NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Hosts “Born At Elmhurst” Homecoming Celebration
Summer BBQ-themed event celebrates successful efforts to reduce maternal mortality and improve birth outcomes in underserved community
Aug 20, 2025
The Collado-Singh family, who were all born at NYC Health +Hospitals/Elmhurst.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst recently held a Born at Elmhurst Homecoming. This multigenerational, summer BBQ-themed event welcomed back a wide range of individuals, including community members, local elected officials, doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff born at Elmhurst Hospital for a joyful afternoon of food, fun, and celebration. As a highlight of the program, a special neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) “graduation” ceremony honored former NICU patients who are now thriving toddlers, children, teens and adults. In addition, each guest born at Elmhurst Hospital received a commemorative “Born at Elmhurst” button as part of the program. The event featured activities for all ages, including a magic show, family dance class, face painting, balloon art, a photo booth, blood pressure screenings, tabling by local community-based organizations, and a tribute wall where attendees got a chance to write thank you messages to the hospital. Guests also enjoyed a free BBQ meal and dessert.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde with New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and New York City Council Member Francisco Moya, who were both born at the hospital.
“NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is proud to host this event and celebrate our wonderful success stories and all the babies that got their start in life at our beloved hospital,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde. “People born at Elmhurst Hospital have gone on to do so many amazing things. Whether serving in government, running businesses, saving lives as first responders or raising families right here in Queens, our “babies” from all walks of life continue to have a major impact. This event is really a tribute to the necessary investment it takes to improve health outcomes for future generations and ensure their success.”
“Being born at Elmhurst Hospital connects me deeply to this community and its story,” said New York State Senator Jessica Ramos, whose district encompasses the facility. “Elmhurst stands as a beacon of resilience and care in one of the most diverse corners of the world. Its frontline workers, who stood tall during the darkest days of the pandemic, embody the values I strive to bring to public service.”
“As someone who was born at Elmhurst Hospital, this moment is incredibly meaningful to me,” said New York City Council Member Francisco Moya, whose district is adjacent to Elmhurst Hospital. “Elmhurst has always been a place where every life matters, and their efforts to reduce maternal mortality and improve birth outcomes — especially in underserved communities — are nothing short of life-saving. This work is a testament to what happens when equity, compassion, and excellence in care come together. I’m proud to represent this hospital and this community, and I will continue to support the fight for health justice in every neighborhood.”
“Nothing gives me more pleasure than an Elmhurst generational family because what better way is there to acknowledge the incredible care experience that we try so hard to give, than to have a family choose to return the second or third time!” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Pediatrics Director Dr. Randi Wasserman. “That makes me smile and feel so valued!”
Members of Elmhurst Hospital’s Nursing team and a baby born at the hospital enjoy the celebration.
“To those who have chosen to give birth at Elmhurst, we are grateful and honored to have been entrusted with the responsibility of keeping you healthy and delivering the best gift Nature could provide,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Director of OB/GYN Services Dr. Frederick Friedman. “To those who were born here under our care, we are thankful and humbled that you have allowed us to guide you into the world, and so honored that you returned to be part of our Elmhurst Family!”
“It is a great pleasure to engage in this reunion at Elmhurst Hospital, which allows parents and children to reconnect with the nurses and health care providers who helped take care of them while at Elmhurst,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s Director of Nursing Women and Children’s Division Stacey Whaley, RN, DNP, RN, CLC. “On this day we have the pleasure of celebrating the milestones and memories that all of our children and babies have accomplished. As nurses and health care providers, it inspires us to know we have made a positive impact on new lives!”
“The enduring tradition of Elmhurst families returning to our community is a testament to the care and attention we provide,” said Dr. Lisa Forman, Attending Physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s Pediatric Complex Care Clinic.“For generations, parents who were once children here have brought their own children back to Elmhurst. We take pride in knowing that our commitment to excellence in care, from maternity to post-partum to pediatrics, continues to have a lasting impact. Elmhurst remains a place families can call home.”
“Born at Elmhurst” is part of the hospital’s ongoing mission to highlight NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s successful efforts to reduce maternal mortality and improve birth outcomes in underserved communities throughout the Borough of Queens. In 2025, Elmhurst was recognized by US News and World Report as a “High Performing Hospital” for Maternity Care.
For more information on programs and services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, please call 718-334-4000. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @elmhursthosp.
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Media Contact: Atiya Butler, Director of External Affairs, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, 917-319-5167
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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 MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 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.