Street Health Outreach & Wellness (SHOW) Program Named Finalist in Fast Company's 2022 World-Changing Ideas Awards
Sixth annual awards recognized SHOW as a Bold Innovation in Public Health Initiatives for its critical work bringing medical and social resources to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness
May 04, 2022
The NYC Test & Trace Corps announced today that its Street Health Outreach & Wellness (SHOW) mobile program was named a health category finalist for Fast Company‘s 2022 World-Changing Ideas Awards. SHOW mobile units have provided over 134,000 meaningful engagements, with a focus on New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. To date, those services include 67,000 COVID tests, 12,800 medical consultations, 7,000 vaccinations, and over 35,000 social worker engagements.
“SHOW mobile units have been a game-changer for our city, demonstrating how government can deliver critical and life-saving mental health and medical services to New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Connecting harder to reach individuals with health care and support is how we build a stronger city for all and the SHOW initiative has shown time and again the important role these efforts play meeting New Yorkers where they are and getting them the care they need.”
“The SHOW mobile program is an example of public health care delivery at its finest: reducing barriers to care, engaging New Yorkers directly in their communities, and promoting health equity,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “Congratulations to all of our colleagues at NYC Health + Hospitals involved on this honor.”
“The NYC Test & Trace Corps’ SHOW program is emblematic of the creative and strategic approach that has informed New York City’s swift and robust recovery from the pandemic,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Gary P. Jenkins. “As we celebrate Fast Company‘s recognition of this game-changing initiative, I want to express deep gratitude for the incredibly vital role our dedicated healthcare partners play in ensuring the health and safety of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. This is yet another outstanding example of how New York City is leading the way in implementing innovative solutions to strengthen equity and access to care for vulnerable communities.”
“SHOW’s critical efforts to provide mobile health and social services to New Yorkers with limited access has revolutionized where and how we can treat patients in New York City,” said Chris Keeley, Chief Operating Officer of the NYC Test & Trace Corps and Assistant Vice President in the Office of Ambulatory Care at NYC Health + Hospitals. “We are honored that the SHOW initiative was named a finalist for Fast Company‘s World Changing Ideas Awards, and look forward to building upon the program’s success to bring life-changing health care to more vulnerable New Yorkers.”
“The SHOW initiative is one we’re very proud to be a part of,” said DocGo Chief Operating Officer Lee Bienstock. “The positive impact of this program on public health, health equity, and accessible whole-person care is astronomical. Making quality healthcare accessible to all is a core tenet of DocGo’s mission, and the SHOW initiative is a shining example of our work.”
Launched in April 2021, the SHOW program deploys a fleet of eight mobile health units across New York City to meet people historically disconnected from a continuum of care where they are, engage them, and invite them in for care without appointments or other barriers. In addition to offering vaccinations and no-cost COVID-19 and flu testing, patients are assessed for other needed care, including physical and mental health screenings and harm reduction services.
SHOW’s community-based pop-up clinics are, paired with roving medical teams who set off on foot to offer vaccinations, wound care, harm reduction resources, and other services to those living on the street.
SHOW has connected thousands of people to services such as testing and vaccinations, acute care, medication, primary care, mental healthcare resources, harm reduction services, and external resources people can employ to access food, clothes, a place to stay, and other critical services. SHOW also works to connect New Yorkers struggling with opioid addiction to medication-assisted buprenorphine treatment through NYC Health + Hospitals’ Opioid Treatment Programs. The initiative, launched in February, has further expanded the drug treatment options SHOW offers to provide comprehensive care for patients with Opioid Use Disorder.”
Now in its sixth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 39 winners, 350 finalists including the SHOW project, and more than 600 honorable mentions—with climate, social justice, and AI and data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,997 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more.
“We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our society’s most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges,” said David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution.”
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company‘s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.