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Every day, I think about the patients waiting for medicines that could change, or even save, their lives. For them, access is not a statistic. It is hope, health, and a chance for a better future. (Claire D'Abreu-Hayling, 12/5)

Nearly 120 million adults in the United States have hypertension, yet despite effective and accessible treatments, only a quarter have their blood pressure under control. This carries significant consequences: The condition, one of the leading causes of preventable death, is associated with heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and dementia. (Leana S. Wen, 12/4)

In California, a significant number of incarcerated people struggle with substance use and/or mental health conditions. Studies estimate that 60% of individuals in our state prisons have a substance use disorder and over half of those in county jails have mental health needs. While incarcerated people receive a range of behavioral health and medical services such as intake screening, psychiatric assessment, crisis intervention, medication management and therapy, the period immediately after release can be perilous. (Shira Shavit and Anna Steiner 12/4)

Why now? I had three children without ever seeing a doctor. Why go looking for problems? That’s what Fatima, a 38-year-old Somali mother, said when I encouraged her to attend a prenatal appointment. She wasn’t being dismissive. But she had delivered her first three children in a refugee camp. Now, pregnant with her fourth in the United States, she saw no reason to enter a system she neither trusted nor understood. (Fartun Weli, 10/5)

Ibogaine — derived from the iboga shrub indigenous to west-central Africa — may be added to Colorado’s Natural Medicine program. While federally illegal, medically supported access is only available overseas. (Kevin Franciotti, 12/4)