NEW YORK, New York — On July 12, NYC Health + Hospitals’ NYC Care healthcare program launched the “Doctor Public Service Announcement” video series — a collaborative effort with the Asian American Federation (AAF). In the series, the institution’s physicians will share their insights directly to New Yorkers to promote enrollment, renewals, and primary care appointments as a measure to enhance healthcare access.
Renowned physicians such as NYC Care Executive Director, Jonathan Jiménez, MD, MPH, from NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Cumberland, and Michelle V. Soto, MD, from NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health will share their insights and experiences. Other contributors include Huajun Huang, MD, and Khaleda K. Islam, MD, both based at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. The series is a salute to physicians as trusted figures in the community, many of whom have confronted the same health care access challenges that everyday New Yorkers face.
The videos were produced in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Bengali, with subtitles available in 13 languages. They are set to be part of a citywide marketing campaign, distributed on social media, and forwarded directly to NYC Care members.
“With the release of the ‘Doctor Public Service Announcement’ video series, we hope to encourage more New Yorkers to access the critical primary and preventative care services they are entitled to from NYC Health + Hospitals’ NYC Care program. The videos are available in 13 languages and feature physicians such as myself who have seen first-hand the transformative impact that access to care can have on a person, and their community as a whole,” said NYC Care Executive Director Jonathan Jiménez, MD, MPH. “I thank the Asian American Federation for partnering with us to develop the series, and to our community partners, City agency staff, and volunteers for helping us to kick off our ‘Health Care Weekend of Action’ across the city.”
Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of the Asian American Federation, echoed Dr. Jimenez’ sentiments, saying, “Asian American Federation is thrilled to have partnered with NYC Care on the ‘Doctor Public Service Announcement’ video series, to ensure all New Yorkers are connected to primary and specialty care,” said Yoo, adding, “The physicians in the series send a clear message that health care is a human right in New York City, and that accessing NYC Care will have no impact on ones’ immigration status. I urge all New Yorkers to share these videos widely as we work towards building a healthier city for all.”
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After the release, NYC Care will spearhead a ‘Health Care Weekend of Action’ in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, running from Friday, July 14th to Sunday, July 16th. Supported by several local organizations such as Project Hospitality, Korean Community Services of Metro NY (KCS), DSI International, Make The Road NY, Mixteca, Urban Neighborhood Services, and the JCC of Greater Coney Island, the events hope to reach New Yorkers directly. Some of the sites include:
- Port Richmond, Staten Island
- Flushing, Queens
- Jamaica, Queens
- Bushwick, Brooklyn
- Sunset Park, Brooklyn
- Coney Island, Brooklyn
NYC Care invites all New Yorkers to circulate the videos from their social media toolkit to encourage those who are eligible to enroll in the program, renew their membership, or schedule a primary care appointment.
These endeavors align with NYC Care’s goal of maintaining high levels of member engagement, recently showcased at a media roundtable and in a study presented to the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting titled, “Engaging New Primary Care Patients: Access for Uninsured Patients at an Urban Safety Net System.” NYC Care received the Tyson Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity by The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente, lauded for its wide-reaching public awareness and outreach strategy that has connected over 100,000 New Yorkers to health care.
“Language access is key to ensuring immigrant communities are connected to City services. I am thrilled to see the development of this multilingual video series to tackle health care inequities faced by immigrant New Yorkers by connecting them to the NYC Care program,” said Manuel Castro, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “By working with city agencies, community partners, and with New Yorkers across the city, we can continue to build trust by encouraging all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status, to access the care they are entitled to. I encourage all to share out the videos and encourage friends and neighbors to visit nyccare.nyc to learn more about the program.”
Mohammad Razvi, CEO of Council of Peoples Organization, also voiced his support. “At the Council of Peoples Organization, we firmly believe every New Yorker, regardless of their immigration status or socio-economic class, deserves universal and equitable access to healthcare,” said Razvi, adding, “COPO is a proud partner and supporter of NYC Care. COPO is a direct enrollment site for NYC Care and have a health insurance navigator on staff available to assist our clients and answer any questions that they may have. A majority of our clients are undocumented individuals and immigrants, so NYC Care has been a great program as it allows clients who are undocumented to receive access to affordable health care. NYC Care also helps provide our qualifying clients to be able to purchase groceries through their food program.”
About the Asian American Federation
Founded in 1989, Asian American Federation (AAF) stands as a pan-Asian nonprofit leadership organization, representing and supporting a network of 70 Asian American community service organizations. AAF strives to enhance the influence and well-being of the pan-Asian American community through research, policy advocacy, public awareness, and organizational development. With a collective voice of over 20 diverse ethnic groups, AAF is committed to overcoming the obstacles that low-to-moderate income Asian Americans face in the city.
About NYC Care
NYC Care is a trailblazing health care access program offering comprehensive and affordable healthcare services to New Yorkers who cannot afford or are ineligible for health insurance. NYC Care ensures a membership card, 24/7 customer service, and access to affordable health care services such as primary care, mental health services, and sexual and reproductive healthcare. Regardless of immigration status or ability to pay, NYC Care guarantees privacy, confidentiality, and a wide variety of member materials in multiple languages. Call: 646-NYC-CARE (646-692-2273) or visit: NYCCare.NYC to learn more and sign up today – privacy and confidentiality guaranteed.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
As the nation’s largest municipal health care system, NYC Health + Hospitals operates a network of 11 hospitals, trauma centers, neighborhood health centers, nursing homes, and post-acute care centers. Serving more than one million New Yorkers every year, the organization boasts a diverse workforce of over 43,000 employees striving to empower New Yorkers — without exception — to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit: www.nychealthandhospitals.org.
NYC Care is a health care access program that provides comprehensive and low or no-cost health care services through NYC Health + Hospitals for New Yorkers who cannot afford or are ineligible for health insurance.
