 Good morning everyone or good afternoon. Welcome everybody and I'm super excited to have you here today. I am Helen Arteaglanda Verde. I'm the Chief Executive Officer for New York City Health and Elmhurst. I'm thrilled to have you here today in our beloved hospital. We are so excited to close out Health Care Week of Action with our partners New York City cares and get covered NYC. Yes, Elmhurst and at all New York City health and hospital facilities we do not turn that one single patient away. We encourage everyone from our communities to seek care without fear. Through NYC cares, New Yorkers can have access to health coverage regardless of immigration status and ability to pay. If you are a new patient in New York City cares, you get an appointment within two weeks. That is true evidence not only of commitment but of action. A key element of our approach and success is that we provide this care, not only with excellent clinical access, but also culturally sensitive. More than a million New York City health and hospital patients speak over 200 languages. Interesting fact, here at Elmhurst Hospital, we speak more languages than Google. Google only speaks 109. Yes, Elmhurst speaks 128. I think they have some catching up to do. But really I'm super grateful for everyone that's here today and this commitment to health care. I've seen a firsthand how it can impact someone's life. I'm a first generation immigrant. I'm a patient of Elmhurst and I'm now its CEO. Without good health care and being healthy, I wouldn't be standing here today. I'm super grateful. I really want to thank you Mayor Eric Adams for your leadership and ensuring that all New York City health employees have an amazing job. But also more importantly that every New York City resident and everyone living within our walls has access to health care. And I really want to thank you for that. I want to thank Adrian Lover for the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit and Dr. Jimenez who also was born here at Elmhurst for their efforts to connect New Yorkers to affordable health care access. Lastly, I want to thank all the people that made this week possible. Because to get this done takes a lot of people and a lot of energy as you can see here. I want to thank the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit Outreach Specialists. I want to thank our future public health advocates from the CUNY Career Launch interns which is about a hundred of you guys. And I want to thank all of our partners who are here today from the press to everyone who's tabling thank you for your commitment to health care and to our beloved city. And now I will pass this along to Adrian Lover, the Executive Director of the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit. Thank you and welcome. And thank you so much for having us here today. I am so thrilled to be here at Elmhurst with our partners at NYC Care, Health and Hospitals and of course our Mayor Eric Adams. My name is Adrian Lever and I am the Executive Director of the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit which oversees the Get Covered program. All of our staff here today. My team spends every single day out in communities connecting people to the services that they need and making sure that they have everything they need to get through the enrollment and application process. Through this work we're able to see firsthand the ways in which city, state and federal programs can serve New Yorkers in need. There are so many resources for people who are struggling with housing instability, with financial hardship and when it comes to health care we have low-cost and even free options through the programs like NYC Care. It is incredible to see the ways in which New York City serves New Yorkers but the problem is with the city of this size and so many resources available it can be really hard to know where to turn. And that is why our staff are here to make that process easier. Since January alone our Get Covered team over here has reached out to over 40,000 New Yorkers to have conversations about health care. And our tenant team, some of the staff here also today have had over 38,000 conversations with tenants about housing instability, about opportunities to get rent relief for programs like with seniors who need to stabilize their rent to stay in their homes. And we also, through projects like our amazing CUNY program, have been able to add capacity to do outreach around things like the Affordable Connectivity Program that are getting people access to discounts for internet. We've also done work around fair fairs to make sure that we have access to transit. And the reason we do this work is because we know at PU that health care is not just about having access to a doctor. It is about having all of the resources that you need to live a life of dignity and respect. And we're so grateful to our team at Get Covered to doing that work every single day. Many of our interns are here. Raise your hands. CUNY interns. Our interns and our staff in the public engagement unit are out all summer, not just talking about health care, but also all of these other benefits that are available, providing comprehensive benefits screenings to New Yorkers. And then our specialists who speak over 20 languages are going to follow up and make sure that everybody gets the help that they need throughout the entire process. We know that a strong government is not built by waiting for those in need to come to us. It is our obligation to go to you, to show up at your doors, in your communities, on your phones to make sure that this process is working with the city seamless. And we know there's so much more work to do, it is not done, but I'm incredibly grateful to be working with an administration that is working so hard and dedicated to making this process easier for everyone. So I'm thrilled to pass the microphone over to our mayor, Eric Adams, who's leading that charge. Thank you. Thank you. This is the public engagement unit and our CUNY interns. And I know sometimes this is like a karate kid moment when he was supposed to wash the car, then he learned that he was actually learning karate moves in the process. And what our CUNY interns, what you're doing, I'm a two-time CUNY grad from New York City College of Technology and John Jay College. And what you are doing is that you are harnessing the real education. Education is not what takes place in a sterilized environment of a classroom. Anyone could be academically smart, but you'll become an emotionally intelligent. When you're not going to door and you're seeing face to face with someone who's experiencing a hardship, who's going through a difficult time, you are peeking into the lives of everyday New Yorkers and you're removing the barrier of leaning into healthy discomfort. I tell people all the time, I'm socially awkward. I'm an introvert. I'm extremely shy. It's hard for me to engage with people. But when I lean into that discomfort and communicate with people, it made me a better human being. And at the beginning of your lives, you are engaging in people. There's nothing more difficult than engaging with a stranger. But you are not only engaging with the stranger, you are also giving them the things they need. Do you know how many people don't access services because of a language barrier or they're afraid of government, they're afraid of their status? You know, my mother used to go and she would walk out of a city agency and say, I would rather go without than feel the way I feel. I feel more broken before I walked into the governmental agency than when I walked out. And so what you are doing, you know, you just see it as, hey, we're volunteering and we're helping. No, you're not. Not just volunteering. You're the difference between people being able to go and get health care if they need it. You're the difference than people who would have to jump to turnstile because they don't have enough to pay for their swipes by telling them about the reduced fare metro car. You're the difference in telling people there is help if you're about to lose your home. And so what you are doing, you are helping New Yorkers. And I know just by looking at your faces, you know how important it is because many of you are probably first-generation arrivals to the city. You know what your families went through. You know what it is to have English as a second language. You know what it is to be denied. You know what it is to walk into a governmental building and not have the basic help to fill out a form. So you're not only helping others, but you're helping yourselves because there's a process that we all need as we transform it to the New Yorkers we want. Out of all of my units and agencies, this is the agency and unit that I just adore, you know, the public engagement unit, the public engagement unit. You are publicly engaging with people who have given up on government. They've given up on themselves. They've even have given up on hope. You knock on that door, you ring that bell, you talk to someone, you're planting a seed of hope. They're now thinking differently about themselves. And so I just really thank you. I want to go out with you sometime. I want people to see that the mayor also cares. I want to walk the streets with you. This is the best part of the job. The best part of the job is that one-on-one and I encourage you as you go home at night, make an entry in your journal. Talk about the stories you had that someone that didn't have healthcare, you signed them up. Talk about the person you spoke with. Start documenting this wonderful experience that you are having and don't allow it just to be a passing moment. Enjoy this moment, soak this up. My job is hard. Being a mayor of the city of New York is one of the most complicated and difficult jobs you could have in government. But I say every day that I wake up, when does the hard part start? Because it's not hard for me. I love every moment being the mayor. Every moment being the mayor. And I want the challenges that it offers. Love every moment being a CUNY intern. Love every moment of going through this experience. Leave this summer different. Leave this summer with a true purpose. And to this team that's here, Elmhurst Hospital, everybody I meet, they tell me they were born here. You know? We break, we break. To this whole team, this is the best part of our city. And I want to end on this note. I was teaching a young man when I was the bar president and even when I was a senator, I was teaching him the pronunciation of words and running the key was to put the hyphen on the right letter so you could pronounce the word correctly. And he noticed, he says, so based on where you put the hyphen, is how you pronounce the word. That is an analogy to our life. We put the hyphen on the wrong moments in our lives. And so we have a mispronunciation of our lives. Put the hyphen in the beauty of our lives. Start pronouncing your life based on the beauty of it, not based on the hardship, not based on a difficult moment. Put the hyphen in your life in the right place and you're going to pronounce your life with the beauty that it has to offer. That's what I want to uplift. Not what we disagree, but what we agree and what we could get done because we agree. It's a great moment for our city that we can sit down together and say, let's go help those who need help and meet them where they are and take them where they ought to be. I'm excited about this unit. I'm excited about the young people. I'm excited about your future. I'm excited about where this city is going. Don't let anyone kid you. Our city is invincible. We invincible not because of the empire state building, Broadway, all the other great things. We're invincible because like Snapple soft drink stated, we're made it of the best stuff on earth. We're New Yorkers. Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Mayor. I mean, this job is rewarding, but we all know that it's also exhausting. It's hot out there. And I know that the team really appreciates those words of inspiration. I'd like to pass it over to Dr. Jonathan Jimenez who is the director of NYC Cares. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I'm very excited to be here. It's really an honor as Helen shared. I was born here, so it's kind of a coming full circle. I'm Jonathan Jimenez. I'm the executive director of the NYC Cares program. And NYC Cares really is the program that welcomes folks who are excluded from insurance because of their immigration status, because of their ability to pay. So NYC Cares says, hey, you have a right to healthcare if you're a New Yorker. So come enroll. And we already have, you know, next week, we're going to hit three years of the program's existence. Big round of applause for that. And we've enrolled over 110,000 members who've made hundreds of thousands of appointments. We already had the data to show that, you know, folks, after they enroll in the program, we're seeing improvement in their diabetes, improvement in their hypertension, but we know we needed to do more. And so this administration, a few months ago reduced, eliminated the six month residency requirement because they said, you know what, actually Mayor was the first to say, if diabetes doesn't wait, you know, can't wait six months, you know, we shouldn't wait six months either, right? But you know, the most powerful thing for me as a family physician is the stories of my patients. Members who come to me, I had a patient recently, a single mother of two, who had developed severe lower back pain constant, had two children. She was worried, tearful every day, worried about what would happen if her back pain didn't allow her to work. What would happen to her children? And then her friends, friends like you, told her about NYC care, that she could go enroll no matter immigration status. We're taking care of her, we're starting, her back pain is starting to improve. And you could just see the weight lift off her shoulders, that she knew someone had her back, she knew New York City had her back, and she knew, I'm gonna share with you this card, right? This membership card, that with this membership card, she could go anywhere in New York City Health and Hospitals and get the care that she needs, including at Elmhurst Hospital. We have 60,000 members at hell and told me just at Elmhurst Hospital. So I'm really thrilled about this partnership and I think this is just the beginning, right? So thank you so much to get covered, the public engagement unit, the CUNY interns, it's really, I was out there pounding the pavement with you all. It is hard work, in fact, talking to strangers, getting them to open up, but people were excited to hear what we had to say, that we were welcoming them into all sorts of benefits the city has to offer. And I'm looking forward to many more partnerships because I know that there are more people like my patient who need to hear that welcoming word that invited into all of the benefits, including healthcare through NYC Care. So if you know anyone who needs access to healthcare, remember we have a 24-7 hotline, 646-692-2273. Thank you, Mayor Adams, for your leadership, making sure that everyone has access to healthcare. Thank you to Adrian and Lever, look forward to many more partnerships and thank you to Helen for all your work, making sure this hospital runs as seamlessly as it does. So, thank you. Thank you so much, Dr. Jimenez. I now have the distinct pleasure of welcoming one of our own at the Public Engagement Unit. She is a get-covered specialist who has an incredible personal story and a story about supporting one of her clients recently, Tanya Nalas. Good afternoon. Today is a privilege to be standing here, representing one of the Public Engagement Units, one of the team which is get-cover NYC. And to share the work we do, which is to assist and educate about the different healthcare options New York City residents have access to. I see get-cover NYC as the team that opens the door to our clients, not only to be enrolled with NYC care, I'm sorry, or health insurance, but as the door that opens and creates straws between the city services and New York City residents, especially our most vulnerable and underserved communities. Recently, we received good news from one of the many clients we serve, Sandra, whom I had the opportunity to assist. Sandra was referred to our program because she was diagnosed with cancer. When I first talked to her, she was worried, she was uncertain. She didn't know she qualified for her treatments. I assure her she will be treated regardless of any immigration status by enrolling with NYC care. After educating her about the program and other services available, she was enrolled and now she's ready to receive treatment at a city hospital. Today, I just want to share how she described her process and I quote, more than connecting me with health covers through NYC care, she gave me baby steps about how to find treatment to feel the way I do right now. I feel safe. I feel proud to be part of Get Cover NYC because that's one of our goals. We want to make sure New York City residents seeking assistance feel safe and understood during the process. The Get Cover NYC team is as diverse as our city is. Our background is so different, the different language we speak and the experiences we have, this gives us the advantage to connect and to understand our community so they can feel safe and assured they will receive the healthcare services they need. Get Cover NYC team is here to help you to understand, to educate you about the healthcare options. So if one day you receive a phone call from us, or if you see us in your neighborhood, please be assured we're reaching out to help. A mi comunidad que habla español, recuerden que el programa de Get Cover NYC está para ayudarles con sus preguntas de cuidados de salud que la ciudad de Nueva York ofrece. Llame al 311, envíe un mensaje de texto a Get Cover NYC o cobertura o seguro NYC en español al 877-877 o visite la página web NewYork City.gov slash Get Cover NYC para conectarse con una especialista de Get Cover NYC. Gracias, thank you. Thank you so much, Tanya. I'm now going to invite our mayor back up to introduce our next two speakers. Yes, yes, we, our great council members first, Councilman Moya, who was born in this hospital. All right, Councilman Moya. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you to everyone. I have one up on Dr. Jimenez because not only was I born at Elmhurst Hospital, but I worked at Elmhurst Hospital and I proudly represent Elmhurst Hospital as an elected official. So I want to say thank you to Helen, to the mayor, to Dr. Jimenez, Adrian, my colleague as well, Lynn Shulman who's here. Look, this is an important moment for us as a city. What we saw the devastation of two years ago, this right here was the epicenter. All across the globe was the picture not too far away right around the block of those long lines of immigrant people that live in this community like myself. I'm a son of immigrants. My parents immigrated here from Ecuador. To me, the importance is that we need to ensure that we close that gap in which the inequities continue to exist in our city. The mayor is doing that and making sure that we are making healthcare accessible to all New Yorkers. And so to the team that is out there each and every day for New Yorkers, we thank you. We thank you and we thank all the interns who are out there. Listen, as politicians we know how hard it is to go knocking on doors, okay, in the heat and we understand that. But you are serving a great purpose here, as the mayor said. You're going to make a difference in the lives of so many immigrants who don't really trust government, who have consistently come through the emergency room door to get healthcare because by the time they came here they're already terminal. We need to get that primary access and that number that they talk about, 110,000 and then 60,000 already coming from this hospital is saying a lot about the need in this community and others throughout the city. So continue to press on because we can make the difference in the lives of so many and we are eternally grateful for everything that you were doing here because you are making a real difference in the lives of New Yorkers, your neighbors, your family, your friends that will have the ability to enroll in healthcare and we can do so much that we'll really embrace what this mayor and this administration is trying to do and that's access to healthcare for all. So thank you very much for that opportunity to be here with all of you. Unas palabras en español quiero dar gracias al alcalde a todo el equipo que está aquí de Elmhurst Hospital. Es sumamente importante que nosotros tengamos el acceso a seguro médico. Vemos que esto fue el epicentro de COVID, sabemos que la comunidad inmigrante es la que sufrió mucho durante ese proceso. Esto, este programa que tenemos aquí es el programa que va a dar ese paso tan importante para que toda la comunidad inmigrante pueda tener acceso a seguro médico y tener algo tan positivo que nosotros podemos hacer para mejorar las vidas de todos los New Yorkinos. Gracias, que Dios les bendiga. And finally, our amazing health chair and the city council, councilwoman Shulman. Thank you. The first thing I want to do is I want the interns to give themselves a round of applause. I was, my first two years in college, I went to a CUNY school, a CUNY college, so I just want to say that I was not born in Elmhurst Hospital. That said, that said I was even, I grew up in Forest Hills, which is my district, but I actually was born and raised in Elmhurst, I went to PS 89, so I want to say that, and I also have been a consumer of Elmhurst Hospital, so I want to say that. And I want to tell you something about our mayor, because I think in the front here it says get stuff done if I remember correctly, if I remember correctly. Yes, it does. He does, and I want to also say that I would love for the public engagement folks to come out to my district and I will walk out and we'll walk with you because I think it's so important. We have a lot of elderly in my district, a lot of older adults who it's one of the highest number in the city for council districts, so I'd love to do that with you. So healthcare is a human right, which is why it's so important for us to be here for New York City's Healthcare Week of Action. I want to thank Mayor Adams for his unwavering commitment to healthcare, which was born out of his own health issues as a young man. And as I am a recent breast cancer survivor, so I can tell you firsthand how important preventive and primary healthcare is to me as an individual and to our city. The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest healthcare crisis of our lifetime. Tragically, the coronavirus exposed the deep vulnerability of our communities. In fact, Queens was the epicenter of the virus and New York City Health and Hospitals Elmhurst was the epicenter of the epicenter. And I just want to mention, by the way, that my colleague, Council Member Moyer, was an elected official before I was. And he's been a mentor to me, so I want to thank him for that. In addition, over the past two decades, Queens has lost an alarming number of hospitals and other healthcare resources. The consequences have been devastating. We have lost loved ones, friends and neighbors. The lives lost underscore that there's nothing more important than access to healthcare, particularly preventive and primary care, which is why I have dedicated my personal and professional life to healthcare advocacy so that Queens and every other borough has equitable access to affordable healthcare services. We need a healthcare system that, in addition to providing affordable, preventive and primary care, must also have the ability to react to acute issues such as COVID. Thankfully, we have two programs to address the basic healthcare needs of New Yorkers, the New York City Care Program, to connect people with primary care and get COVID-NYC to help New Yorkers in the five boroughs enroll in health insurance, including low or no-cost options under the Affordable Care Act. Back in February, the New York City Care Program enrolled its 100,000th member and is in the process of enrolling many more, which I'm very, very happy about. I can't wait to hear about the new milestones that are reached because that means that many more New Yorkers are being kept healthy or on their way to a healthier life. As a Queens Council member and Chair of the City Council Health Committee, I look forward to continuing to work with Health and Hospitals and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in making our lives better. And I want to tell you something, this mayor is the person to make sure that we are a healthier New York in the end. Thank you. I think that closes out our program. For those of you who are out, this one's okay. No, I'm an Allender's. I came away from Staten Island, so I want to meet you in person and be here with all everyone, but I want you to come and walk with me in Staten Island. I would love that. All right. She got a commitment. This is the public engagement. We take our opportunities where they come. All right, thank you guys for a canvassers. Go back out into the field and we will see you all soon. Thanks everyone. Thank you. You want to take a picture of going to the start-up? Yeah, because you went to a hot spot too. Okay. And now we're getting married back.