By: Jerry Burke
But don't tell Elsy Mecklembourg Guibert about the numbers. She knows them by heart. And she's on a mission to make a change.
Guibert, founder of EMG Health Communications Inc., moved to Elmont almost six years ago from Queens. The native of Haiti has not only made public health her career, but continues to devote at least 30 hours a week to volunteer work. Her activities include holding classes for parents, publishing a seasonal newsletter and attending international conferences.
"My goal is to educate all people about health and what is available to them," Guibert said after returning from an AIDS quilt showing in Haiti a few weeks ago. "It doesn't help anybody when you keep information to yourself."
Assemblyman Tom Alfano, who has worked with Guibert for five years, has the utmost respect for this dedicated activist. "Elsy is one of those people who always puts others before herself," said Alfano, who honored Guibert with his first presentation of his district's Women of Distinction awards. "She empowers people who are facing their darkest hours and brings them a ray of light."
Guibert's work extends not only beyond education, but occasionally beyond borders. In 2000 she cut through bureaucratic red tape to obtain a humanitarian visa for a woman whose daughter was dying of AIDS in New York City. Guibert traveled overseas herself and escorted the woman back to New York to be with the daughter from whom she had been separated for six years.
In 1997 she launched the first video documentary on HIV/AIDS prevention specifically for the Haitian-American population worldwide. The documentary, entitled "Mon Ami Ari" (My Friend Air), sought to sensitize the community, especially young adults, to make informed decisions concerning their behavior to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. After an extensive public-relations campaign, the video has become a staple for educators seeking to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Haitian community.
"When we are of the same education, we can then share ideas and move forward," says Guibert. To implement her philosophy, she focuses not only on prevention but also on where people can go when they are already facing illness. "By empowering people to survive on their own in society, they become ready to face whatever comes their way," she says.
Since founding her health resource company in 1979, the graduate of the Columbia University School of Public Health has been a symbol of strength for those dealing with AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. In September, Guibert was honored as a recipient of the 2003 Gay Clark Stoddard Memorial Award, given to health-care professionals who have made outstanding contributions to breast health care in their communities.
Last month, Guibert was also recognized by the Town of Hempstead with a Make a Difference award, given to those in the community who go above and beyond the call of duty. "Elsy is a talented woman who possesses great heart and true compassion," said Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray. "She is a genuine leader and an absolute role model for our community."
Guibert says that medical understanding isn't the only knowledge that she needs to pass on. "Because I come from where I come from, I realize the sensitivities that arise on a cultural basis," she says. From the perceived "shame" women feel about breast cancer to the social complications newly emigrated parents must deal with in America, Guibert sees it as her goal to help others make transitions to new phases of their lives.
In Elmont, Guibert continues her social activism on another scale. A single mother with two children going to school in Elmont, she is active in their education. "Elmont is a wonderful community, and I am proud to live and work here," she said.
Guibert knows that her battle is decisively uphill, but the smile on her face isn't easily knocked off. "I have been around and have learned so much," she said when asked about her future plans. "I want to continue to learn and educate. I know that all I have done is not in vain, and I will continue to work for a better world."
The Herald knows she will, and wishes our 2003 Person of the Year continued success in her noble mission.
