NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens Public Library Expand Partnership to Bring Health Education and Library Resources to Queens Residents
Collaboration connects community members to vital health information, and library resources at every stage of life
Oct 20, 2026
Elmhurst, NY – NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens Public Library (QPL) today announced an expanded series of collaborative programs designed to connect Queens residents with trusted health information, educational resources, and opportunities to support lifelong learning and wellness. Building on an ongoing partnership between the hospital and library system, the initiatives bring Elmhurst’s healthcare professionals and QPL’s extensive community network together to make health education and library resources more accessible to residents throughout the borough.
One key aspect of the collaboration is the QPL Baby Card Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, which gives families delivering babies at the hospital an opportunity to sign up for a Queens Public Library card and begin connecting their children with library resources from the earliest stages of life. To date, the program has offered close to 5,000 Queens Library Card enrollment packets to Elmhurst Hospital patient families.
Elmhurst Hospital and QPL have also collaborated through Reach Out and Read activities, hospital health fairs, community events, and health education presentations featuring members of Elmhurst’s clinical team.
In the coming months, the partnership will expand with a new video series featuring Elmhurst pediatricians providing practical information for parents and caregivers about caring for infants and young children. The videos will be shared with audiences throughout the Queens Public Library system.
Elmhurst healthcare professionals will also continue to participate in virtual and in-person educational programs at QPL locations on topics including heart health, stroke awareness, healthy holiday eating, cancer screenings, advance directives, and other issues important to the health of Queens residents.
“Strong community health depends not only on what happens during a hospital or clinic visit, but also on whether people have easy access to trusted information and resources to make informed healthcare decisions for themselves and their families,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Alina Moran. “Our partnership with the Queens Public Library enables us to reach more Queens residents outside of traditional healthcare settings with important information on chronic disease prevention and wellness, while building stronger, healthier communities.”
“Health education is an important part of healthcare, and our responsibility to the community extends well beyond the walls of the hospital,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Laura Iavicoli, MBA, FACEP, CHEP. “By partnering with Queens Public Library, our physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals can bring trusted, practical information directly into the communities we serve. Whether we are helping a new parent care for an infant, teaching someone how to recognize the signs of a stroke, or providing information about prevention and cancer screening, these programs give Queens residents knowledge they can use to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their families.”
“Nurses are present with families at the moments that matter most, including the very first days of a child’s life, and that proximity is what makes this partnership work,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s Chief Nursing Officer Devon Bennett. “When one of our nurses places a library card packet in a new parent’s hands alongside discharge teaching, or participates in a health education workshop, they are extending care beyond the hospital walls and into the everyday lives of our patients and their families. Caring for all New Yorkers without exception is what we do best.”
This partnership reflects the shared commitment of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens Public Library to connect the borough’s residents with reliable health information and increase health literacy in underserved communities.
Upcoming Virtual Programs
- October 29, 2 PM: Don’t Just BE FAST, Be Prepared: How to Prevent and Recognize a Stroke with NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Stroke Center Director Dr. Robin Ulep
- November 24, 2 PM: Senior Symposium: Lung Cancer: Know the Risks, Protect Your Health with Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care Chief Dr. Alfredo Astua
- December 2, 11 AM: Savor the Season: Healthy Eating Without Breaking the Bank with NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s Food and Nutrition team
- January 12, 2 PM: Senior Symposium: Making Your Wishes Known with NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Chief Palliative Care Services Dr. Tita Castor
For more information on programs and services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, please call 718 334-4000 or visit us at nychealthandhospitals.org. Follow Elmhurst on Instagram and Facebook at @elmhursthosp.
###
MEDIA CONTACTS:
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst: Atiya Butler, Director of External Affairs, 917 319-5167, butlerat@nychhc.org
Queens Public Library: Ewa Kern Jedrychowska, Ewa.KernJedrychowska@queenslibrary.org
#236-26
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, part of the NYC Health + Hospitals health care system, is the major tertiary care provider in the borough of Queens. The 545-bed hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center, an Emergency Heart Care Station, a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Receiving Center, a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Center of Excellence, and a 911-Receiving Hospital. It is a premiere health care institution offering exceptional services across a wide range of specialties, including surgery, cardiology, women’s health, pediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, renal services, and mental health care. In the past year alone, the hospital received nearly one million ambulatory care visits and over 140,000 emergency room visits, reflecting its essential role in the community. NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst has been nationally ranked and recognized as a “Best Regional Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report in critical areas such as Heart Failure, Heart Attack, Stroke, Hip Fracture, Maternity, Kidney Failure, Orthopedics, Pneumonia, and COPD.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology, and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab at the Queensbridge public housing complex, a community learning center at the Ravenswood public housing complex, and five teen centers. It also has five bookmobiles and two book bicycles.