NYC Care will launch in Brooklyn and Staten Island in January 2020
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that NYC Care, a health care access program that is a key component of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s commitment to guarantee accessible and affordable health care for all New Yorkers, has enrolled more than 5,000 New Yorkers in the Bronx since the August 1 program launch in the borough. The program is on track to meet the Bronx enrollment goal of 10,000 patients in the first six months. In addition, 100 percent of members enrolled in NYC Care continue to be offered a first appointment within two weeks with a primary care provider, and there have been nearly 3,000 low-cost prescriptions filled during the new extended pharmacy hours that are a part of the program. After its successful implementation in the Bronx, NYC Care will launch in Brooklyn and Staten Island in January 2020. In preparation for the launch, the public health system has issued a request for proposal (RFP) to partner with community-based organizations (CBOs) in both boroughs to help engage prospective NYC Care members.
“In New York City, we’re making guaranteed health care a reality,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Health care is a basic right and with NYC Care, we are ensuring that right for working people across our City, and setting a nationwide model of what it means to provide low-cost, affordable health care.”
“I’m proud that we are already half-way to our goal of 10,000 members in the Bronx just two months into the program,” said Mitchell Katz, MD, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. “This further demonstrates how necessary it is to make high-quality, affordable healthcare accessible to New Yorkers who often are not given a viable option to live their healthiest lives.”
“Over 5,000 people in the Bronx are connected to primary care, low-cost prescriptions, and a new member experience through NYC Care” said NYC Care Executive Director Marielle Kress. “This program helped a mother who has had ear pain for years get connected with a specialist and a person who couldn’t afford insurance get a primary care doctor. It helps thousands of patients who need same-day access to medications avoid going to the emergency room. We are excited to bring these same benefits to Brooklyn and Staten Island.”
NYC Care is the new no- or low-cost health care access program of NYC Health + Hospitals for New Yorkers who are not eligible for insurance or who cannot afford it. The program, which is now operating in the Bronx and will be available citywide by the end of 2020, is expected to dramatically change the way the City’s public health system connects people to personalized, coordinated primary and preventive care at its 70-plus patient care locations throughout the five boroughs, including 11 hospitals and its Gotham Health Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) network. NYC Care offers affordable medications day or night, culturally responsive care, extensive language access and interpretation services, and provides new 24/7 customer service support. Eligible New Yorkers can enroll by calling 646-NYC-CARE to meet with a financial counselor at a health system patient care site and receive a personalized NYC Care membership card in the mail.
As part of outreach efforts, community based organizations BronxWorks, Emerald Isle, Mekong, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and Sauti Yetu Center for African Women have been conducting culturally appropriate outreach to prospective NYC Care members in the Bronx as part of their partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals as of the August launch. In addition, NYC Health + Hospital launched a borough-wide multilingual advertisement campaign including public transportation, neighborhood locations, social media and LinkNYC terminals.
The RFP for Brooklyn and Staten Island community-based organizations can be found on the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City webpage. Approximately 27.8 percent of Brooklynites and 5.9 percent of Staten Island residents are not eligible for health insurance and therefore would benefit from NYC Care.
Of the current members, nearly 70 percent are between 30 and 59 years of age, and 61.8 percent are Spanish speakers. Over 70 percent of members are below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Sixty-one percent of current members identify as female.
