New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation

Policy changes, broader restrictions, and looming Medicaid cuts have deterred many New Yorkers from seeking essential care, increasing the likelihood that preventable conditions worsen. Primary care providers have reported a drop-off in patients seeking services. NYC Care, a citywide health care access program, expanded its outreach to ensure new and existing patients know about NYC Care as an affordable, safe option. However, persistent digital and logistical barriers continue to limit patient access to preventive and primary care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, NYHealth supported NYC H+H to launch a telehealth patient navigation program that provided one-on-one support before and after visits, improving participation and patient satisfaction. That initiative strengthened the health system’s capacity and laid out the groundwork for sustained equitable access to virtual care. In 2025, NYHealth awarded NYC H+H a grant to expand equitable access to in-person and virtual primary care for underserved New Yorkers.

Under this grant, NYC H+H will implement a culturally and linguistically responsive patient navigation initiative to help patients enroll in and engage with NYC Care. The initiative will be implemented across four NYC H+H sites, reaching an estimated 6,000 patients. Multilingual patient navigators will provide in-person and remote support to help patients enroll in NYC Care, prepare for and attend primary care visits, and engage in ongoing care through personalized education, reminders, and digital assistance. Through culturally responsive navigation before and after visits, NYC Care aims to strengthen patient engagement, reduce missed appointments, and use insights from navigator activities to improve retention and scale effective strategies over time.