Opinion: Why Culturally Informed Health Care Matters in February—And All Year Long – City Limits

“Black History Month gives us an opportunity to be honest about a reality that too often goes unspoken. New York City’s health system still does not consistently meet Black communities where they are, especially when people need coordinated, ongoing support.”

February is a time to honor Black history, resilience, and progress. It is also a moment to confront an uncomfortable truth: in New York City, equity in health, family stability, and community well-being is still shaped by race and zip code. For too many Black families, structural inequities continue to limit access to care, not because of individual choices, but because of where people live and how our systems are designed.

Those of us working on the front lines of community health—including through organizations like EAC Network, which supports families across New York City and Long Island—see the consequences every winter. In February, families face compounded challenges such as cold weather, housing instability, financial strain, and reduced access to care. Emergency rooms become a last resort. Missed appointments turn into medical crises. Systems that are already difficult to navigate become even harder to access. For communities carrying the weight of long-standing inequities, the pressure can quickly become overwhelming.

Black History Month gives us an opportunity to be honest about a reality that too often goes unspoken. New York City’s health system still does not consistently meet Black communities where they are, especially when people need coordinated, ongoing support.

Health challenges do not exist in isolation. In this city, they are deeply intertwined with housing instability, food insecurity, involvement with the justice system, language barriers, and limited access to trusted providers. Black New Yorkers are more likely to experience these overlapping challenges and too often more likely to encounter fragmented systems that treat issues separately rather than addressing the whole person.

For families navigating substance use, chronic illness, reentry after incarceration, or child welfare involvement, the consequences of disconnected care can be severe. When people are forced to navigate multiple systems on their own, warning signs are missed. Care is delayed. Families fall through the cracks, and preventable crises escalate.

This is where culturally informed, integrated care coordination changes the trajectory. At organizations like EAC Network, which operates integrated health home care coordination programs across New York City and Long Island, this work is grounded in a simple but powerful principle: care works best when it is coordinated, accessible, and rooted in the lived experience of the people receiving it. That means understanding culture, language, family dynamics, and the historical realities that shape trust or mistrust in institutions.

When individuals and families have a consistent point of support, someone who can help them access medical care, behavioral health services, substance use treatment, court-mandated programs, and basic needs, outcomes improve. People are more likely to stay engaged in care. Medications are managed safely. Court involvement becomes a pathway to stability rather than punishment. Families remain intact. Communities become healthier.

This approach is especially critical during moments of transition, such as returning home from incarceration, navigating family court, managing a new diagnosis, or trying to stabilize after a health crisis. These are the moments when coordination matters most, and when culturally responsive providers can prevent long-term harm.

At EAC Network, we see this every day. When care is coordinated across health, justice, and social systems, and delivered by teams rooted in the community, people do not just survive crises. They build stability.

While February often exposes the gaps in our health and social care systems, the need for coordinated support does not end when winter does. Families need access to care year-round. That means sustained investment in community-based care coordination, health homes, family-centered court programs, and social care infrastructure that recognizes health as more than a single appointment or diagnosis.

New York City has made progress, but funding for these services remains fragmented and too often reactive. Emergency response alone is not a solution. Coordination is.

As the City Council considers priorities and budgets in the months ahead, this is the moment to act. Investing in culturally informed, integrated health home care coordination is not only a matter of equity. It is a matter of public health, family stability, and community well-being. Black communities must be partners in shaping and delivering these solutions.

Black History Month reminds us that real progress is built through action, not symbolism. Ensuring equitable access to coordinated, culturally responsive care is one of the most meaningful steps New York City can take, in February and every month that follows.

Neela Mukherjee Lockel is the president and chief executive officer at EAC Network, which provides wrap-around care for individuals and families in crisis across New York City and Long Island.