Donna Vargas
Healthcare Services Manager
​Health and Welfare Council of Long Island

Melinda Elias
Director of Healthy Communities
​New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC)

Donna Vargas, MSW is the Healthcare Services Manager at the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, a health and human services organization responding to Long Island’s need through direct services and advocacy. She is a certified health insurance navigator and a community health advocate. For six years, Donna oversees the healthcare access programs at HWCLI, providing health insurance enrollment assistance, and advocating for the health and well-being for Long Islanders and ensuring equitable access to health care. Donna has a Masters in Social Work from Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University.

She brings her expertise in health policy making, program management and research to her role. She joined NYIC in March 2023 having previously worked as a Budget Analyst at the NYC Independent Budget Office, where she was responsible for overseeing the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City Health + Hospitals, and New York City Medicaid portfolios. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a certificate in Pre-Law: Health Law and Policy from Brandeis University and a Master of Public Health and Master of International Affairs from Mailman School of Public Health and the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University.