I worked as an emergency physician before and after the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Before the ACA, I treated dozens of uninsured patients in the E.R. every day. They were uninsured not because they didn’t want insurance or didn’t think they needed it. They were uninsured because they couldn’t afford insurance.

I treated Sarah, a 47-year-old nurse’s aide. She was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread throughout her body. If her cancer had been caught early, she could have been cured. Instead, she died six months later, leaving her three young children without a mother. I took care of Jesse, a 56-year-old construction supervisor. His medications cost more than his monthly rent; he skipped doses of his insulin and cut his blood pressure pills in quarters to save money. One day, his blood pressure was so high that he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side. He could no longer speak, work, or take care of his family.

Subscribe to the Bmore Healthy newsletter.

Health is more about what happens outside the clinic. So why aren’t our high-tech health care systems better at addressing it? An article by Baltimore City Health Department's Sonia Sarkar, Mike Fried, and Leana Wen.

Read the entire story.

As we enter the New Year, I am thankful to continue my service to the City of Baltimore with the support of an exceptional team and under the leadership of Mayor Catherine Pugh. Every day, I feel fortunate to have a job I love and to work with people who understand how health is integrally tied to social justice and the future of our communities.

We’ve made numerous public health advancements. Baltimore City launched one of the most aggressive overdose prevention programs in the country, including my issuing a blanket prescription for the antidote, naloxone, to every resident in our city. This determined approach has resulted in more than 1,500 lives being saved by our fellow Baltimoreans—by our neighbors, family, and friends. Our outreach teams are on the streets every day to train residents on how we can all save a life.

Subscribe to the Bmore Healthy newsletter.