Team
Dr. Adinah Pelman
Administrator
Charlton Rhee, M.S., LNHA
Administration / Corporate Compliance Officer
Charlton Rhee is a New York State licensed nursing home administrator; a certified gerontologist with a post-master’s in aging and a post-master’s in mental health from Brookdale Center of Aging Hunter College; and a master of science in healthcare and executive management from New York University.
Charlton’s lifelong goal has been to “bridge the gap in delivering quality healthcare to underserved communities, as well as the Asian American community in need.” In 1996, Charlton Rhee began his journey with Union Plaza Care Center to reach this milestone and continues to pursue this endeavor with the center’s amazing team.
Charlton Rhee is a former legislative aide to the New York State Assembly and was instrumental in the unblinding and passage of the Baby-AIDS bill, Assembly Bill 4413-C, to effect its passage into law – an act to amend the public health law, in relation to the testing of and treatment of all newborns for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or the presence of antibodies to such virus (signed into law on June 26, Chapter 220 of the Laws of 1996 – Governor George E. Pataki). Charlton Rhee is the former Director of the Coalition for Korean American Voters, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the number of registered voters and provide assistance for a path to citizenship for the Korean American community.
Affiliations: American College of Health Care Administrators, National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards, NYSHFA (New York State Health Facilities Association), GNYHCFA (Greater New York Healthcare Facilities Association); serves on Community Board 8 of Queens.
Awards: The Eric Leventhal Community Service Award for political and community service, Stevenson Regular Political Club. Received multi-year Presidential Proclamations on behalf of the Coalition for Korean American Voters’ contributions for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, presented by former President William Jefferson Clinton at the White House.
Media & Publications:
- Holt, Lester – CNBC Nightly News (televised & YouTube), “2 in 200,000: What it’s Like to Lose Both Parents to COVID-19”
- Stobbe, Mike – AP News (televised & YouTube), “Mounting U.S. deaths reveal an outsize toll on people of color”
- Kim, Rosie – K Radio News: “How should the Korean Community prepare for the elderly?” K Radio AM 1660
- Trapasso, Clare – “Senior centers turn to Skype to connect the elderly with their families,” The New York Daily News
- Kim, Kwan Yong, Governor – Province of Gyeongsangbuk, South Korea – “Efforts for Senior Rights,” Daegu Daily News
- Dworkowitz, Alexander – “Boro nursing homes, hospitals outlast outage,” Times Ledger News
- Dunlap, David – “A Delicate Balance: Community Facilities and Communities,” The New York Times
- Chung, Eunjun, interview – “Union Plaza Initiative with Charlton Rhee,” New York Korea Times
- Cheng, Mae – “A Landslide for Right to Vote – Registration, citizenship drive draws crowds, grants,” New York Newsday
- Kim, Joo Young – “Interview with Charlton Rhee – Coalition for Korean American Voters,” New York Korea Times
Deborah Luongo, RN
Assistant Administrator
Deborah Luongo has many years of vast clinical experience which includes labor and delivery, medical and surgical, cardiac, public health nursing and skilled nursing, and long-term care. Deborah holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing.
Deborah brings her passion for helping others in her strong leadership role as the Director of Nursing. Her strong leadership skills guide our nursing team and enable them to provide the highest quality of care for our residents.
Jenny Medina, RN
Director of Nursing
Jenny Medina began her career in geriatrics at the age of 16. Ms. Medina’s passion in helping the elderly, and reason she chose to specialize in long-term care, is because she knew this population was underserved. Ms. Medina started her career at Union Plaza in 2001 as an LPN. Jenny Medina has a diverse background in patient care and regulatory compliance. Her experience includes direct patient care as a nurse aide, LPN, MDS nurse, nurse supervisor and now as the ADNS. Ms. Medina has accumulated extensive experience in provision of care, monitoring and auditing of care and adhering to regulatory guidelines.
Chris Leong
Director of Admissions
Chris Leong is the newest member to join the Union Plaza team.
He has a degree in IT/CIS and has a background in finance and retail.
Chris brings over 20+ years in the healthcare industry and has worked in both healthcare administration and admissions.
Su Jeong Park, Ph.D., MSW
Director of Social Services
Dr. Park has more than 20 years of gerontological social work experience in long-term care. Her special interests include Asian American elders in long-term care, aging policy, mental health, hospice care, palliative care, minority aging issues, social support, and quality of life issues among elders. With her extensive experience in and knowledge about ethnically diverse nursing home residents and their families, Dr. Park continues to provide culturally competent gerontological social work practice at the facility. Dr. Park is also a member of NASW, GSA, ASA, and SSWR.
Chi Kei (CK) Lee
Director of Rehabilitation
Chi Kei (CK) Lee has been a physical therapist in New York since 2000. CK joined Union Plaza in 2018 as the Director of Rehabilitation. His clinical experience includes a variety of managerial positions in settings like stroke rehab, bariatric rehab, home care, the LTC rehab division in a tertiary hospital, and outpatient settings. In his years of service, he has demonstrated great leadership and strategic planning skills. As an expert problem solver and consensus builder, he ensures that his team members feel comfortable and encourages collaboration in creating an interdisciplinary team approach towards patient care.
“I find working in Union Plaza as if I never left my home. The facility has a family and friendly feeling. It resembles a big family!”
CK Lee holds a doctorate degree in physical therapy from Stony Brook University and a master’s degree in public administration from New York University.
Juha Nam, MS, RDN, CDN
Chief Clinical Dietitian
Juha Nam, MS, RDN, CDN, is the Chief Clinical Dietitian at Union Plaza Care Center. Ms. Nam possesses a clear vision and capacity as a Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist serving as a facilitator in bridging Korean American, Asian American and American nutritional needs.
Ms. Nam has appeared on AM1660 K-Radio and in the periodical National Nutrition [국민영양] published by the Korean Dietetic Association. She is a guest speaker for clinical dietitians and dietetic students both in the United States and in South Korea – introducing the role of Registered Dietitians in long-term care, short-term rehabilitation, and educating Korean Americans in elderly nutrition.
Ms. Nam has participated in an experimental study and published “Choline Prevents Fetal Overgrowth and Normalizes Placental Fatty Acid and Glucose Metabolism in a Mouse Model of Maternal Obesity” in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
Ms. Nam is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the American Society for Nutrition.
Teresa Lee, MS
Chief Clinical Dietitian
Teresa Lee, MS, is Chief Clinical Dietitian at Union Plaza Care Center. Teresa has worked at Union Plaza Care Center since 2006. Teresa’s aptitude and experience as a dietitian has served the needs of all of our residents over the years. In particular, Teresa possesses an acute cultural perspective for our Asian American population and fulfilling their nutritional needs.
“We are a family at Union Plaza Care Center. All of our residents become our family too!”
Teresa Lee is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Greater New York Dietetic Association and the Chinese Americans in Dietetics and Nutrition Association.
Yu-Hsin (Rosie) Wang, MS, RD
Clinical Dietitian
Yu-Hsin (Rosie) Wang is a Clinical Registered Dietitian at Union Care Plaza Center. She has a Master Degree in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University and completed her Dietetic Internship program from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Rosie started working with geriatric population since 2019. She is dedicated to helping people with nutrition therapy and delivering better quality of care. Rosie also enjoys working with the multidisciplinary team and families to meet patients/residents’ nutritional needs. She is excited about being a member of Union Care Plaza Center.
Rosie is an active member for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Gyoo Hwa Lee RN, MSN, FNP
MDS Coordinator
Gyoo Hwa Lee has over 30 years of experience as an adult and geriatric professional nurse in both the hospital and geriatric environments.
Ms. Lee has been with the Union Plaza family since its inception and oversees the MDS team.
“My drive and commitment to deliver quality care to the community is why I became a nurse!”
Ms. Lee graduated from the Lehman College of Nursing MSN FNP program in New York and the Oklahoma City College of Nursing’s BSN program.
Jo Beley, BSN-RN
Jo Beley is our Infection Control, Quality Assurance, Performance Improvement and Risk Management Coordinator at Union Plaza Care Center. Jo finished his bachelor of science degree in nursing in the Philippines, eventually obtaining his local RN license. He became a faculty member in the fundamentals of nursing and psychiatric nursing in the tertiary education in the Philippines, while at the same time working as a part-time instructor for students preparing to take the local board exam. He later pursued a healthcare management degree in the United Kingdom, and then moved to the United States to practice nursing.
Prior to joining Union Plaza Care Center, he was an Assistant Director of Nursing in a 615-bed-capacity rehab and nursing home in New York City.
Jo’s love for the elderly is deeply rooted from his past experiences – taking care of his mother (whom he lost due to pancreatic cancer). He promised himself that he would take care of and protect the elderly the same way he took care of his mother. His strong sense of “family” shaped his vocation in the field of health care for the elderly. Caring for the elderly in familial spirit has become his resolve; and thus, finding rehab and nursing organizations in which he served in the past and where he serves presently always meaningful.
“I worked in several rehab and nursing homes in the past until I found a ‘home.’ Union Plaza Care Center is my home. I did not only bring a myriad of nursing experiences relating to my profession, but I bring my heart to my vocation; a heart that pertains to courage, enthusiasm, passion, determination, and grit to serve my residents and provide them the best care they deserve regardless of the circumstances.”
Allana Murphy RN, BSN
Assistant Director of Nursing
Allana is our in-house Wound Care Specialist. Allana has more than a decade of experience as a registered nurse specializing in geriatric and subacute care. Allana loves working at Union Plaza Care Center because she loves seeing positive results and enjoys proudly serving the Flushing community, where she was born and raised.
Larissa Tadjiev
Director of Recreation
John F. Kerney
Environmental Director
John F. Kerney is the facility environmental director with experience in acute and post-acute care settings. Mr. Kerney brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise to our organization. Mr. Kerney’s past experience include a variety of leadership positions in maintenance, environmental building services and regulatory areas including long-term care consultant, director of maintenance and the development of preventive service systems. Mr. Kerney holds several FDNY certificates related to life safety within long-term care facilities.
In addition to his impressive, hands-on long-term care experience, he also has invaluable experience in reviewing and assessing facility compliance with all aspects of federal and state regulations. He is OSHA certified, and a member of the National Fire Protection Association and the American Society of Hospital Engineers.
Lennox White
Director of Food Services
Lennox White has been with Union Plaza since our inception. Lennox has years of experience planning, preparing and cooking the best meals for our diverse residents and for our staff!
“Union Plaza is second to none. The best people, the best support and the greatest working environment…period. I love to see the smiles on our residents’ faces!”
“The food reflects the quality of the facility – it says it all. Come try our food and be amazed!”
Christian Magnayon
Master Chef
Christian Magnayon was born in the Philippines and raised in New York. Christian started working at Union Plaza Care Center in 1998, where he has blossomed and infused different aspects of traditional Asian foods with modern interpretations to provide meals that our residents recognize and love. “They gave me the opportunity and inspiration to work with the foods I love! I have worked in plenty of restaurants and institutions, but to be able to work at Union Plaza Care Center, surrounded by support and love, has been one of the highlights of my career.”