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At some point in your life, you could have about a one in five chance of developing an autoimmune disease. The odds are greater if you are a woman, you have a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity, or you are exposed to certain pollutants. These diseases include more than 100 lifelong and costly illnesses such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. They are often difficult to diagnose and currently impossible to cure. (Olivia Casey and Frederick W. Miller, 12/1)

The medical community today faces a deceptively simple question: How quickly should we act when a child’s life is on the line? I’m a pediatric oncologist, so my answer won’t surprise you — I think we should act immediately. But a new Food and Drug Administration policy could delay things for children who need treatment now. (E. Anders Kolb, 12/4)

In San Francisco in the 1970s, a group of people who cared about and respected the role of seniors in their community created a new model of care that allowed their elders to be fully cared for while living independently at home. This was the genesis of what we know as the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE. (Shawn Bloom, 12/4)

What a year it has been for healthcare. In addition to technological, pharmaceutical and clinical advancements, there are new investors and non-traditional players seeking opportunities in the space, expanded care models, significant labor wins, a widening of the talent pipeline amid the continued staffing crisis, and either mergers between systems or the formation of partnerships designed to expand services while mitigating risk. (Mary Ellen Podmolik, 12/4)

For years health experts have argued that criminalizing marijuana use was a mistake, and that rather than handling the drug as a law enforcement problem, with cops, lawyers, and jails, we should manage it as a public health problem, with prevention, treatment, and harm reduction. I have served as health commissioner for both New York City and Philadelphia, and at one time I had hopes of moving to a public health approach to illegal drugs. But instead, to my horror, the legalization freight train rolling across the nation is replacing law enforcement with corporate marketing reminiscent of the tactics of Big Tobacco in the 20th century. It’s time for us to respond to marijuana now as we belatedly responded to tobacco. (Thomas Farley, 12/4)

Poor mental health costs the United States nearly $50 billion in lost productivity annually. Sixty two percent of missed workdays are attributed to mental health conditions such as burnout, anxiety and depression. (Kate Woodsome, 12/4)

It wasn’t until this year that a social media post from the Hispanic Federation, a beneficiary of The New York Times Communities Fund, about a mental health workshop it funded called “Una Mente Sana es el Mayor Tesoro a Encontrar” (“A Healthy Mind Is the Greatest Treasure to Find”) gave Ms. Flores the push she needed to seek help. She attended support groups and lessons on how to deal with stress and live a healthy lifestyle. (12/2)