vote by mail without declaring a reason.

The Voter Empowerment Act would create a modern voter registration system that would reduce costs for processing voter registrations and maintain complete and accurate voter registration lists. Stavisky said this legislation would reduce the inaccuracy and disenfranchisement caused by human error while also helping to prevent fraud.

Other suggested bills would help teens ages 16 and 17 pre-register to vote, make state primary elections the same day as federal primary elections and increase available materials in Haitian Creole, Bengali, Punjabi, Hindi, and Russian in areas with large numbers of voters who speak those languages.

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Prototype Music, a Jamaica-based youth music development and event production company, is having its third annual festival at St. John’s University next month in Fresh Meadows, where large crowds are expected.

Z100 personality Mo Bounce will host the Queens Youth Music Festival at the university, located at 8000 Utopia Parkway. The headliner is Casey Simpson, a singer and star of the Nickelodeon show “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn.” Other headliners include Lil Keys, a rapper being mentored by music producer Jermaine Dupri on the reality show “The Rap Game,” Sawyer Fredericks, last year’s winner of NBC’s “The Voice,” and Matt Martinez of Kidz Bop, a group which performs kid-friendly versions of hit pop songs.

The June 9 event is the brainchild of lifelong Queens natives Rodney Hill, an actor from Jamaica, and Aleeia Abraham, a vocalist from Springfield Gardens. Together, the duo use their skills in writing, producing, recording and choreography to mentor young people in Queens who want to develop and pursue their love of the arts professionally.

“We had one or two kids who had an interest in the arts, and we wanted to help them in the process,” Abraham said. “We taught them how to write songs, and we took them to the studio. We did some stage coaching, and we shot music videos with them.”

After training the kids, Hill and Abraham realized there was no platform for the youths to display their work.

“We had all these kids that we were working with, and then we decided to put together this festival — a big platform, something bigger than just a school recital, something that felt professional,” said Abraham.

Several Queens’ acts will have the opportunity to open for the festival’s headliners and showcase their skills to a crowd that is expected to draw more than 1,000 people.

Some of the youth-based acts include Vicki S., a singer from Richmond Hill who was the first-place winner of “Child Stars of Tomorrow” in February 2018; Julie Winter, a singer from Flushing; Trey Benni, a rapper from Forest Hills; and George Padilla, a rapper from Maspeth.

“I am very excited to be performing at the music festival for the second time,” said Padilla, 20. “I make my music from scratch and post it [on Instagram and Youtube], and I make covers of other hip-hop, R&B and pop songs on social media. I am very passionate about getting my music out there.”

Padilla is working on music for an EP that he hopes to release later this year.

Other Queens’ acts include the Jules Dance group from Rosedale and the Prototype Dancers from the Saratoga Inn Homeless Shelter in Jamaica, whose members attend the Prototype’s music program.

The music festival will also be honoring Cayla Kumar, a Queens Village teen who is the current titleholder of Miss Outstanding Teen New York, with an award. Kumar uses her pageant platform to raise awareness for pediatric cancer.

“I’m extremely excited and grateful,” said Kumar, who intends to use her moment at the festival to continue raising awareness for pediatric cancer.

Kids from the outer-boroughs will also get a chance to perform.

“We want to bring people to Queens to enjoy the arts as well,” Abraham said. “There is pride from the residents that are from here and there is a chance for people outside of the borough, outside of the state and outside of the country to come here and enjoy things from Queens.”

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced last week that over 200 bilingual programs opened or expanded in the last four years in the city’s public schools and there will be an additional 48 opening this fall, including the first of its kind Albanian dual language class.

“Everyone in our city, including immigrant families and undocumented students, deserves a high-quality education, and language should never be a barrier to equal access,” Carranza said May 2. “When I started kindergarten, I only spoke Spanish and my parents trusted public schools to teach me English — I want to make sure every English Language Learner in New York City has the same experience I did growing up.”

The new schools chancellor replaced Carmen Fariña in March and is the son of working-class Mexican immigrants.

The expansion of the language classes, which cost $1.2 million and are either taught as Dual-Language or Transition-Bilingual Education courses, will affect 13 schools in Queens, according to the city Department of Education.

IS 77 (Ridgewood), PS 305 (Ridgewood), PS 330 (Corona), PS 22 (Flushing), PS/IS 268 (Jamaica), PS 92 (Flushing), PS 148 (East Elmhurst) and PS 384 (Brooklyn near Glendale) will all have expanded dual-languange programs in Spanish, according to Carranza’s office.

PS 13 (Flushing) will have a dual-language course in Chinese, William Cullen Bryant High School (Long Island City) will have a TBE course in Bengali, and PS 7 (Elmhurst) will have a dual-language course program in both Chinese and Bengali. Forest Elementary (Ridgewood) will have a dual-language program in Polish and IS 25 (Flushing) will have one class in Korean.

“As the world’s borough, you can hear hundreds of languages and dialects spoken around Queens daily. However, it is one thing to hear your neighbor, but to understand their words and their culture connects us on a deeper level,” said state Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens). “Teaching our children to speak and read a different language will help them develop skills they need to navigate the modern world.”

State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) shared Hyndman’s sentiments.

“I am pleased that students at PS/IS 268 in my district and all around the city will be given the opportunity to participate in this innovative, immersive dual language program,” Comrie said.

In dual language classes, 50 percent of students are English Language Learners and the other half are English-proficient students. Both groups are instructed in English and a target language, according to the DOE.

In Transitional Bilingual courses, English Language Learner students who speak a common home language receive instruction in that language with support in English, then gradually are taught more in English until they are proficient in English.

Parents of English Language Learner students can request the program that they believe would be best suited for their child.

“Growing up bilingual has been vital to my work as an educator, and I have seen the impact bilingual education has had on so many of my students,” said Amy Hom, the principal at PS 1 in Manhattan. “For so many of our families, bilingual programs allow their children to maintain their native language and celebrate their culture while developing important skills.”

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

The Paid Sick and Safe Leave Law is now in effect as of Monday, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Lorelei Salas.

The law allows a victim of domestic violence, unwanted sexual contact, stalking or human trafficking to go on paid leave, according to the mayor’s office. A family member of the victim can also go on paid leave in order to support the victim in their time of need. This enables the victim to plan his or her next step and focus on personal safety without fear of penalty.

“The Paid Sick and Safe Leave law sends a clear message to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking – New York City stands with you,” said de Blasio. “The city is stepping up to ensure that vulnerable individuals are able to access the care they need without jeopardizing their livelihood.”

The law is receiving support from lawmakers across the board.

“Survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking often struggle with the psychological aftermath of a traumatic event,” said City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park). “I am proud to support this expansion, which will ensure that survivors of serious crimes have an opportunity to seek the treatment needed to heal without worrying about their next paycheck.”

Salas wants victims to know that the city supports its workforce and will not punish them for going through a horrible ordeal.

“Safe Leave sends a clear message to New York City’s workforce – the very backbone of our great city – that we support your physical, psychological, economic health and safety and will continue to fight for your rights,” said Salas. “I encourage all workers and employers to visit our website or to call 311 to request information about the Paid Safe and Sick Law.”

Under the law employees can take time off to obtain services from a domestic violence shelter, rape crisis center, or other services programs. They will get the time they need to relocate, enroll a child in a new school, and take other actions to protect family members.

The law will allow time off for attorney or social service visits, consumer credit advice, and filing domestic violence reports to law enforcement agnecies or the district attorney’s office.

Employers with five or more employees who work more than 80 hours per calendar year in New York City must provide paid safe and sick leave to employees and employers with fewer than five must provide unpaid safe and sick leave, according to the mayor’s office.

“Accrual of safe and sick leave is at a rate of one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per calendar year, and begins on employee’s first day of employment,” said a spokesman for the mayor. “Employees can begin using accrued leave 120 days after their first day of work. For those employers who do not frontload safe and sick leave on the first day of a new calendar year, employees must be permitted to carry over up to 40 hours of unused safe and sick leave from one calendar year to the new calendar year.”

Carmelyn Malalis, the chair and commissioner of the NYC Commission on Human Rights, was pleased with the new law.

“Expanding paid sick leave to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking is not only the right thing to do, but will go a long way in ensuring that people at their most vulnerable are able to access the resources and services they need without sacrificing their wages,” said Malalis.

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Environmentalists and constituents of Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) held a waste equity rally outside the elected official’s office last week in order to convince him to co-sponsor the new version of Intro 495-C, which was reintroduced in January.

The May 2 rally, which 20 people attended, was in response to the councilman refusing to vote on the Intro 495-C bill in December 2017, despite being one of its co-sponsors and biggest champions since 2014.

The purpose of both bills was to reduce the capacity of waste stations in overburdened districts, according to legistrar.council.nyc.gov.

The bills were rooted in the 2006 Solid Waste Management Plan, which was created to help communities in southeast Queens, north Brooklyn and the south Bronx that had 75 percent of the city’s trash, according to the city Department of Sanitation.

The plan would put caps on the amount of refuse sent to those communities, improve air quality, and cut traffic and pollution from long-haul trucks as the city builds Marine Transfer Stations across the city, according to Sanitation.

The city’s waste plan aimed to tackle the traffic, pollution and air quality problem by switching from long-haul trucking of refuse to marine and rail transfer, according to www.waste360.com, a site that follows trends in solid waste.

It was estimated that truck travel could be cut by 60 miles and greenhouse gas emissions reduced to 34,000 tons, according to www.waste360.com.

The management plan will ultimately steer the waste away from commercial refuse facilities situated in the boroughs, and transfer it via fewer and greener trucks to boroughwide marine and rail stations, according the Solid Waste Management Plan. The trucks routes will be redirected away from most commercial roads and residential areas.

Bill Baker, a congregant of Allen AME Cathedral at 110-31 Merrick Blvd. in Jamaica, which is near Miller’s office, said that his wife and sons have developed asthma over the years and he attributed it to air pollution from waste facilities in the neighborhood, like American Recycling at 172-33 Douglas Ave. in Jamaica.

“The weather person said, ‘it’s going to be hot today. So be careful if you are asthmatic or have breathing problems,’” said Baker. “This made me anxious.”

Miller agrees that waste equity is necessary in southeast Queens, but believes a bill should also include safety standards and better wages for sanitation workers. After reviewing both bills and speaking to experts, he added that getting rid of the waste facilities may also lead to worse problems.

“I appreciate our community’s activist spirit and desire for swift action,” said Miller. “However, responsible policy development is neither quick nor easy, and requires research, collaboration and negotiation… I’ve been the most vocal champion for Environmental Justice in southeast Queens and remain deeply committed to that principle, which among other things includes working to pass a waste equity bill that adequately addresses the unique needs of our community.”

Labor activists agree with Miller, and believe sanitation workers could lose their union paying jobs if the caps go into effect immediately, especially since the Marine Transfer Stations won’t be finished until 2020, according to the mayor’s office.

The National Waste & Recycling Association, a private-sector waste trade group, said that sanitation workers earn $40,000 to $60,000 a year with benefits.

Executive Director Kendall Christiansen from New Yorkers for Responsible Waste Management and CEO Tom Grech of the Queens Chamber of Commerce are also concerned about the impact the transfer stations will have on small businesses in the city and Queens.

“The main problem is that you are eliminating choice and competition for the small businesses and the haulers that service them,” said Christiansen. “You are changing what is a competitive market, which means better service, better prices and innovation as well, because companies would try to get smarter and more efficient with how they operate.”

Christiansen believes the mayor’s system would be creating a monopoly “where no one can compete.”

Grech said it is the Chamber’s job to make sure the waste system is “fair and equitable for small businesses.”

“I understand the component [by the mayor] to have waste management companies work in a more coordinated way, but I’m worried about their cost going up,” said Grech. “As the city’s largest geographic borough, we have tens of thousands of businesses that depend upon steady pricing and regular relationships.”

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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By Naeisha Rose

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The Highland Care Center, a rehabilitation center in Jamaica, planned a grand reopening this Thursday to showcase its new state-of-the-art rehab gym and renovated facility.

Highland Care Center is located at 91-31 175th St. in Jamaica, and the grand May 10 reopening included a tour of its completely revamped gym and facility. An outdoor party was to be held under a tent on a remodeled patio, according to HCC Administrator Mary Anne Rose.

“Highland Care Center has been around since the 1970s and was built as a traditional nursing home,” said Rose. “Nursing care has transitioned from not only long-term care facilities, but also short-term care facilities, so we had to change our operations.”

The Highland Care Center has 600 to 700 admissions a year and had to enhance its facilities to meet the needs of its patients, the administrator said.

“We rebuilt the entire inside of the facility,” said Rose. “Every bedroom, every hallway, every nurses station…and we rebuilt our gym, we rebuilt our community areas for our residents, our lobby, our offices, and we changed our programs and services to meet the needs of the community.”

The nine-story building is 98,000 square feet, has eight resident units, which have 40 beds each, said Rose.

“Going forward we are hoping to enhance our dementia unit to provide more intense care for those patients,” said Rose. “We are looking to enhance our rehab to do cardiac rehab, we are enhancing our wound care and we are enhancing clinical nursing skills,” said Rose.

There are approximately 30 registered nurses and 45 licensed practical nurses trained to provide extensive wound care, IV-hydration therapy, pulmonary services, IV-antibiotics and more, according to Rose.

“In the new gym you will find a balance machine, which would allow us to test you for your balance so that we know what level of therapy you’ll need,” said Rose. “You’ll find cardiac treadmills, cardiac bikes, a weight machine, and an electronic stimulation machine are just a few of the things we will have.”

At the event spirits and tapas were prepared, along with a playlist that included classical and modern jazz music. Mentalist David Blatt was scheduled to entertain the guests, according to the administrator. A booth was also set up for guests to make their own perfume.

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

The growth in tourism in New York City is benefitting Queens workers the most, according to a new report from the Center for an Urban Future.

The “Destination New York” report found that the record increase in tourism to the city over the last 20 years has created thousands of jobs in Queens and benefited Queens residents who work in tourism jobs throughout the city. The report reveals that 14,750 Queens residents work at hotels across the city, a significantly higher number of people more than in any other borough. Queens is also home to 3,272 accommodations jobs, up from 2,396 in 2000 for a 37 percent increase.

The report, which was funded by the Association for a Better New York and Times Square Alliance, found that the tourism boom has led to job growth at the city’s cultural attractions, restaurants and bars, and retail shops.

In Queens, the number of people working at restaurants and bars increased 88 percent from 24,033 jobs in 2000 to 45,276 jobs in 2016. Queens has also seen a 46 percent rise in jobs at museums, parks and historical sites, from 599 in 2000 to 875 in 2016. In retail, Queens added 12,863 jobs since 2000 for a 25 percent increase.

The study also revealed that the benefits of tourism has spread to many Queens neighborhoods. In Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, tourists are responsible for 12 percent of all spending in electronics stores and 10 percent of spending in discount stores. The report added that tourists are also responsible for 6 percent of all retail spending in those neighborhoods, totaling more than $23 million annually.

Rob MacKay. director of public relations, marketing and tourism at Queens Economic Development Corporation, said the report confirmed what he already knew about the borough.

“We now have more than 100 hotels,” he said. “Lonely Planet voted Queens as the country’s best tourism destination in 2015. The restaurant scene is the best in the world, that’s right, the world. We also have great cultural venues, parks and a revived Rockaways. Add micro breweries, a burgeoning art scene, the USTA, the Mets, a casino and proximity to a less-exciting borough that starts with an “M,” Queens really has something for everybody. It’s simply a great place to visit.”

The report said that while a growing number of tourists are visiting Queens, the tourism boom is also benefiting Queens residents who work elsewhere in the city. Queens is home to more hotel workers than any other borough, a sector where the average worker earns $62,000 per year. And 81 percent of city residents who are employed at hotels live outside Manhattan. There are 14,750 Queens residents working in the accommodations sector, significantly more than in any other borough, including Brooklyn, home to 10,986 hotel workers, Manhattan is home to 8,324 hotel workers, the Bronx home to 6,881 hotel workers, and Staten Island home to 1,819 hotel workers.

The report revealed how the city’s tourism boom over the past two decades has affected New York’s economy. The number of tourists visiting the city has increased from 33 million a year in the late 1990s to 62.7 million in 2017. This 90 percent increase in annual visitors has spurred the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs and elevated tourism into one of the four key drivers of New York City’s economy, according to the report.

The study also warned that New York’s tourism sector faces new challenges that could cause tourism to slip and jobs to decline. The strengthening dollar, the negative perceptions of the United States and overcrowding at the city’s airports are issues that need to be addressed, according to the report. The study also found that NYC has never adequately planned for a city with 60 million tourists a year, or made sufficient investments in its tourism infrastructure to sustain that many annual visitors.

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

Financial Technology Company SmartAsset released its second annual life insurance study on America’s healthiest places and Queens County made the list, ranking fifth in the state of New York.

To find America’s healthiest counties SmartAsset considered three factors: length of life, health behaviors and health-care access. It’s the second time Queens County has ranked fifth in both years, according to AJ Smith, SmartAsset’s vice president of financial education.

Smith said the purpose of the study is to get people to take control of their lives and personal finances, although it may be a difficult subject matter to discuss.

“We do studies like this to hopefully get people thinking and talking about these topics,” said Smith. “We want people to be able to understand their finances and whether they’re able to meet their financial goals.”

First in the study, the longevity factor measured life expectancy in a county, specifically at the rate of per 100,000 residents at which people died before the age of 75.

Second, a health behavior index was created for each county measured by three data points: the percentage of adults reporting binge or heavy drinking, current adult smokers and obesity.

Third, health-care access measured how healthy each county is and the study looked at the number of primary rate care physicians per 100,000 residents and the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance.

“One of the factors that stood out was Queens County had the lowest percentage of excessive drinking in the top 10,” said Smith.

The study showed the excessive drinking rate for Queens was 15.4 percent.

In comparison to last year’s study, the rate of uninsured people (15.9 percent) was much lower this year according to Smith.

The overall health score for Queens was 84.55 with Manhattan taking the lead with a score of 91.96. The three other healthiest places in the state were Westchester (91.29), Nassau (90.92) and Rockland (88.92). The top healthiest county in the country is Los Alamos, N.M. (100.00).

SmartAsset used a weighted average of the three factors to provide an overall health score for each county. It used a 50 percent weighting for length of life, a 30 percent weighting for health behaviors and a 20 percent weighting for health-care access, which resulted in the highest final numbers reflecting the healthiest counties in the country.

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

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