By Botumroath “Bo” LeBun on Oct 4, 2026

Five minutes with Linda Lee, Council Member, 23rd district, Queens, New York

City Council Member Linda Lee, 23rd district, spoke on the topic of seniors and health care at a panel discussion sponsored by Epicenter NYC on September 28, 2026 in Manhattan.

Aging and Health

Council Member Linda Lee represents the 23rd Council District in Eastern Queens, New York. Photo taken by Botumroath “Bo” LeBun, a NYC-based journalist and Health News contributor.

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Five minutes with City Council Member of District 23 in Eastern Queens, New York. Video by Botumroath “Bo” LeBun, a NYC-based journalist and Health News contributor.

Q: Hello. You’re on. [Can you please introduce yourself?]

Hi, my name is Linda Lee. I’m the City Council Member of District 23 in Eastern Queens. I’m also the finance chair of the [New York] City Council.

I think for my district what I think what I would want to see this year in healthcare are more prominent mental health services for our constituents where they know where to go and how to seek services. One of the things we did this year in the City Council was to give $12 million dollars to the homebound Meals on Wheels for our seniors.

The reason that is why that is important because we want to make sure our seniors to stay healthy and are able to stay in their homes as long as possible. It also impacts their mental health. So these are all of the things we are trying to do and connect services and help people out holistically.

Q: What’s the one issue that the seniors are facing that you think people don’t know about?

A: I think many seniors they really do face a lot of loneliness and isolation. I think it was always there, but became much more prevalent during Covid-19, and so even if they are homebound, let’s just say, and can’t leave their homes, how do we bring services to them? How do we have folks go there and interact which is why I think that homebound Meals program is so important, because it gives the seniors that daily interaction with someone else.

Q. Thank you.

City Council Member Linda Lee spoke on the topic of health care at an event sponsored by Queens, New York media organization Epicenter: The Care Dividend: Investing in Childcare, Mental Health and Longevity. Lee, is a Korean-American City Council member for District 23 in eastern Queens. Her constituent district includes Bayside, Bellerose, Douglaston, Little Neck, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Oakland Gardens, Queens Village, parts of Jamaica and New Hyde Park. She was elected to the Council in November 2021, becoming the first Korean-American ever elected to the City Council, and the first woman to hold the seat.

Health Nation Contributor Biography: Botumroath “Bo” LeBun is a New York City-based journalist and strategic communications leader with 17 years of experience in humanitarian and development work. At UNICEF Cambodia, she reported on child health and newborn care, disability inclusion, and social policy affecting children and families. Her field reporting brings program evidence and community perspectives together to show how health services and policy shape people’s everyday lives. Her communications work also supported UNICEF Cambodia’s efforts to secure $3.2 million in bilateral donor funding. LeBun is the founder of BoComm, a strategic communications consultancy, and StoryTruth™, a framework for verifying AI-assisted institutional communications. She has taught business communications and media at Pannasastra University in Cambodia. She holds master’s degrees from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and Graduate School of Journalism. Her fellowships include the World Health Organization Road Safety Journalism Fellowship and the Asia Journalism Fellowship in Singapore. She brings to Health Nation a reporting approach grounded in field evidence, careful verification, and respect for the people whose health stories are often overlooked. For more information, on LeBun's past work, visit her Portfolio or connect with her on online.

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