Schwalm JD, McCready T, Lopez-Jaramillo P, et al. - Researchers investigated whether a model of care involving non-physician health workers (NPHWs), primary care physicians, family, and the provision of effective medications, could substantially reduce cardiovascular disease risk compared with usual care in people with poorly controlled or newly diagnosed hypertension. They performed an open, community-based, cluster-randomized controlled trial (HOPE 4) involving 1,371 people with new or poorly controlled hypertension from 30 communities in Colombia and Malaysia. Overall, they randomized 727 participants from 16 communities to receive usual care and 644 from 14 communities to receive the intervention. A 12-month follow-up was completed by all communities. Findings revealed that a substantial improvement in blood pressure control and cardiovascular disease risk was brought about by a comprehensive model of care led by NPHWs, including primary care physicians and family that was informed by local context. In addition to being effective and pragmatic, this strategy was suggested to hold the potential to substantially attenuate cardiovascular disease vs current strategies that are typically physician-based.