Congressman Hopeful on Healthcare Negotiations as he Ends Holiday Season with Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly

Congressman Charles Rangel swayed to the sounds of traditional holiday aguinaldos and other Latin rhythms as he  joined local elected officials, community leaders and more than 1200 friends, guests and staff of the Institute of Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly (IPR/HE) for their 33rd annual Three Kings Celebration on January 8, 2010 at St. Apostle’s Church.  

 Congressman Rangel enjoys the festivities with IPR/HE Executive Director Suleika Cabrera Drinane (left.)

“I am so happy to be here with you, to see this packed auditorium, to see the singing and the dancing and to see so many beautiful and happy people,” said Rangel. “It’s a great way to start the weekend and a great way to start the New Year.”

The Congressman also told the seniors that he and other Democrats were working hard to ensure that health care reform would provide more Americans with greater access to care without affecting the quality of their own care.

“At the end of the day, you can rest assured that we will have a better health program than we ever had before, with improvements to Medicaid and Medicare to ensure that millions of Americans will have access to affordable, high-quality care that meets their needs,” said Rangel.

IPR/HE Founding President and CEO Suleika Cabrera Drinane said that everyone was enthusiastic to have Congressman Rangel as their guest.

“We are delighted that Congressman Rangel, the Dean of the NY Congressional Delegation has honored us with his presence today—but more important, Congressman Rangel has been a friend to IPR/HE and our seniors for many years, and he has never let us down.” said Cabrera Drinane, “We know that he cares and that he will deliver on Health Care Reform!”

The Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly is the largest Hispanic nonprofit social services organization serving Latinos and other ethnic /racial minorities in New York City. Their annual Three Kings celebration is just one of the many cultural and social activities that the 26-year old agency provides seniors throughout the year. In addition to providing multilingual/multicultural counseling and case management for individuals and families, the Institute is also a policy advocate on wide range of issues including senior fraud, abuse, domestic violence, housing, financial literacy, nutrition and health education.

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