Health Plus - Celebrating Puerto Rican Culture the New York Way

For Immediate Release

Celebrating Puerto Rican Culture the New York Way
Health Plus Sponsors 51st Annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade on 5th Ave

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New York - June 10, 2008 — Temperatures blazed this past weekend, transporting the ever-cool streets of New York into the sultry sidewalks of Old San Juan as nearly three and a half million spectators lined up along the parade route to cheer the fifty-first Annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade as it made its way up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. This annual event gives those of Puerto Rican heritage – as well as those who yearn to be Puerto Rican for the day – a chance to celebrate the island’s culture, music, and food, in what has become a world-famous festivity.

Once again, the company’s float -- decked with elaborate balloon designs representing the company’s colors, light blue and white, and with palm fronds fashioned from balloons -- was surrounded by an army of flag-waving staff members and volunteers. On deck, once again, was the musical group Rondalla Allegro. This group of children from Humacao, a village in Puerto Rico, plays a traditional guitar-type instrument known as El Cuatro. This youthful musical group has been a popular fixture in the Health Plus procession over the past few years.

The parade has become more than just a day long event, now serving as the culmination of a week-long celebration of Puerto Rican culture, with much of the festivities taking place in the outer boroughs as well as uptown Manhattan, where many Puerto Rican-Americans have established strong communities over the last century. Organizations such as the Galos Corporation throw elaborate galas in preparation for the parade. Health Plus, in addition to sponsoring the parade also sponsored the Friday night Gala as well as a special breakfast on the day of the parade.

Health Plus staff take their message to the streets – Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, to be exact – as the managed care organization once again sponsored the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade, one of the nation’s largest outdoor festivities.

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Health Plus, a not-for-profit, multi-cultural organization, is one of the fastest growing managed care organizations in New York City. It was established in 1984 with a commitment to provide coordinated quality health care and improving access to health care for uninsured and underserved families. In its annual review of managed care plans, the New York State Department of Health ranked Health Plus as the top plan for quality in its 2002 and 2003 "Consumer's Guide to Medicaid Managed Care in New York City." Health Plus is New York City's leading provider of Child Health Plus, a New York State Department of Health program that offers parents FREE or low-cost health insurance for children under the age of 19. "CRAIN'S New York Business" magazine ranked Health Plus fifth among the largest health maintenance organizations in the New York area.