Geographic and Programmatic Evaluation of NYC Care Outreach Engagement: Implications for Data-Driven Health Equity and Access to Care (Using Synthetic Data)

Background: Affordable healthcare is a major health concern in the US especially among the uninsured and underinsured groups. The low-income and immigrant populations in New York City are disproportionately impacted by structural barriers like cost, language barriers and a lack of awareness. NYC Care is a massive access program aimed at overcoming these disparities by focusing on community-based outreach and enrollment initiatives. This analysis compares the outreach engagement trends to determine geographic and programmatic gaps and guide data-driven approaches to enhance equitable access to care. Methods: The retrospective observational analysis was performed based on NYC Care outreach administrative data between July of 2024 and October of 2025. The dataset included event-level information on outreach type, date, borough, ZIP code and number of individuals engaged. Frequency distributions, geographic stratification and trend analysis using time were used as descriptive statistical methods. The patterns of engagement were studied in terms of outreach modalities, geographic regions, time and the relationship between outreach frequency and participant engagement was evaluated. Results: A total of 215 outreach events engaged 4,820 individuals, with a mean of 22.4 participants per event (SD 9.1; 95% CI: 21.2–23.6). The in-person events (canvassing and health fairs) received the most engagement and virtual events showed less reach. Geographic analysis showed that there was clustering of engagement in ZIP codes in Queens and Brooklyn with less engagement in other locations. The increasing trends showed that involvement increased through the middle of 2025 before declining. There was a significant positive correlation between the frequency of outreach and the engagement of the participants in the high-participation ZIP codes. Conclusion: NYC Care outreach activities are effective in reaching large populations but are not evenly distributed in geographic areas and outreach modalities. Data-driven outreach strategies should be targeted to fill gaps, maximize the allocation of resources and increase equitable access to healthcare services.