NYC Care will be available in every borough by the end of 2020.
The de Blasio Administration today launched NYC Care in Brooklyn and Staten Island, building on the Administration’s commitment to guaranteeing health care for all New Yorkers. The program will seek to enroll 15,000 members in Brooklyn and Staten Island within the first six months of launching. Over 13,000 New Yorkers have enrolled in NYC Care since its initial launch in the Bronx in August 2019, surpassing the program’s original goal of 10,000 in the first six months.
“In New York City, we believe that healthcare is a human right,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Already, NYC Care has brought 13,000 people in the Bronx access to quality, affordable health care. By expanding to Staten Island and Brooklyn, we can help even more New Yorkers get the care they need.”
NYC Care is the new health care access program operated by NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) for New Yorkers who are not eligible for insurance or who cannot afford it. Since its launch in the Bronx, NYC Care has already begun to dramatically change the way the City’s public health system connects people to primary, preventive and specialty care. To date, NYC Care’s 13,000 members have had over 27,000 provider visits, with over 20,000 prescriptions filled during new, extended pharmacy hours.
Beginning today, NYC Care membership will now be open to anyone who has lived in the city for at least six months, lives or wants to seek care in Brooklyn or Staten Island, and is currently uninsured. All new NYC Care members will be offered a primary care appointment within two weeks from enrollment. H+H patient care locations in Brooklyn and Staten have added new evening and weekend hours to accommodate members. NYC Care applicants and members also have access to a 24/7 customer assistance line where they can ask questions about NYC Care and speak to an on-call clinician for all of their needs, including prescription refills.
In an effort to reach more New Yorkers eligible for NYC Care, nine community-based organizations (CBOs) will receive seven-month contracts through a partnership between NYC H+H, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City to conduct culturally appropriate outreach to prospective NYC Care members in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
The nine community-based organizations - African Refuge, Brighton Neighborhood Association, Arab-American Family Support Center, Council of Peoples Organization (COPO), Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, Make the Road New York, Mixteca Organization, Project Hospitality, and Single Stop - were selected through a request for proposal process. A total of 23 full-time outreach workers will conduct grassroots outreach in order to identify, engage, and refer uninsured New Yorkers for screening and enrollment in NYC Care. Beginning today, these CBOS will begin outreach efforts in 20 languages, such as Spanish, Russian, Haitian Creole, Polish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Arabic.
In addition, H+H is conducting a borough-wide multilingual public awareness campaign, including public transportation, the Staten Island Ferry and train, in-store posters, radio and street outreach in top targeted communities. There will also be significant multilingual digital advertisements and ethnic and community media engagement to reach those eligible for NYC Care. As part of the campaign, New Yorkers can also learn more about the program by calling 646-NYC-CARE as well as through a dedicated website at nyccare.nyc where they can download brochures and other materials available in multiples languages.
“NYC Care is a pillar of the de Blasio administration’s commitment to health care for all New Yorkers, and today, we are unlocking access to health care for thousands of people in Brooklyn and Staten Island,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Raul Perea-Henze. “With more than 13,000 members enrolled in the Bronx, NYC Care is making an impact for New Yorkers who need high-quality and affordable care, especially our immigrant communities. Everyone eligible in Brooklyn and Staten Island is urged to enroll today, and to tell their families, friends and neighbors about NYC Care. I thank NYC Health + Hospitals, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and all our community partners for the ongoing success of NYC Care as we work to bring the program to every borough by the end of this year.”
“Starting today, New Yorkers in both Brooklyn and Staten Island will have much-needed access to high-quality, affordable, preventive care,” said Mitchell Katz, MD, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. “This furthers our vision to fundamentally change the way our health care system connects those who are not eligible for health insurance to the high-quality health care we deliver to thousands of New Yorkers every day.”
“The launch of NYC Care in Brooklyn and Staten Island invites members regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay to use our system in a different way. All New Yorkers are entitled to receive primary and preventive and specialty care before it is too late and they must use the emergency department,” said NYC Care Executive Director Marielle Kress. “I am excited to continue our work with trusted organizations to reach thousands of New Yorkers who need access to care in Brooklyn and Staten Island.”
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