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NYPD, Health First host Valentine’s 'Love Fest' for older adults in Co-op City
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Summary
The NYPD and Health First partnered for a fifth annual Valentine’s Day “Love Fest” at Co-op City in the Bronx, offering haircuts, beauty services and social programming aimed at reducing loneliness among older adults, organizers and an attendee said.
The NYPD and nonprofit insurer Health First hosted their fifth annual Valentine’s Day “Love Fest” at Co-op City in the Bronx on Feb. 14, offering free haircuts, beauty services and social activities for older adults, organizers and a participant said.
Health First vice president of community engagement Miguel Centeno called the event "our Super Bowl," saying the organization spends months preparing and partners with the NYPD, RAIN, JASA and other groups to support older residents. "We spend months getting ready for this event, working together with the NYPD and RAIN and JASA and several other partners as well because we love our older [adults]," Centeno said.
Organizers framed the event under the theme "love yourself," with on-site beauticians providing treatments and haircuts intended to help older attendees socialize and celebrate. The 45th Precinct served as the local host for the borough-wide community affairs program, which organizers said has run for five years.
Cecilia Henley, identified in the segment as an older adult attending for the first time, said the social aspect was her favorite part. "Her favorite part is being able to make new friends and meet new people," the segment reported, reflecting attendees' emphasis on connection.
The broadcast cited a statistic from nyc.gov that about one in five adults — roughly 20 percent — report experiencing daily loneliness. The segment linked that isolation to health risks comparable to smoking or obesity and said loneliness can increase the risk of dementia, stroke and heart disease, underscoring organizers' public-health rationale for the event.
Kyrie Moody signed off the report for BronxNet. The gathering was presented as part celebration and part outreach to address social isolation among older residents in The Bronx.
