Caribbean L 6 ife, February 7-13, 2020
New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio. Associated Press / Seth Wenig, File
NYC Care launches
in Brooklyn, S.I.
By Nelson A. King
Mayor Bill de Blasio has launched
NYC Care in Brooklyn and Staten Island,
building on his administration’s commitment
to guaranteeing health care for
all New Yorkers.
According to the Office of the Mayor,
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, the
Mayor’s Office said.
“In New York City, we believe that
healthcare is a human right,” said
Mayor 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.”
The Mayor’s Office said that 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, the
Mayor’s Office said 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, it said NYC Care’s 13,000
members have had over 27,000 provider
visits, with over 20,000 prescriptions
filled during new, extended pharmacy
hours.
Effective last Friday, NYC Care membership
is 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.
The Mayor’s Office said all new NYC
Care members will be offered a primary
care appointment within two weeks
from enrollment.
It said 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, the
Mayor’s Office said.
In an effort to reach more New Yorkers
eligible for NYC Care, it said 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, the Mayor’s
Office said.