Vaccine Outreach Program Reaches 50K Immigrant New Yorkers

April 18, 2022

NEW YORK – NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro today announced that its vaccine outreach program has reached over 50,000 immigrant New Yorkers across the city.  

As of April 2022, 97% of adult New Yorkers 18 and over have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, but only 44% have received a booster dose. Among Latinx and Black New Yorkers, 27% and 25%, respectively, have received a booster dose. The booster dose provides important protection against the Omicron variant and its subvariant BA.2.   

“The way forward and out of the pandemic is for everyone to get vaccinated and boosted,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “The more of us protected against COVID-19, the quicker we can get through this pandemic. But communities of color are lagging other communities in booster rates and now is the time to double down and ensure we take all the necessary steps to avoid another wave. We have the resources available, so New Yorkers shouldn’t hesitate another minute.” 

“We know that our greatest tool to fight the virus is to get vaccinated and to get boosted.  The cooperative work highlighted with this benchmark of reaching 50,000 people demonstrates the importance of partnerships with CBOs doing the work on the ground every single day to reach the children, families, and communities served by their programs,” said Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom.  “There is still much more to do to reach New Yorkers that are yet unvaccinated, but the strength of our approach in closing that gap lies with partnerships just like this one.  Thank you again to MOIA, H+H, and all the CBO partners.” 

“Vaccines continue to be one of our most important tools against COVID-19,” said NYC Care Executive Director Jonathan Jimenez, MD. “We must continue to accompany New Yorkers and overcome barriers to vaccination, especially in communities most affected by this pandemic. I applaud the crucial work these organizations have done and continue to do.” 

"As vaccination remains key to the recovery of our city, MOIA will continue to ensure immigrant communities are included in the City’s outreach efforts,” said Manuel Castro, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “We thank these organizations who have been critical to the City’s effort in reaching immigrant New Yorkers.” 

The targeted outreach effort was originally launched in October 2021 to reach undocumented New Yorkers who live outside of the 33 neighborhoods identified by the NYC Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity as hardest hit by COVID-19. The effort conducted outreach in 15 languages and worked with the following community-based organizations (CBOs) below to reach immigrant communities: 

• African Refuge 
• Sauti Yetu 
• BronxWorks 
• New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) 
• Arab American Family Support Center 
• Mixteca 
• Voces Latinas 
• DSI International 
• Mexican Coalition 
• Brighton Neighborhood Association 
• Make the Road New York 
• African Communities Together 
• Caribbean Women’s Health Associations 
• Worker’s Justice Project  
• Asian American Federation 

About NYC Care
NYC Care is a health care access program that provides comprehensive and low or no-cost health care services through NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H) for New Yorkers who cannot afford or are ineligible for health insurance. NYC Care provides a membership card, 24/7 customer service, access to comprehensive and affordable health care services, like primary care, mental health services, and sexual and reproductive health care, low-cost medications 24/7, and member materials in multiple languages – regardless of your immigration status or ability to pay. Call 646-NYC-CARE (646-692-2273) to learn more and sign up today – privacy and confidentiality guaranteed. NYC Care became available at NYC Health + Hospitals locations in the Bronx starting in August 2019. NYC Care is now available in all five boroughs. 

About NYC Health + Hospitals 
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem. 

About the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
The NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) promotes the well-being of NYC’s immigrant communities by advocating for policies that increase justice, equity, and empowerment. MOIA leads, supports, and manages programs that help to successfully include immigrant New Yorkers into the civic, economic, and cultural life of the City. For more information on all MOIA services and the City’s many resources for immigrant New Yorkers, go to nyc.gov/immigrants; call the MOIA hotline at 212-788-7654 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday or send an email to AskMOIA@cityhall.nyc.gov; and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.