Judges Dr. Norma Villanueva, Chief of Child & Adolescent Health for Lutheran Medical Center; Sylvia D’Alessandro, former Director of Provider Relations for Health Plus; Dr. Melissa Miller, Medical Director for Health Plus; Carol Enseki, President of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum; and Jean Sale Shaw, MPH,RN, Clinical Coordinator of Asthma Programs  at the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, observed and critiqued 106 entries from 22 different elementary schools from all five boroughs of New York City.  The theme for this year’s contest was “ Asthma Action: Taking Steps for Clean Transportation.”  All contestants were rated using six criteria: Accuracy of message, effectiveness, creativity, originality, adherence to the guidelines, and positive concept.

After three rounds of judging, 12 finalists were selected, including top three winners: Diana Quesada, a Third Grade Student from PS 114 in the Bronx, who took third place; Eric Chan, a 5th Grader from PS 169 in Brooklyn, who came in second, and first place winner Annie Hu, a 5th Grader from PS 169 in Brooklyn.  All 12 finalists will be honored during a special awards ceremony at Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets, on May 29.

 “Asthma is a problem that has an enormous affect on our community,” says Tom Early, Executive Director of Health Plus.  “It’s imperative that we do everything we can to educate our schoolchildren, as well as their parents and teachers, regarding proper treatment and symptom prevention to ensure the best health possible for all children.  At Health Plus, we are very proud to hold this contest and we are honored to have such great partners working with us on this important mission.”