- Distribution of UNIQLO’s HEATTECH thermal tops, bottoms, and socks provides critical protective layers for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and prolonged cold weather exposure.
- Since program’s launch, SHOW teams have provided over 280,000 engagements to New Yorkers, including 35,000 visits with a primary care provider
NEW YORK, NY (TIP): NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that its Street Health Outreach + Wellness (SHOW) teams have distributed more than 14,000 items of UNIQLO clothing to patients facing homelessness and prolonged cold weather exposure. Over the last two years, UNIQLO’s The Heart of LifeWear initiative has donated thousands of HEATTECH thermal layers and accessories, including tops, bottoms, socks, hats, and gloves, helping SHOW teams protect their patients from hypothermia, frostbite, respiratory illnesses, and other health complications that result from excessive cold exposure. The donation provides meaningful support for SHOW’s mission to meet New Yorkers where they are with medical care, behavioral health services, substance use treatment, and housing support to build trust and eliminate barriers to care. Since the program launched in April 2021, SHOW teams have provided over 280,000 engagements with New Yorkers, forging relationships with thousands of patients and connecting them to specialty, harm reduction, social services, and primary care.
“Support from partners like UNIQLO strengthens our ability to reach people experiencing homelessness with compassion, urgency, and dignity,” said Deborah Brown, NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer. “Their generosity — and the generosity of so many who stand with us — provides our SHOW teams with essential resources to protect patients from the cold and to build the trust that is the foundation of lasting care. We are deeply grateful for UNIQLO’s continued commitment to this work, and for every partner who helps ensure that all New Yorkers are connected to high-quality health care.”
“For our patients, many of whom spend their days and nights outside, staying warm isn’t just about comfort — it’s about their safety and survival,” said Andy Cook, SHOW Program Director. “These HEATTECH items have become an essential part of our hygienical toolkits, allowing our teams to offer patients protection from the cold and to build trust in ways that open doors to more intensive medical and behavioral health care. We are deeply grateful for UNIQLO’s continued support of our program and the meaningful impact their clothing donation has had for New Yorkers in need.”
“Offering clothing and other material goods is a meaningful intervention that has changed the course of many of our patients’ lives,” said Dr. Yinan Lan, Medical Director of the SHOW Program. “When we restore our patients’ dignity, they often have renewed interest in improving their health and trust in our providers, creating new relationships for many people long disconnected from care. I sincerely appreciate UNIQLO’s donation, which has helped forge trust with our patients, and protected thousands from excessive cold weather exposure, allowing us to spend more time addressing their other health concerns.”
“Our mission at UNIQLO is to make everyday life better through clothing,” said Jean Shein, Global Director of Sustainability at UNIQLO. “We are grateful to work with partners like NYC Health + Hospitals who are dedicated to improving the lives of their patients. In addition to the incredible health services provided by the SHOW program, we hope our warm winter essentials will help New Yorkers stay warm and healthy this winter season.”
The Street Health Outreach + Wellness (SHOW) program deploys a fleet of six mobile health units across New York City to meet unhoused and street homeless New Yorkers where they are, and build engagement and trust through care and services. Access is provided in real-time, with no appointments needed, no insurance requirements, and no cost to the patient. Patients are assessed for urgently needed care, including wound care and vaccinations, and offered physical and mental health screenings, harm reduction education, and social services. SHOW teams — which include a medical provider, social worker, addiction counselor, peer counselor, registered nurse, patient care associate, community health worker, and clerk — provide services onboard the SHOW unit and walk block-by-block to offer services to those living on the street, often in locations only accessible on foot like parks and subways.
SHOW teams work in concert with the public hospital system’s four Primary Care Safety Net (PCSN) at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Elmhurst, Lincoln, and Woodhull to provide longitudinal, multidisciplinary care to patients experiencing homelessness and patients with complex medical, behavioral health, and social needs. By coordinating care between teams with SHOW and PCSN, clinicians are able to meet patients where they are, address medical issues before they result in emergency room visits and hospital admissions, build relationships of trust with historically stigmatized populations, and establish longitudinal care to drive positive outcomes in both health and housing.
In July 2025, SHOW enhanced its street-based primary care capacities with the addition of point-of-care lab testing (POCT), point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), and blood draw services. These medical services have further improved SHOW providers’ ability to evaluate and manage patient needs in the field and reduce their barriers to critically needed care.
Since the program launched in April 2021, SHOW teams have performed over 280,000 engagements, 35,000 medical consultations, and 33,000 behavioral health engagements. Since the SHOW program began working with the public health system’s Safety Net clinics, it has connected over 1,700 patients to primary care, specialty care, or substance use treatment. In addition, over half of patients who have received medical consultations have received care at a SHOW unit two or more times. To date, SHOW teams have distributed over 90,000 hygienical kits, 90,000 vaccinations, 6,000 Narcan nasal sprays, 4,600 fentanyl test strips, and 3,600 xylazine test strips.
If you would like to make a donation to NYC Health + Hospitals, please visit our website or contact philanthropy@nychhc.org. Your charitable contribution can be directed to our patients’ and staff members’ most urgent needs and leave a lasting legacy that strengthens an array of comprehensive health services available to all New Yorkers.
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