Health, safety and city services

Getting settled in Brooklyn includes knowing where to get care, who to call in an emergency, how to prepare for the city's weather and how to put your trash out correctly. Most of this works the same way across New York City, with a few Brooklyn-specific details such as local hospitals and flood-prone areas. This chapter is general information, not medical or legal advice.

• 988Call or text for mental health crisis support, 24/7 (NYC Health Department)
• 311Non-emergency city services, 24 hours a day; text 311-692
• 692-692Text "notifynyc" to this number to join free city emergency alerts
• Nov 1Date NY State of Health open enrollment for private plans begins each year (as of Oct 2026)

Health insurance: your main options

New York's official marketplace, NY State of Health, is the place to compare and apply for most coverage. It handles Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus and private Qualified Health Plans (QHPs). Medicaid and the Essential Plan accept applications year-round, and the marketplace says children can apply for coverage at any time. Private QHPs are bought during open enrollment, which starts on November 1 each year, or during a Special Enrollment Period, which usually runs for about 60 days around a qualifying life event such as moving, losing other coverage or having a baby. Last year's open enrollment ran from November 1 to January 31, and enrolling by mid-December was needed for coverage to start on January 1; confirm this year's dates on the marketplace site.^120,122

The rules around the Essential Plan changed in 2026. The state announced that, from July 1, 2026, the Essential Plan returned to its earlier, narrower form: people with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level keep it, while about 450,000 people in the 200% to 250% band were moved toward private marketplace plans. Premiums and deductibles in private plans can be higher, so if you are comparing options, use the marketplace's own eligibility screen rather than an older article.¹²¹

NYC Care and NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) is the city's public hospital and clinic system. NYC Care is an access programme that gives New Yorkers who cannot get or afford insurance a membership card, a primary care provider of their choice, preventive care, mental health care and low-cost prescriptions at H+H sites. There are no membership or premium fees; you pay reduced rates based on family size and income, starting at $0. You qualify if you live in one of the five boroughs, are not eligible for a state-sponsored insurance plan and cannot afford insurance under government guidelines. You can enrol by calling 1-646-NYC-CARE (1-646-692-2273), meeting an H+H financial counselor or going through an approved community partner. The programme says the application is secure and information is not shared with immigration officials.^123,124

Hospitals, urgent care and finding a doctor

Brooklyn has public, nonprofit and university-affiliated hospitals. Names have changed over the years, so use the current name when searching. In particular, Coney Island Hospital's campus is now called NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, with the main hospital building named after Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center stopped operating as an inpatient hospital in November 2023, so do not assume it has a full emergency department.^128,127

As a rule, emergency rooms (or 911) are for problems that could cause death or permanent harm or cannot wait: severe chest pain, trouble breathing, sudden weakness on one side, heavy bleeding, serious burns, poisoning or a seizure that does not stop. Urgent care suits non-life-threatening problems that cannot wait for your regular doctor, such as colds, sprains, minor cuts and earaches. If you are unsure, call your doctor or your insurer's nurse line. ER care often costs much more than the same care at a doctor's office.¹²⁹

To find a regular doctor, check which doctors your insurer lists as in-network on its website, or ask H+H or a community health centre if you are uninsured. Bring your insurance card, photo ID and a list of current medicines to your first visit, and ask your previous doctor for records. For prescriptions, ask your pharmacist whether a generic or lower-cost option exists, and check that your pharmacy is in your plan's network.

Mental health, 911 and 311

988 is the national mental health line. In New York City it replaced the former NYC Well service. You can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org/chat, and ask for peer support once connected. It is free and available at all hours.¹³¹

Call 911 for fire, police or medical emergencies. 311 is for non-emergency city services such as noise, dirty streets, missed trash collection or information about city programmes; you can call 311, text 311-692, or use the website or app. Interpreters are available in over 175 languages on request.¹³⁰

Alerts and severe weather

Notify NYC is the city's free emergency alert system. Sign up at nyc.gov/notify, call 311, or text "notifynyc" to 692-692. Alerts come in 14 languages, including American Sign Language. Brooklyn's main weather risks are heat waves, coastal storms and nor'easters, and heavy rain that causes flash flooding.^133,132

Heat: when the heat index is above 95°F the city calls it especially dangerous. The city opens cooling centres during heat emergencies; call 311 or use the Cooling Center Finder to see what is open. Check on older or heat-sensitive neighbours, and call 911 for signs of heat stroke such as confusion or fainting.¹³³

Flooding and storms: NYC has six hurricane evacuation zones, numbered 1 to 6, and the city orders zones to leave based on the actual storm. Find yours at nyc.gov/knowyourzone or by calling 311. Brooklyn has a long waterfront and many low-lying blocks, so it is worth checking even if you live far from the water. Flood insurance maps and evacuation zones are different things. Basement and ground-floor apartments can flood during heavy rain even outside evacuation zones, so plan how to reach higher ground. Most standard renter and homeowner policies do not cover flood damage; renters can buy contents-only flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.¹³²

• Sign up for Notify NYC (text "notifynyc" to 692-692)
• Look up your evacuation zone and where you would go
• Pack a go bag for each household member, with medicines and documents
• Ask your landlord whether your unit is a basement or cellar apartment and what the flood plan is
• Learn the location of your nearest hospital emergency department
• Save 988, 311 and 911 in your phone

General safety

Brooklyn is a large borough and conditions differ block to block, as in any big city. Sensible habits help everywhere: keep your phone and wallet out of sight on crowded trains, stay aware of your surroundings late at night, lock doors and windows, and do not share building entry codes or let strangers in behind you. Report problems that are not emergencies to 311 and anything urgent to 911. Be cautious with calls or messages demanding immediate payment, especially in gift cards or by app transfer; real city agencies do not demand that.

Sanitation basics

All New York City residents must recycle, and the Sanitation Department (DSNY) collects recycling, trash and compost curbside for free. Your collection days depend on your address; look them up on the DSNY website or ask 311. For buildings with one to nine units, put trash out after 6:00 pm in a bin of 55 gallons or less with a secure lid, and everything must be out by midnight. Larger buildings follow slightly different rules (bags may go on the curb after 8:00 pm). Recycling is set out the same way: in a labelled lidded bin after 6:00 pm, or clear bags after 8:00 pm. Accepted recyclables include metal, glass, plastic, cartons and paper; cardboard should be flattened and tied.^134,135

Composting is mandatory. Food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste must be kept out of the trash and put in a labelled bin or the brown bin, collected weekly on your recycling day. Property owners can be fined; for buildings with one to eight units, the reported fines are $25, $50 and $100 for the first, second and later offences (as of March 2026). The DSNY page says fines apply to property owners, and owners of buildings with four or more units must provide a storage area with labelled compost bins. Large items such as sofas can be collected free from the curb; book an appointment through nyc.gov/bulk or 311 and ask about the current rules. Mattresses and box springs should be bagged in plastic.^{136,137,135,138}

Your first-month checklist

• Choose how you will get health coverage and note the enrolment dates
• Register with a primary care doctor and keep your insurance card on you
• Join Notify NYC and find your evacuation zone
• Look up your trash, recycling and compost days
• Write down your nearest emergency room and urgent care