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photo credit NYC Health + Hospitals: SHOW team members met with UNIQLO Global CEO Dai Tsukagoshi (middle) to chat about their work and the impact of UNIQLO’s donation for New Yorkers in need
As winter tightens its grip on New York City, the dangers of cold exposure are not theoretical for thousands of unhoused New Yorkers — they are immediate and often life-threatening. That reality is why NYC Health + Hospitals’ Street Health Outreach + Wellness (SHOW) program, paired with a growing partnership with UNIQLO, represents far more than a clothing donation. It is a public health intervention rooted in dignity, trust, and survival.
Over the last two years, UNIQLO’s The Heart of LifeWear initiative has donated thousands of HEATTECH thermal layers and winter accessories — including tops, bottoms, socks, hats, and gloves — to SHOW teams working directly on city streets. In total, more than 14,000 items of clothing have been distributed to patients facing homelessness and prolonged exposure to extreme cold.
SHOW’s mission is simple and radical: deliver health care to people who are too often excluded from it. Since launching in April 2021, SHOW teams have conducted more than 280,000 engagements with unhoused and street homeless New Yorkers, building relationships and providing medical care without appointments, insurance requirements, or cost.
“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.”
That trust is not abstract. For people living outdoors, staying warm can mean the difference between life and death — and it can be the opening moment that leads to medical care, mental health support, or housing services.
Cold exposure is directly linked to hypothermia, frostbite, respiratory illnesses, and worsening chronic conditions. For SHOW teams working block by block — often in parks, subways, and locations accessible only on foot, clothing has become an essential clinical tool.
“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.”
That initial gesture — a warm layer or a pair of gloves, often becomes the bridge to deeper engagement. SHOW teams provide wound care, vaccinations, physical and mental health screenings, harm reduction education, and connections to social services, all in real time.
Medical leaders within the program emphasize that dignity is not a side benefit — it is central to outcomes.
“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.”
Dr. Lan added that UNIQLO’s donation has helped protect thousands of patients from excessive cold weather exposure, allowing providers to focus on addressing other urgent health concerns.
SHOW operates six mobile health units across New York City, staffed by multidisciplinary teams that include medical providers, nurses, social workers, addiction counselors, peer counselors, and community health workers. Care is delivered with no appointments, no insurance requirements, and no cost to patients.
The teams work in close coordination with NYC Health + Hospitals’ Primary Care Safety Net clinics at Bellevue, Elmhurst, Lincoln, and Woodhull. Since that collaboration began, SHOW has connected more than 1,700 patients to primary care, specialty care, or substance use treatment. More than half of patients receiving medical consultations have returned to a SHOW unit two or more times — a key indicator of trust among a population historically marginalized by the health care system.
In July 2025, SHOW expanded its street-based primary care capacity with point-of-care lab testing, ultrasound services, and blood draw capabilities, further reducing barriers to critically needed care.
“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.”
In a city where winter can be unforgiving and homelessness remains a persistent crisis, the UNIQLO–SHOW partnership underscores a larger truth: health care does not always begin in a hospital. Sometimes, it begins with warmth, dignity, and a team willing to meet New Yorkers exactly where they are.