photo credit NYC Health + Hospitals: SHOW team members gathered with UNIQLO Global CEO Dai Tsukagoshi (center) to discuss the impact of UNIQLO‘s donations in supporting New Yorkers in need
As winter deepens across New York City, harsh cold isn’t a distant concern for thousands of unhoused residents — it’s an immediate and sometimes deadly risk. That’s why the partnership between NYC Health + Hospitals’ Street Health Outreach + Wellness (SHOW) and UNIQLO goes far beyond providing new clothing. It stands as a vital public health effort based on dignity, trust, and survival.
For the last two years, UNIQLO’s The Heart of LifeWear campaign has contributed thousands of HEATTECH thermal garments and winter gear — including tops, bottoms, socks, hats, and gloves — to SHOW teams that operate directly on city streets. Altogether, more than 14,000 pieces of clothing have reached patients experiencing homelessness and harsh winter exposure.
Meeting New Yorkers Where They Are
SHOW’s approach is both straightforward and bold: deliver health services to those most often left out. Since starting in April 2021, SHOW teams have made over 280,000 connections with unhoused New Yorkers, building trust and delivering care with no appointments, insurance, or cost required.
“Backers like UNIQLO empower us to reach people facing homelessness with urgency, compassion, and respect,” said Deborah Brown, Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals. “Their support, along with that of many allies, equips our SHOW teams with critical tools to shield patients from winter’s dangers, while building the trust essential for ongoing care.”
This trust is vital. For those outdoors, keeping warm can be a matter of life or death, and that initial gesture can open the door to medical, behavioral, or housing support.
Why Clothing Is a Medical Intervention
Exposure to the cold is a direct cause of hypothermia, frostbite, respiratory issues, and aggravated chronic diseases. For SHOW teams moving block by block — often in parks and subways — distributed clothing has become an essential clinical resource.
“Our patients, many of whom spend days and nights outdoors, rely on warmth not just for comfort, but for survival,” said Andy Cook, SHOW Program Director. “HEATTECH items are now part of our standard kits, helping us provide patients with basic protection and trust—the first step toward more involved healthcare.”
A warm layer or gloves can often serve as the first step toward deeper engagement. SHOW also delivers wound treatment, vaccines, health screenings, harm reduction, and rapid connections to social services, all on location.
Restoring Dignity Builds Health
Program leaders emphasize dignity isn’t a bonus—it is crucial to health outcomes.
“Providing clothing and supplies is a profound intervention that’s changed our patients’ paths,” said Dr. Yinan Lan, SHOW’s Medical Director. “Restoring dignity often inspires new motivation to care for health and builds the trust needed, especially for those long disconnected from health systems.”
Dr. Lan further notes that UNIQLO’s contributions have shielded thousands against the cold, allowing providers to better address additional urgent needs.
A System Designed for Continuity, Not Crisis
SHOW runs six mobile health units citywide, staffed by medical providers, nurses, social workers, counselors, peer advocates, and community health workers. All care is walk-up, insurance-free, and free of charge.
These teams collaborate with NYC Health + Hospitals’ Primary Care Safety Net clinics across Bellevue, Elmhurst, Lincoln, and Woodhull. Since beginning this partnership, SHOW has linked more than 1,700 patients to additional healthcare or treatment, and over half have returned for further care—a strong sign of trust in a system where many have been historically excluded.
In July 2025, SHOW boosted its street-based care by adding lab tests, ultrasound, and on-site blood draws, further eliminating access barriers.
A Partnership Rooted in Purpose
“At UNIQLO, our aim is to improve daily life through clothing,” said Jean Shein, UNIQLO’s Global Director of Sustainability. “Working with partners like NYC Health + Hospitals is an honor, and we hope our warm winter gear helps New Yorkers stay safe and well through the cold months.”
In a city where winter poses grave risks and homelessness is an ongoing challenge, the UNIQLO–SHOW alliance speaks volumes: the journey to health sometimes starts on the street, with warmth, dignity, and outreach straight to those in need.
