________ Franklin square/elmont _______
HERALD $1.00
VFW to recognize Veterans Day
Unity Day sends positive message
Students enjoy book fair
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VOL. 23 NO. 46
NOVEMBER 11 - 17, 2021
‘It’s a big step for us’ Northwell opens health clinic for Belmont Park workers Team of New York, or BEST, the nonprofit that works to better the health and social welfare Northwell Health recently needs of several thousand backannounced the opening of a stretch workers. health clinic for Belmont Park “BEST is thrilled to collaboworkers. rate again with “The clinic will Northwell to proprovide a continuvide the hardum of care and wo rk i n g b a c k offer wellness prostretch workers of g rams for the Belmont and thousands of Aqueduct with onbackstretch workgoing, first-class ers at Belmont primary and prePark,” Northwell ventative care,” Health said in a said the organizastatement on Oct. tion’s executive 28, referring to d i r e c t o r, P a u l workers who work Ruchames. in stables and with Many backhorses at the racestretch workers track. “The free are Hispanic program is part of migrants who live Northwell’s comin dorms at the mitment to provid- MICHAEL DOWLING park, Northwell i n g e q u i t a b l e President and CEO of said in the statecare to all New Northwell Health ment, adding that Yorkers,” the stateissues such as lanment added. guage bar riers The 1,000-square-foot health have created health care compliclinic was run by another opera- cations for workers in the past. tor until October 2020. Northwell “While language barriers and will offer services in collabora- cultural biases are often reasons tion with the New York Racing why some immigrants don’t seek Association, the organization care, Northwell has gotten out of that operates the track, and the Backstretch Employee Service CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
By ROBERT TRAVERSO rtraverso@liherald.com
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Courtesy Dennis Lyons
THE LATE ARLENE Lyons was a longtime member and former officer of the women’s auxiliary unit of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department.
She ‘wanted to pay it forward’ Commissioner donates in honor of late wife By ROBERT TRAVERSO rtraverso@liherald.com
F ranklin Square Fire Commissioner Dennis Lyons has donated $10,000 to a scholarship fund created in honor of his late wife, Arlene Lyons, who died last year of cancer. A former officer of the Franklin Square and Mun-
son Fire Department’s women’s auxiliary unit, Lyons was a 23-year member of the department. She died on Oct. 9, 2020. Her husband decided to create a scholarship fund in her name, an oft-repeated gesture made by members of the Fire Department who lose family members. “My wife was very much a person who wanted to help
everybody and pay it forward,” Dennis said. Born in 1948 in West Virginia, Arlene moved to New York City at age 18, and worked at Con Edison for 30 years before becoming a member of the women’s auxiliary. She and Dennis were married for 36 years. Dennis said that his wife CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
linics like this one are important, because they allow quick access to care, before health issues become health care emergencies.