CIANA’s Outreach team joined NYC Health + Hospitals, the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, and Mayor Eric Adams himself to close out H+H’s NYC Care Week of Action last Saturday.
Over the past three years, NYC Care has provided free and low-cost healthcare to over 110,000 New York City residents who cannot afford or do not qualify for other forms of healthcare, and that number is growing.
To celebrate its nearly-third anniversary, NYC H+H and the PEU spent the week of July 25 going to each borough to promote NYC Care to those who may benefit from its services. CIANA joined their closing event, a Day of Action at Elmhurst Hospital on Saturday, July 30, featuring a press conference with Mayor Adams.
Other speakers at the press conference included Dr. Jonathan Jimenez, Executive Director of NYC Care, Council Member Lynn Schulman of Forest Hills, who chairs the City Council’s Health Committee, and Council Member Francisco Moya, who represents Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Corona. All spoke about the opportunities NYC Care has provided its recipients with to stay healthy, thanks to its general medical services and access to screenings and treatment for diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
Watch the full press conference on Facebook Live below:
CIANA has hosted two of its own Days of Action, one on August 2 and the next on August 11, where we not only promoted NYC Care but directly enrolled clients. Both were held at Corona Plaza, a neighborhood with a high population of undocumented immigrants eligible for NYC Care.
In the coming weeks, we hope to reach potential NYC Care enrollees beyond Queens. Thousands of New Yorkers across the five boroughs live without any health coverage, but fear of authority keeps them from seeking assistance. Many immigrants do not even know that they can access affordable, confidential healthcare.
Having already connected more than 300 community members with NYC Care, we hope to continue our work and help our entire City get covered.