Borough Park

Vital cultural bridge with Brooklyn’s Asian community could be model for global diplomatic success

Lunar New Year celebrations started 16 years ago;
now, 19% of employees at Maimonides are Asian

March 19, 2024 Wayne Daren Schneiderman
Striking a pose. Asian schoolchildren from Brooklyn proudly keep their culture alive in Lunar New Year festivals at Maimonides Lunar New Year.Photos by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
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BOROUGH PARK — Nearly 400 spectators enjoyed Maimonides Health’s annual Lunar New Year celebration recently in one of New York’s fastest-growing Chinese communities. Maimonides Health’s Asian Services and Community Relations Departments presented the celebration, its 16th annual, which featured a traditional lion dance and other dynamic cultural performances from New Utrecht High School, P.S. 105, and other neighborhood schools. Judy Bachman, Maimonides’ executive vice president and chief operating officer, observed during the event that Southern Brooklyn is one of the fastest-growing Chinese communities in all of New York, and that dynamic is reflected in the hospital’s staff.

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“Maimonides has over 1,300 Asian employees — 19 percent of our total staff — which is truly amazing,” Bachman said. “In addition, we have more than 530 staff that speak Chinese — including 40 physicians and more than 150 nurses.” Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is a 15-day festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that recognizes the start of the New Year.

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