In my work as a psychotherapist, I am seeing a marked rise in political anxiety among clients. This anxiety extends beyond political preferences or policy debates. Many people are living with a persistent sense of unease that affects sleep, mood, focus, and overall well-being.
For about 30 years, progressive politicians in New York State have been advocating for the New York Health Act. It would establish a single payer state-run insurance program that would provide medical coverage for everyone in the state and eliminate the need for private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and virtually all out of pocket costs for the public. But why is such a program needed?
The freedom and safety of many of us – all of us, if you consider the right to an inhabitable Earth – are under unprecedented threat, and we need to be as brave and vigilant as we can be. So, given these dangers it may be difficult to imagine that it might also be a good time to discover surprising new resources of freedom and unity.
Tracy Feiertag is the Vice President of Northwell Greenwich Village Hospital, responsible for the day-to-day operation of the hospital. We received permission to provide copies of Village View to all the hospital’s waiting rooms and emergency department. We asked Feiertag to share more of her connection with the West Village.
One of Northwell Greenwich Village Hospital’s first patients, Kam Chan, experienced a full-circle moment. Twenty years ago, he underwent a valve replacement at was then St. Vincent’s Hospital. This year, he returned to NGVH as one of the first patients treated in the new state-of-the-art cath lab. Kam underwent an outpatient angioplasty to relieve chest pain.
Some people move through life like perpetual baby birds. Their need for acknowledgment, validation, affirmation, and attention is endless. No matter how much you give, it never fills them. Compliments, reassurance, hours of your time—everything disappears into what feels like a bottomless pit. You leave drained; they remain unsatisfied.
Medicaid is not a budget line, for many it is a lifeline. Across New York City, from Staten Island to Greenwich Village and beyond, Medicaid serves as a primary source of insurance for older adults and people with disabilities. Medicaid funding is critical for sustaining long-term services and independence.
Like many people, my personality has had various eccentricities and changes over the years. From hermit-like shyness at times to excessive verbiage at meetings, I’ve run the gamut.
Wednesday March 26 was probably the last day of my medical career, which started in 1990. Retirement was forced on me by the medical group I was affiliated with when they replaced me with a person who could give them the productivity they wanted.
At noon, on Wednesday April 9, after 135 years serving the diverse community of Lower Manhattan, Mt. Sinai Hospital System prevailed in its eight-year long effort to close Beth Israel Hospital.
