NYC Care Partners With 22 Community-Based Organizations Nov 10, 2021
The NYC Care program is expected to surpass 100,000 members in the coming weeks and announced today the selection of 22 community-based organizations (CBOs) across the five boroughs to engage more prospective NYC Care members. As part of a broad outreach strategy, selected CBOs will conduct culturally sensitive and ethnically inclusive outreach to prospective NYC Care members as part of their partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals. The CBOs, which were selected through a request for proposal process, work in all 20 community districts with the highest rates of New Yorkers who are not eligible for health insurance and speak over 30 different languages.
CBO partners have been crucial to building trust with communities and educating the public about the benefits available to them. The CBO partners host information sessions, table at community gatherings, and complete virtual presentations to spread the word regarding the NYC Care program. CBOs also shepherd prospective members through the enrollment process, as needed. Of the 22 CBOs, nine CBOs will be supported to enroll prospective members directly into NYC Care, saving New Yorkers time and accelerating their access to quality healthcare.
A de Blasio administration program, NYC Care was launched to fulfill the administration’s commitment to guarantee health care access to all New Yorkers regardless of income or immigration status. NYC Care first launched in the Bronx in August 2019, and it became available to all NYC Health + Hospitals patient-care sites city-wide in September 2020.
“Being able to partner with these 22 CBOs means the greater potential of reaching even more eligible New Yorkers who do not think they’re able to obtain high-quality, affordable health care,” said Dr. Ted Long, Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Care and Population Health at NYC Health + Hospitals. “NYC Care has already touched the lives of nearly 100,000 New Yorkers, getting people into primary and specialty care that not only improves their quality of life, but can sometimes even prove to be life-saving.”
“The great success of NYC Care is partly due to our incredible relationships with CBOs city-wide who have helped carry out our mission and commitment to New Yorkers,” said NYC Care Executive Director Marielle Kress. “As trusted organizations within their communities – some being communities hardest hit by COVID-19 – CBOs help reach prospective NYC Care member, unlocking the door to affordable health care in NYC. We look forward to helping register more people in this important health care access program through our partners.”
“As NYC Care reaches its biggest milestone of 100,000 members, we must recognize the collaborative work done with CBOs to help us lead the nation in recognizing healthcare as a human right,” said Raquel Batista, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “Expanding the partnership with trusted community organizations is a testament to the City’s commitment to increase equitable access to healthcare services, especially among hard-to-reach communities.”
The CBOs are:
BROOKLYN
- Academy of Medical & Public Health Services, Inc.
- Arab-American Family Support Center
- Council of People’s Organizations
- Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island
- Make the Road New York (MRNY)
- Mexican Coalition
- Mixteca
- Single Stop
BRONX
- Emerald Isle Immigration Center
- Mexican Coalition
- Public Health Solutions
- Sauti Yetu Center for African Women and Families
- Single Stop
MANHATTAN
- Alliance for Positive Change
- Single Stop
QUEENS
- Adhikaar
- Center for the Integration and Advancement of New Americans (CIANA)
- Diligently Serving Immigrants (DSI) International
- Emerald Isle Immigration Center
- India Home
- Jacob A. Riis Settlement House
- Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
- Make the Road New York (MRNY)
- Public Health Solutions
- South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS)
- United Sikhs
- Voces Latinas
STATEN ISLAND
- Make the Road New York (MRNY)
- Project Hospitality
Click here to learn more about NYC Care’s partnering CBOs.
“We are thrilled to be part of the NYC Care grantee cohort. With the funds, we will build Adhikaar’s capacity to connect the Nepali-speaking community to this life-saving citywide program,” said Pabitra Khati Benjamin, Executive Director of Adhikaar. “A program like NYC Care is not just a win for health justice, it is a win for workers’ rights and for immigrant rights. Our 5,000+ membership work in low-wage industries and are immigrants living at the margins of this city, and we know that many of our community members will benefit from this program in life changing ways.”
“We are beyond excited at India Home to work with NYC Health + Hospitals and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs for the NYC Care program outreach. This program makes a difference in peoples’ lives, people who have been both targeted and under-served,” said Shaaranya Pillai, Deputy Director of India Home. “Accessible health care is a crucial part in making our city more equitable, and NYC Care helps make that a reality. Thank you for this opportunity to partner and bring this service to our Queens communities.”
“As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, NYC Care’s work has never been more important,” said Lisa David, President and CEO of Public Health Solutions. “When vulnerable communities are connected to high-quality, comprehensive health care, our city becomes healthier and more equitable. We are proud to leverage our wide-reaching networks of CBOs and community leaders to ensure eligible New Yorkers are making the most of NYC Care’s critical offerings.”
“The Academy of Medical & Public Health Services (AMPHS) is excited to be an NYC Care partner. As a public health organization working to improve health equity among our immigrant neighbors in Sunset Park, we have time and time again seen the impact that lack of healthcare access has on our communities: from increasing rates of chronic disease to unaddressed mental health challenges. Without safe and affordable healthcare options, they continue to suffer until it is too late. NYC Care’s unique model provides coordinated healthcare access through NYC’s Health + Hospital system, providing a bridge to care — and hope — to those who otherwise might be left out.”
NYC Care recently released video testimonials featuring four immigrant New Yorkers. They shared their personal tales of struggle without health insurance and how the public health system’s NYC Care program got them back on track to living their healthiest life. Click here to view the videos.
NYC Care represents a crucial lifeline to health and wellness for close to 100,000 New Yorkers. Since the start of the program, NYC Care members have made over 150,000 telehealth and over 500,000 primary care and specialty care appointments. Approximately 60% of members are women and 60% indicate that Spanish as their primary language. Previous data has shown that over 90% of NYC Care members live with household incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level.
“Enrolling in NYC Care helps previously uninsured New Yorkers access primary care and prescription drugs in a timely manner, avoiding more dangerous and expensive complications down the line,” said Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried. “These enrollment numbers show the clear need for the program, and I commend Mayor de Blasio, H+H, and the Office of Immigrant Affairs for expanding the program through new partnerships with community-based organizations.”
“As we navigate the on-going pandemic that continues to claim lives in the Bronx every week, it is crucial that all Bronxites have the protection of health insurance, and the full range of healthcare services that NYC Cares covers. In a borough with great health disparities, NYC Health + Hospitals provides access to high quality care for our residents,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “This important partnership with NYC Cares now also ensures that all uninsured New Yorkers, and those who cannot afford health insurance, can benefit from life-saving preventative and diagnostic healthcare services for their family. I commend NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, the members of NYC Cares and NYC Health + Hospitals on their work efforts to provide access to care for all New Yorkers.”
“The pandemic underscored how important access to health care and preventive care are for the well-being of our communities,” said NYC Council Member Francisco Moya, who represents District 21 Queens. “The NYC Care partnership with CBOs is great news and will advance reaching more New Yorkers in the language they speak and regardless of immigration status to ensure our communities have access to primary and specialty care.”
To enroll in NYC Care, New Yorkers can call 1-646-NYC-Care. For more information, visit www.nyccare.nyc.
Contact: Press Office, 212-788-3339
About NYC Care
NYC Care is a health care access program that provides comprehensive and low or no-cost health care services through NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H) for New Yorkers who cannot afford or are ineligible for health insurance. NYC Care provides a membership card, 24/7 customer service, access to comprehensive and affordable health care services, like primary care, mental health services, and sexual and reproductive health care, low-cost medications 24/7, and member materials in multiple languages – regardless of your immigration status or ability to pay. Call 646-NYC-CARE (646-692-2273) to learn more and sign up today – privacy and confidentiality guaranteed. NYC Care became available at NYC Health + Hospitals locations in the Bronx starting in August 2019. NYC Care is now available in all five boroughs.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.