I was recently in Syracuse with the New York Health Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff. Our visit was an opportunity to learn more about the region’s health-related challenges and opportunities, meet with local grantees and partners, and understand more about the area’s history and culture. …

After a summer where it felt like the COVID-19 pandemic was truly behind us, we’re seeing an uptick in cases. Fortunately, we’re nowhere close to where we were at the height of the pandemic. But COVID is still with us. Each week, more than 1,000 New Yorkers are hospitalized with…

Medical debt has been a persistent and pervasive scourge in this country, sometimes described as a “uniquely American injustice.” Where else in the world does getting sick and needing care translate to possible financial ruin? I’ve written about it previously, but it’s an issue that merits continued attention. Just this…

From time to time in this space, I share a personal or family story about encounters with health care to illustrate broader points. Here we go again: Fortunately, I’m a healthy guy and don’t have too many issues besides high cholesterol. I manage it with a combination of diet, exercise…

Everyone is sick and tired (literally and metaphorically) of worrying and talking about COVID-19. It disrupted daily life for more than three years and tore the social fabric. Globally, there have been 768 million confirmed infections and nearly 7 million deaths. Here in the U.S., those numbers are 103 million…

The national COVID-19 public health emergency ended last week, on the heels of the World Health Organization declaring the end of the global public health emergency. It’s a relief to enter this new phase — it is an important milestone toward our collective return to a changed but more normal…

Each year, the President of the United States delivers a constitutionally required “State of the Union” address to Congress. These days, it’s a staged television event wherein the President lays out their priorities and agenda, announces bold new initiatives, and tries to bolster public support. Invariably, they declare the state…

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post inspired by a poster that’s now hung in my office for more than 20 years: What was true then is true now: immigrants are working hard for a better life. They deserve a healthier life, too. …

While doing errands this weekend, I came across a man passed out in an ATM vestibule. He seemed to be actively overdosing. I checked his breathing, which was faint; he was conscious, but only barely. I called emergency services and paramedics quickly arrived at the scene. I haven’t been able…