Immigrant Advocates Applaud Expansion of Signature Health Program to All Five Boroughs 

New York, NY—Yesterday New York City Health + Hospitals announced the expansion of NYC Care to all five boroughs of the City. NYC Care is a health care access program that ensures all New Yorkers, regardless of their income or immigration status, have access to comprehensive, coordinated, high-quality care. Recognizing the deep health inequities facing immigrant New Yorkers, and the continued exclusion of hundreds of thousands of residents from state and federal health insurance programs, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) began pushing to create a citywide direct access health care program in 2015. Since its launch in August 2019, NYC Care has provided 30,000 New Yorkers with access to a primary care doctor, expanded pharmacy hours, and specialty care services. Many NYIC member organizations are directly involved in the outreach and promotion of the program in partnership with NYC H+H.

After the expansion of NYC Care to all five boroughs, Steve Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement.

““Kudos to Mayor De Blasio and Commissioner Bitta Mostofi for stepping up for New York’s immigrants, at a moment when our state and Federal governments are passing the buck. For far too long, immigrant New Yorkers have been left behind by the cruelties of our health care system. In 2019, NYC Care launched in the Bronx, eventually expanding to Brooklyn and Staten Island, serving 30,000 New Yorkers to date. With this week’s extension to Queens and Manhattan, NYC Care is now a leader in protecting the health of low-income New Yorkers, at a critical moment when immigrants and people of color continue to be disproportionately impacted by Covid-19.

“In advocating for the creation of NYC Care, we hoped to change that by improving the health of not only immigrants but every uninsured New Yorker. We’re proud to be part of the City’s expansion of this program to all five boroughs, allowing NYC Care to reach even more New Yorkers at a critical time for our City’s public health.”

NYC Care

With NYC Care, you can:

  • Receive care at NYC H+H locations across the city.

  • Receive preventive care, mental health support, and substance use services.

  • Talk to customer service representatives in your language.

  • Receive 24-hour access to low-cost prescription medications.

  • Get your first appointment in two weeks or less.

To enroll, call 646-NYC-CARE

To learn more about NYC Care, visit nyccare.nyc.