Supporting Health Care Access for Immigrants and Their Families, Phase 2
NYHealth awarded the New York Immigration Coalition a second grant to continue addressing federal policies that restrict health care access and coverage for New York State-based immigrants and their families.Grantee Name
New York Immigration Coalition, Inc.
Funding Area
Special Projects Fund
Publication Date
January 2022
Grant Amount
$150,673
Grant Date:
August 2019- July 2020
In 2019, the Trump administration released the final set of public charge regulations that would penalize lawfully present individuals who participate in health insurance, housing, and food security programs, making it more difficult—if not impossible—for immigrants to secure permanent residency.
Confusion, uncertainty, and fear have already spurred many immigrant New Yorkers to drop benefits—even ones not specified in the new public charge policy. In 2017, NYHealth awarded the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) a grant to mitigate the impact of anti-immigrant federal policies on health access and coverage for New York State’s immigrants. NYIC monitored policy changes in real time, analyzed their impact, and shared recommendations for preserving health care access for immigrants with its 175 member organizations, City and State officials, and health care providers. In 2020, NYHealth awarded NYIC a second grant to continue to address new federal policies that restrict health care access and coverage for New York State-based immigrants and their families.
Outcomes and Lessons Learned
- Developed messaging for families after the final public charge rule was released, as well as continued to follow all changes.
- Developed presentations and handouts in 10 languages to distribute at trainings for NYIC’s “Key to the City” initiative, which brings critical legal, health, and education services to schools in immigrant neighborhoods throughout New York City.
- Hosted statewide “Know-Your-Rights” and public charge train-the-trainer sessions for 6,794 virtual and 3,180 in-person attendees.
- Educated and briefed City, State, and federal officials and staff on public charge developments and measures they could take to ensure continued access to services for affected families.
- Developed, produced, and disseminated FAQ documents for the media in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.
NYIC continues to respond to the public charge rule change with a coordinated effort to educate member organizations and immigrant communities; provide technical assistance to City and State agencies; and support policies that protect immigrant communities.
Co-Funding and Additional Funds Leveraged: N/A