When Jasmine’s husband passed from COVID-19, she lost her health insurance. She now works two jobs cleaning houses to support her family but is barely making ends meet. Her family is struggling to afford food as bills pile up.
She arrives at a hospital with chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and blurred vision. After she is examined, the hospital staff discharge Jasmine with a refill for blood pressure medication and referrals to follow up with a PCP (primary care physician) and a cardiologist.
First, she needs health insurance to follow up with the PCP and cardiologist.
Then, she needs to connect with a food pantry to make sure her and her family’s nutritional needs are met.
Finally, Jasmine needs medically tailored meals to help reduce her blood pressure and get her health back on track.
Jasmine is eligible for Medicaid but when she tries applying online, she finds the process confusing. She tries a helpline but struggles to follow the instructions in English because she speaks only Arabic.
Jasmine has been referred to a food pantry too far from her home, and she is ineligible to get food assistance.
Jasmine has no idea where or how to get medically tailored meals that would help with her blood pressure and cardiac issues.
There was no follow-up from the hospital with Jasmine to determine if she received food, went to her follow-up appointments, or found medically tailored meals.
Because Jasmine was not able to find the nutrition she needed, her health worsens. She remains uninsured, and her stress continues to build. The overall health of the family also suffers.
After the hospital visit, Jasmine visits the WholeYouNYC website and fills a short digital intake form.
The navigator enters all of Jasmine’s relevant information to WholeYouNYC, a network of hundreds of social service programs across New York City.
The Navigator helps Jasmine enroll into SNAP for immediate food assistance and connects her with a social service organization that delivers medically tailored meals to her home.
The Navigator also connects Jasmine to an Arabic-speaking PHS Health Insurance Navigator and WIC outreach coordinator, who help her enroll into health insurance and additional food assistance.
All the enrollment forms are completed and submitted digitally, lifting a huge burden for Jasmine. Now, she can schedule her follow-up appointments with the PCP and cardiologist, as instructed by the hospital.
New Yorkers have been counting on Public Health Solutions for over 60 years. That’s because we tackle problems around health head on. We build pathways for New Yorkers to reach their potential; we bridge the gap between the city’s social service organizations and healthcare; and we put people at the center of care.