Opinion

Op-Ed: It’s Time for Albany to Stand Up to PBMs and Protect Patients 

By ADAM AGOVINO
Pharmacies are closing at a pace our communities cannot afford. In 2024, according to NYC Center for an Urban Future, 10% of all New York City pharmacies shut down. Behind these closures is a quiet but devastating force: Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). These powerful middlemen dictate what pharmacies are paid for prescriptions, and too often, they set reimbursement rates so low that pharmacies lose money with every prescription they fill.

Op-Ed: Creative Arts Therapy, A Lifeline for New Yorkers in Crisis

By MARIA PATUHAS
As a social worker working on an acute psychiatric unit in The Bronx, I see every day how creative arts therapists make a profound difference in the lives of some of our city’s most vulnerable residents. It’s time for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to make creative arts therapy accessible outside of the hospital, too, by signing S1001/A3391 into law [https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1001].

Op-Ed: Missing Voices from NYC’s Post-9/11 Fallen Service Member Memorial

By JOSEPH A. BELLO
Memorials are sacred spaces. They offer a place for remembrance, reflection and connection, while also educating future generations. An example of this is the Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a decade-long project spearheaded by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32 and then–Borough President Melinda Katz.

Op-Ed: Bad Bunny’s Impact on Puerto Rico, Good and Bad

By GENE ROMAN
Musical megastar Bad Bunny’s 21-day musical residency in Puerto Rico pumped $200 million dollars into the U.S. territory’s local economy. “It is a rare example of fame being used for good,” writes Adrian Horton of the Guardian. While Bad Bunny’s concerts are making the cash registers ring, his political speeches are making life harder for the 3.2 million U.S. citizens living in the unequal and undemocratic territory of Puerto Rico.