NYC Health Hospitals Street Health Outreach Wellness (SHOW) Program Distributes Over 14,000 Clothing Items Donated By UNIQLO

NYC Health + Hospitals Street Health Outreach + Wellness (SHOW) Program Distributes Over 14,000 Clothing Items Donated By UNIQLO

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

Dec 17, 2025

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 [email protected]. 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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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese retail holding company with global headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. UNIQLO is the largest of eight brands in the Fast Retailing Group, the others being GU, Theory, PLST, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam, J Brand and Helmut Lang. With global sales of approximately 3.1 trillion yen for the 2024 fiscal year ending August 31, 2024 (US $21.42 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2024 rate of $1 = 144.9 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world's largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan's leading specialty retailer.

UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world's most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a global brand. Today the company has a total of more than 2,500 UNIQLO stores across the world, including Japan, Asia, Europe and North America. The total number of stores across Fast Retailing's brands is now over 3,600.

With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere. For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit https://www.uniqlo.com and https://www.fastretailing.com.