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More than 500 guests gathered at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains recently to honor Paul T. Khoury, M.D. for his 25 years as Director of Radiology at White Plains Hospital Center (WPHC). Dr. Khoury was cited for transforming a small community radiology facility into one of the leading state-of-the-art Radiology providers in New York and one of the primary sources of both inpatient and outpatient services. Shown with Dr. Khoury (center) are (l-r): Paul M. Weissman, WPHC Chairman of Board of Directors; Jon B. Schandler, WPHC President and CEO; Robert B. Fath, M.D.,  WPHC Vice President/Director, Medical Staff Performance Improvement and Mark Fialk, M.D., WPHC President of the Medical Staff.  Dr. Khoury is holding a rendering of what the Hospital's Radiology Department will look like that is being named after him in recognition of his contributions over the past quarter century.

ASIAN HERITAGE KICKS OFF SUMMER SERIES OF ETHNIC FESTIVALS THIS SUMMER

Experience a variety of cultures from around the world this summer without leaving Westchester County when the tenth annual Asian-American Heritage Celebration kicks off the annual series of cultural heritage festivals in county parks on Saturday, May 31, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.

The festival is presented by the Westchester and Hudson Valley Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans. The event is sponsored by Westchester County Parks and the Westchester Arts Council.

The day’s festivities will feature a wide array of live performances of the music and dance of many Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Burma. The festival will feature the Magical Chinese Opera Face Show and include Kung Fu and Japanese drumming, along with Asian arts, cultural and religious exhibits. There will also be free medical and dental screenings. Many school groups will take part in these presentations and there will be a special magic show, and a Lego and robotic demonstration by the American Robotic School. Kids can also learn the art of Chinese paper cutting, and enjoy games and face painting. There will also be a variety of tasty foods, including many Asian delicacies.

The festival will be held rain or shine. Seating is informal; bring blankets or folding chairs for seating on the lawn.

The Kensico Dam Plaza is located in Valhalla at the north end of the Bronx River Parkway. Admission and parking are free.

The Asian Heritage Festival is the first of 12 cultural heritage celebrations to be held on Sundays in county parks this summer. The other heritage festivals in the series are:

• Albanian, June 8, noon to 7 p.m., Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla
• Ecuadorian, June 15, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson
• African-American, June 29, noon to 7 p.m., Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla
• Irish, July 13, noon to 7 p.m., Ridge Road Park, Hartsdale
• Italian, July 13, noon to 7 p.m., Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla
• Arab, July 20, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tibbetts Brook Park, Yonkers
• Polish, July 20, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla
• Hispanic, July 27, noon to 7 p.m., Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla
• Indian, August 3, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla
• Ecuadorian, August 10, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson
• Yiddish, August 17, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla

For more information, call 914-864-PARK. General information about Westchester County Parks is available by logging on to www.westchestergov.com/parks.

New York Air Quality: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Lung Association’s 2008 State of the Air Report Chronicles Unhealthy Ozone, Soot Levels

ALBANY, NY (05/01/2008; 0804)(readMedia)-- The American Lung Association of New York today sounded the alarms for all New Yorkers over the quality of air they breathe. According to the State of the Air: 2008 report, released today by the American Lung Association, seven of the 33 counties with air quality monitors received failing grades.

“Air pollution in New York is a statewide problem, from Buffalo to Bayport, and from Staten Island to Saratoga, millions of New Yorkers are breathing unhealthy air,” said Michael Seilback, Senior Director of Public Policy & Advocacy. “According to the 2008 American Lung Association State of the Air report, residents of all regions of New York State breathe air with dangerously high levels of both particulate matter and ozone.”

The American Lung Association’s State of the Air report, issued annually and in its ninth consecutive year of publication, grades cities for three types of air pollution: short-term particle pollution, year-round particle pollution and ozone pollution. The report also ranks U.S. cities and counties with the dirtiest air, and provides county-by-county report cards on the two most pervasive air pollutants: particle pollution (soot) and ozone (smog).

“Depending on where you live in New York, the air you breathe ranges from good to bad to down right ugly,” added Seilback. “The ugliest unhealthy air contains deadly toxins that place those people already in high-risk categories -- children, teens and seniors, and people with asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, cardiovascular disease and diabetes -- in grave danger.”

As evidence of air quality issues facing New Yorkers, the New York City metropolitan area ranked 8th on the top 10 list of cities across the nation most polluted by ozone.

“In New York City, where the asthma rates are some of the highest in the nation, it is simply unacceptable that residents are being forced to breathe this toxic air,” said Louise Vetter, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the City of New York. “Poor air quality not only worsens quality of life, but it can also be a death sentence for those suffering from lung disease.”

Although air quality improved overall across New York State from the 2007 report, more counties received grades of C or below for both smog and soot than received A’s and B’s. According to the report, 8,260,033 New Yorkers live in counties that have failing air quality -- equaling 48 percent of the State’s residents.

“These grades illustrate that too many New Yorkers -- almost half of our state’s residents -- are exposed to unhealthy air,” added Deborah Carioto, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of New York State. “While this year’s report shows improvements in the air quality in much of our state, Long Island and Western New York are noticeable exceptions.”

Ozone, a gas formed most often when sunlight reacts with vapors emitted when motor vehicles, factories, power plants and other sources burn fuel, irritates the respiratory tract and causes health problems like asthma attacks, coughing, wheezing, chest pain and even premature death. Particle pollution is a deadly cocktail of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols that can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end. The body’s natural defenses, coughing and sneezing, fail to keep these microscopic particles from burrowing deep within the lungs, triggering serious problems such as asthma and heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and even early death.

The grades for ozone pollution were given before the EPA announced a stricter ozone standard in March. Under these more stringent guidelines, many of the counties in New York State would have received lower grades.

Significant findings from the report for New York State include:

The Good:

-- This year, eight counties in New York State improved to an A for ozone pollution. In last year’s report, no counties received A’s for ozone pollution.

-- Elmira, Rochester, and Utica-Rome made the national list of cleanest cities for ozone. Rochester is one of only 2 cities over 1 million in population to make the list.

-- Eight counties made the list of cleanest counties in the nation for ozone: Chemung, Herkimer, Madison, Monroe, Oneida, Schenectady, Ulster and Wayne counties.

-- Essex County tied for 20th cleanest county for year-round particle pollution.

The Bad:

--While all counties with air quality monitors either stayed the same or improved overall from last year’s ozone grades, nearly half of the counties still reported grades of C or below, with Chautauqua, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester Counties failing.

--Throughout the state, no counties were awarded an A for short-term particle pollution. Only three counties (Chautauqua, Onondaga, and St. Lawrence) received B’s, and most of the counties with monitors received grades of C, D or F.

--For those counties with air quality monitors, the grades for annual particle pollution were static from 2007 to 2008. Although most counties reporting did pass, the Bronx and Manhattan still showed no improvement and failed again.

The Ugly:

--Overall, there was not a single county in the entire state that received A’s across the board.

--The New York City metropolitan area ranked 8th on the top 10 list of cities across the nation most polluted by ozone.

--The five boroughs of New York City got no better than a C in both ozone and short-term particle pollution, while three of the counties (Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island) did manage to pass the annual particle pollution standard. Staten Island failed for ozone, and the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens all failed for short-term particle pollution.

The American Lung Association of New York will continue working hard to reduce emissions to protect all New Yorkers from the dangers of unhealthful air pollution. Our staff and volunteers will be advocating for the following measures:

-- The creation of a statewide multimillion dollar diesel cleanup fund, to help clean up the pollution from dirty diesel engines.

-- The passage in New York City of the clean air portions of Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC 2030 sustainability agenda, as well as a suite of diesel bills currently pending before the City Council.

-- Fighting any efforts to weaken the federal Clean Air Act.

On the national level, for the first time ever a city outside California (Pittsburgh) tops one of the “most polluted lists” in the report. Pittsburgh moved to the top of the list of cities most polluted by short-term levels of particle pollution, a deadly cocktail of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols that can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end.

FURNISHED QUARTERS EXPANDS TO WHITE PLAINS OFFERING LUXURY TEMPORARY FURNISHED HOUSING

New York City’s Largest Temporary Housing Provider

Now Offers Furnished Apartments in Two Luxury High-Rises in Westchester

  NEW YORK, NY (January 14, 2008) – Furnished Quarters announced expansion into White Plains, and is now offering corporate housing in two of White Plains’ newest luxury high-rise apartment communities, Bank Street Commons and One City Place at City Center. With the addition of these urban living communities to its portfolio, Furnished Quarters expands its New York presence outside of Manhattan, offering business and leisure travelers convenient, stylish, and comfortable temporary furnished apartments in Westchester’s major business district and transportation hub.

 For a limited time, Furnished Quarters is offering 20 percent savings on all its stylishly designed, furnished apartments in White Plains. One-bedroom apartments are available from $109 to $119 per day and two-bedroom apartments from $139 per day. These introductory rates apply for stays between January 10 and March 31, 2008.

 “In recent years, White Plains has evolved into a dynamic and thriving cosmopolitan city,” said Steve Brown, co-founder and CEO of Furnished Quarters. “Business and leisure travelers who want to enjoy a contemporary lifestyle while conducting business in Westchester or New York City now have the option to live in one of our fully-furnished apartments, all of which blend comfort and modern design with impressive views of the City Center.”

 White Plains is a suburban city with a full accompaniment of urban amenities. A residential community of nearly 56,000, the population swells to more than 250,000 during the day as workers, shoppers, and visitors arrive by car, rail, bus and plane. With three major malls and a dynamic, revitalized downtown area, the White Plains economy benefits from more than $1.3 billion in annual retail sales. White Plains is also a major corporate hub attracting high technology firms, Fortune 500 corporations and investments from local universities.

 For Furnished Quarters residents, Bank Street Commons, located adjacent to the White Plains Metro-North train station, offers state-of-the-art amenities including on-site controlled-access parking, an indoor swimming pool, a 24-hour fitness center with weight training and cardio equipment and a beautifully landscaped common plaza. At One City Place, residents have access to the private health club, an indoor pool, spa and sauna, a media center with oversized theater seating, a private children’s recreation center, a business center, a cyber café, a billiards room and a spacious landscaped outdoor terrace.

 All Furnished Quarters apartments feature distinctive contemporary furnishings, luxury kitchens and baths, and a washer and dryer. Amenities include deluxe bath and bedroom linens, welcome bath amenities, bi-weekly housekeeping services, utilities, unlimited telephone service, 27-inch flat-screen televisions, DVD player and high-speed internet service. Furnished Quarters guests also have access to comprehensive information on neighborhood shopping, services and places of interest as well as hotel-style concierge services to assist with event planning, restaurant recommendations and more.