Greater

While New Yorkers have dedicated their energy to fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, it is easy to forget about the ongoing problems many across the city are suffering from — and the fact that, for many, those problems have been worse in the last few months. It also has us thinking anew about what it means to be a human services essential worker in this moment.

Our guest, Ariel Zwang, CEO of Safe Horizon, says it is time to address systemic failures throughout the human services sector, the way these services have been defunded over time, and the way nonprofits interact with police departments, the government, and the people they serve.

The past few weeks has been unlike any others after months of uncertainty, sadness, and fear, marred by protests and violence in the streets of America and the worsening of the global COVID-19 pandemic. "What can we do?" is a real question many of us are asking and discussing privately — how can philanthropy, whether from individuals or foundations, adapt to effect real change in these turbulent times? Suzette Brooks Masters brings her experience in government, corporate law and, most recently, a distinguished career in philanthropy to bear on the crises facing Americans today.

With healthcare costs on the rise, and the fate of a nation-wide, universal health care system still very unclear, many companies and nonprofits are chipping away at other ways to bring down costs and improve existing systems. In the midst of a pandemic, can telemedicine prove a feasible fix by providing care without leaving the home? Zach Reitano, cofounder of the telehealth company Ro, explains how virtual diagnosis and access to low-cost prescriptions can meet the immediate needs of patients battling COVID-19 — and, with any luck, change the face of healthcare in America as we know it.

With the addition of Uber and Lyft to the street of New York City, the yellow — and green— taxis have faced an existential moment. Long considered part of the city's mass transit, what does the future hold for this iconic brand? Mahir Dange and Zahid Biviji, co-founders of Wapanda, join us to talk about their hope for the taxi industry,what COVID-19 means for this important piece of urban infrastructure, and how much the public and private sectors have at stake.

With locations across the five boroughs, the YMCA of Greater New York has offered physical spaces and the programs that serve their communities for decades. Now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the Y and non-profit organizations like it must adjust to service a world where public spaces and programs operate under very different rules for the sake of all New Yorkers. With past experience in hospitals, real estate, and more, Sharon Greenberger, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York, explains how she's getting the organization through the crisis, and what she hopes New York will look like on the other side.

From Chinatown to Flushing, the biggest Asian-American communities in New York City have been suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic for longer than most, as visitors and tourism dropped off in January. Now, Asian communities face discrimination and racism due to the spread of the virus, in addition to the other health and economic burdens hitting the predominantly lower-income population. Chinese-American Planning Council president and CEO Wayne Ho talks about the challenges his constituents face today — and how to rebuild equitably for the future.

New York City's status as epicenter of the U.S. COVID-19 outbreak has put immense stress on its healthcare industry, the doctors, nurses, paramedics, ambulance drivers, and administrators who are the front line of the pandemic. In the space of a few weeks, they've had to adjust how they operate to fit a world that not only gives them hundreds of new patients a day, but forces them to face stark ethical issues posed by the inequity and weakness in the public health system unearthed by the pandemic. Columbia University medical ethicist Dr. Barbra Rothschild discusses what New York's COVID-19 crisis says about the state of our healthcare system and how we should think about the next stage of the pandemic.

According to government data, around 98 percent of the 220,000 businesses in New York City are classified as small businesses. With the city shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is real concern that the subsequent economic downturn could result in as many as half of these small businesses failing — which means only half of the places residents depend on might not be here when the crisis is over. Bruce Katz, Drexel University professor and founder of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and author of several books on the future of cities, describes what cities can do to help small businesses survive and thrive in a time of crisis.

With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, New York has become a city starved for open space. The virus hasn't just deprived residents of the places we all depend upon as our collective backyard, but the cultural institutions that make New York what it is - from the museums and zoos to fixtures like the High Line and botanical gardens. Carrie Rebora Barratt, CEO of the New York Botanical Garden, discusses the future of open space, museums, and the NYBG's role in the city during and after the crisis.

During times of crisis, from Chicago during the 1995 heat wave to New York during the coronavirus pandemic, the disruption of physical spaces yields a new kind of social engagement with both friends and strangers. Eric Klinenberg, director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University, explains how a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic reminds us how interconnected all aspects of public life really are.