Community health workers will connect city residents with insurance enrollment, food assistance, housing resources and hospital-bill relief.

New York City is launching a $3 million outreach effort to help residents maintain health insurance, including NYC Medicaid, and reach other assistance programs as federal policy changes threaten coverage, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and the city Health Department announced October 19.

The Health and Affordability Resource Team, known as HART, will send trained community health workers into neighborhoods to help residents navigate NYC Medicaid, food assistance and related services. Community organizations and volunteers will support the effort.

The administration says new federal Medicaid work requirements and additional documentation requirements taking effect January 1, 2027, could put as many as 900,000 New Yorkers at risk of losing coverage. That is the city’s estimate of people at risk, not a count of people who have already lost insurance.

What HART will do

The team will help residents enroll in health coverage and maintain existing coverage. Its work also includes connecting people with food assistance, cash benefits, housing assistance, eviction prevention resources and relief from hospital bills.

The program is funded through a $3 million investment in the city’s fiscal year 2027 budget. The announcement does not describe HART as a new insurance plan or a replacement for Medicaid. Its role is to help people navigate existing programs and services.

HART workers collectively speak 13 languages, according to the release. Many have personal experience navigating the same health and food assistance systems they will help residents use.

Who the outreach will prioritize

The city says HART will focus on neighborhoods where residents face a risk of losing Medicaid when expanded federal work requirements take effect. Its priorities include people who have already lost SNAP benefits because of expanded federal work requirements.

The mayor’s office said federal SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents expanded March 1. It said thousands of city residents who were previously exempt must now meet federal requirements to maintain their benefits.

The release does not provide a full eligibility guide or specify every exemption. Residents should seek an individual assessment rather than assuming that a general announcement determines whether their own benefits will continue.

“Health care and nutritious food should not be a privilege. They are basic necessities,” Mamdani said.

Training workers to navigate several systems

HART staff completed training on Medicaid and SNAP changes, cultural competency, community engagement and building relationships. Training also covered health insurance eligibility and enrollment, coordination with public health organizations and approaches to supporting community mental health.

The city is presenting the team as part of a wider effort to reach residents before administrative or eligibility problems interrupt their support. Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga said the goal includes preventing people from losing assistance simply because navigating the system is too difficult.

Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin linked the effort to the role of health coverage, housing and financial stability in community health. Department of Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton said the city is using data and outreach to identify residents who may need help.

Other steps the city reports taking

The administration said it has provided guidance and resources to more than 35,000 health care providers and 60,000 community and faith-based partners. It also reported holding more than 50 trainings and engagement sessions.

Those sessions include a monthly webinar series for providers and community partners, with more than 300 people attending the first session. The city has begun provider convenings and is hiring additional enrollment counselors.

These figures describe outreach activity. The October 19 release does not report a measured number of residents whose coverage HART has preserved, since the team is being launched.

Where city residents can get help

New York City residents who have lost health insurance or are at risk of losing it can call 347-655-0124 to speak with a city Health Department enrollment counselor. The city also directs residents to nyc.gov/medicaidhelp.

The announcement does not list a separate HART application deadline or a neighborhood-by-neighborhood deployment schedule.

The distinction for Mohawk Valley readers

HART is a New York City initiative. This release does not announce a comparable team in Utica or Oneida County, and the city’s enrollment counselor number should not be presented as a local county service.

Federal benefit changes may raise questions beyond the five boroughs, but this announcement alone does not establish how a particular Mohawk Valley resident will be affected. Readers should use their own official benefit notices and local administering agencies for case-specific instructions.

Source: NYC Mayor’s Office press release, October 19, 2026. This report is based on the administration’s announcement.