In-person Assister Navigator Program
UNITED SIKHS has proudly been helping community members throughout Queens, NY gain access to affordable health insurance since 2013. Eligible community members are enrolled through the New York State of Health marketplace with the assistance from the UNITED SIKHS’ Navigator program free of charge.
UNITED SIKHS’ targeted communities in Southeast Queens, primarily South Richmond Hill, which has a large population of South Asian community members. Many of the community members have utilized UNITED SIKHS’ navigator services over the years because they may not otherwise be able to access or complete the application on their own. Some factors which hinder community members’ ability to access and apply for health insurance are language barriers, lack of digital literacy skills, or lack of access to the internet. Unfortunately, many of our community members are affected by the mentioned factors, as for example, the preferred language(s) of these areas, besides English, include Spanish, Hindi, and Punjabi. In this regard, it is essential for our community members to have access to a health navigator(s) who can assist with the application process and enrollment. Navigators provide culturally competent, linguistically appropriate, and disability accessible enrollment services. They are available at convenient times, including evenings and weekends, at no cost to enrollees. We have a dedicated phone line where they can call and set up an appointment. We also felt it necessary to educate residents on the benefits of health coverage and help ease any previous distrust they may have had due to misinformation. A large population of our community members who have enrolled with the assistance our navigator services would not have been able to do so otherwise. The efforts and existence of our navigator program has opened the doors for a large population of our community members to access healthcare.
Most In-person events are suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the importance of physical distancing. However, there are other methods for continuing outreach and education, namely by utilizing technology for video-based communication, telecommunication, and distributing written information. We will ensure that our targeted community members for outreach efforts receive materials and information in their preferred language(s) whether it be through video, phone, flyer distribution, or another form of communication. Ideally, we would like to communicate with our community members as if we were in person. Although many in-person outreach events may resume, many community members including but not limited to older adults and other individuals at high-risk if exposed to COVID-19 may be hesitant to attend in-person events. As this is the case, we would like to make sure our outreach efforts are accessible to all parties. We believe using these alternative methods for outreach will ensure that the mentioned deliverables are met. Furthermore, this will enable us to reach our targeted proposed populations in a culturally competent manner and reach significant portions of the uninsured population in Queens, New York.
To reach our Navigator please dial: 7184416644
UNITED SIKHS believes in empowering individuals and groups to help them attain their full potential and become active participants in society. Empowerment occurs largely through education, training and community development projects. UNITED SIKHS aims to encourage people to participate in the decision-making processes in their local community as well as taking their place in the international arena.
