NYC Health + Hospitals has launched a public awareness campaign to encourage eligible New Yorkers to enroll in its existing, guaranteed healthcare program, NYC Care. They are doing so, officials said, to let New Yorkers know they can “access the primary, preventive, and specialty care needed to lead longer, healthier lives.”

 

According to NYC Health + Hospitals, the campaign consists of a combination of multilingual advertisements, media partnerships, marketing strategies and earned media opportunities, available in the languages most commonly spoken by NYC Care-eligible New Yorkers, which are English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese/Mandarin, and Bengali.

 

The campaign uses audio and video from the newly released ‘Doctor Public Service Announcement’ video series, along with static graphics featuring updated messages designed to build trust and highlight the ease with which New Yorkers can apply for the program. The placements include out-of-home, print and digital newspapers in community and ethnic media, television, radio, Google search/display and social media.

 

The placements will run through December, coinciding with efforts across the health system to ensure that New Yorkers are aware of the range of health care options available to them during the open enrollment period. City officials said the launch of the campaign continues the steady growth in membership since NYC Care exceeded its goal of reaching 100,000 members in February 2022. They said enrollment in NYC Care increased 5.4% from 113,178 members in Fiscal Year 2022 to 119,234 in Fiscal Year 2023, and is up 352% from its first year in 2019.

 

Jonathan Jiménez, MD, MPH, executive director of NYC Care from NYC Health + Hospitals said of the program, “Keeping New Yorkers healthy starts with keeping them informed, and I am thrilled to announce the launch of the city-wide public awareness campaign which sends the unified message across different forms of media that healthcare is a right, regardless of your immigration status, ability to pay, language, or how long you have lived in New York City. You can access world-class health care available through NYC Health + Hospitals.”

 

He added, “Since NYC Care launched in 2019, the NYC Care team has worked tirelessly to consistently put out messaging that encourages New Yorkers to seek the care that they are entitled to. Eligible New Yorkers can call 646-NYC-CARE (646-692-2273) to connect with the 24/7 NYC Care hotline, visit our NYC Care community-based organization partners across the city, or visit NYCCare.NYC to learn
more about the program.”

 

Meanwhile, Manuel Castro, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, said, “The launch of the NYC Care public awareness campaign will ensure New York City’s diverse immigrant communities are informed about the resources to live healthier lives.” He added, “The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs is proud to support these efforts, most recently by highlighting NYC Care in our immigrant media roundtable on digital equity for immigrant New Yorkers. I encourage eligible New Yorkers to reach out to NYC Care and learn more.”

 

In addition to launching paid ad placements, City officials said NYC Care will continue to leverage what they said were their strong partnerships with 22 community-based organizations to conduct culturally-sensitive outreach to prospective subscribers citywide. From community health fairs to back-to-school giveaways, to sharing flyers near areas of high foot traffic, they said their partners act as trusted community liaisons to answer NYC Care-eligible New Yorkers’ questions about the program, and also encourage residents to apply.

 

They said the NYC Care team meets with their partners regularly to share programmatic updates, and learn and understand how the program can do more to meet the needs of New Yorkers. They said NYC Care also works with partners at all levels of government, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, New York State of Health, and the mayor’s office, hosting webinars and in-person information sessions to share information about the program.

 

Last month, they said NYC Care executive director, Jonathan Jiménez, MD, MPH, joined a media roundtable hosted by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, LinkNYC, and the NYC Office of Technology & Innovation to announce the launch of NYC Care placements on LinkNYC kiosks, and other strategies to address digital inequity for immigrant New Yorkers.

 

According to City officials, last month, NYC Care announced a partnership with the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit to reach out to over 30,000 NYC Care members and encourage them to connect to primary care.

 

They said the partnership is part of the mayor’s broader agenda to support a healthier New York City, including what were referred to as sweeping investments in mental health supports for New Yorkers of all ages, lifestyle medicine training for clinicians across the city, and new programs to bolster access to reproductive health care.

 

City officials said that in June, NYC Care released findings from a study for Academy Health demonstrating the program’s success in connecting new members to primary and specialty care, which, they said, resulted in even higher engagement when looking at members who had two or more chronic diseases and spoke English as a second language (ESL).

 

Overall, they said 76.9% of new NYC Care members returned to primary care for an additional visit in their first year, 80.7% received a referral outside of primary care, and 75.4% visited specialty care. For new members with two or more chronic diseases, they said 86.1% returned to primary care, 87.1% received a referral, and 86% visited specialty care.

 

City officials said there was also strong engagement for new members who speak English as a second language, where 86.1% returned to primary care, 80.2% received a referral, and 74.7% visited specialty care. They said this data suggests that NYC Care has spurred patient engagement at rates comparable to Medicaid, and that the data “reflects member satisfaction and confidence in the high-quality care they are receiving.”

 

As reported, on Oct. 18, NYC Health  + Hospitals/Jacobi and North Central Bronx held the 3rd Annual Regional Sexual Assault Conference in The Bronx.