Note From The Commissioner:
Dear Community Partner,
As an emergency
physician, I treated patients before and after the introduction of the
Affordable Care Act (ACA). Before the ACA, I routinely saw dozens of uninsured
patients every single day. They were uninsured not because they didn’t want
insurance or believed they didn’t need it, but because they couldn’t afford it.
I treated Sarah, a 47-year old nurse’s aide, who was diagnosed with breast
cancer that had spread throughout her body. Had she been insured, her cancer
could have been detected earlier, and she might have been cured. Instead, Sarah
died six months after her diagnosis, leaving her three young children without
their mother.
The ACA has
enabled 400,000 Marylanders to become insured. We have made so much progress to
improve health in our state, and we cannot afford to roll back these gains.
Every day, residents call me at the Baltimore City Health Department asking
about what’s going to happen to them. They are scared they will be denied
insurance coverage because of pre-existing conditions like migraines, diabetes,
or depression. They are terrified of going bankrupt because one car accident or
sudden illness will land them in the hospital. They are frightened of returning
to the days before the ACA, when families made daily tradeoffs between food and
medicine, rent and the hospital bill.
This week, I
testified before the Maryland General Assembly in favor of legislation that
would protect key provisions of the ACA. Senate Bill 690/House Bill 726 (Basic Health Plan) will
help ensure access to affordable health coverage for working people who are
eligible for public programs and who cannot afford private insurance.
Senate Bill 1011/House Bill 1167 (Protect Maryland Health Care Act 2018) provides ways for
residents without health insurance to make a down payment on a coverage plan
through the individual market. These bills will stabilize insurance markets in
our state and ensure that we can protect healthcare access for thousands of
Marylanders. Our team also provided support in favor of HB879 (Advanced
Practice Dental Hygiene), which will help address the dental care shortage in
Baltimore for Medicaid eligible patients by expanding the number of providers
capable of performing advanced procedures under the supervision of a dentist.
I thank our
legislators for sponsoring these life-saving bills. I am grateful to work with
colleagues who believe that health care is a human right, and who work
tirelessly every day to address disparities in access to care.
Leana Wen, M.D.,
M.Sc.
Dr. Wen Speaks at National Press Foundation
Opioids Event
On Friday, Dr.
Wen spoke at a National Press Foundation event, “Covering the Opioids Crisis.”
The event served as a training for journalists interested in learning more
about and improving their coverage of the opioid epidemic. Dr. Wen demonstrated
how to use naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal medication, and discussed the
resources needed to combat the opioid crisis in Baltimore City.
“Everyday
residents have saved the lives of over 1,500 people in two years because of
naloxone,” Dr. Wen noted.
Click here to learn more about the Health Department’s Opioid
Overdose Prevention and Treatment work.
Mayor Pugh Celebrates Black History Month at the Waxter Center for
Senior Citizens
On Wednesday,
Mayor Catherine Pugh welcomed guests at the Waxter Center for Senior Citizens’
annual Black History Month celebration. Each month, the Waxter Center produces Waxter
Wisdom, a special series honoring prominent African-American artists. Deputy
Commissioner of Aging and CARE Services, Heang Tan, provided greetings on
behalf of Dr. Wen.
“Residents over
age-55 are one of our largest growing age groups in the city,” said Mayor Pugh.
“It’s important that you take care of yourselves. Make sure you exercise and
eat healthy.”
To learn more
about the Health Department’s resources for seniors, click here.
Dr. Wen Speaks at Delegate Antonio Hayes’ Community
Town Hall
Last Saturday,
Dr. Wen spoke at Del. Antonio Hayes’ Delegate in the District Town Hall
Meeting. Dr. Wen discussed three of the Health Department’s legislative priorities
in Annapolis: combating the opioid crisis, supporting the health and well-being
of Baltimore City children, and treating violence as a public health issue.
Dr. Wen encouraged
attendees to speak up about the urgent need for more resources to address these
challenges.
“Baltimore City
has one-third of all overdose deaths in Maryland,” said Dr. Wen. “Why don’t we
see one-third of the funding to fight the opioid crisis?”
Dr. Wen Endorses Senate and House Bills to
Protect Key ACA Provisions
On Wednesday,
Dr. Wen supported the Protect Maryland Health Care Act of 2018 (SB1011/HB1167)
and the Basic Health Plan (SB690/HB726) at a press conference organized by
Vinny DeMarco and the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative. Senate Bill 1011/House Bill 1167 provides
a way for residents, without health insurance, to make a down payment on a
coverage plan through the individual market. Senate Bill 690/House Bill 726 creates a Basic Health
Plan to help ensure access to affordable health coverage for working people who
are eligible for public programs and who cannot afford private insurance.
“Health
insurance is about people’s lives,” Dr. Wen said. “We need to do everything
possible to safeguard life.”
Click here to read press coverage on the event.
Dr. Wen Testifies Before Maryland Senate and
House Committees in Support of Bills to Protect ACA Provisions
This week, Dr.
Wen testified before the Senate Finance Committee in support of the Protect
Maryland Healthcare Act of 2018 (SB1011) and the Basic Health Plan (SB690). Deputy
Chief of Staff Jeff Amoros testified on Dr. Wen’s behalf in support of the House
versions of the bills, HB1167 and HB726, respectively.
“As the Health
Commissioner of Baltimore City, I have residents calling me every day to ask
what is going to happen to them,” Dr. Wen said. “They are frightened of
returning to the days before the ACA, when families made the daily tradeoff
between food and medications, rent and the hospital bill. These bills offer
important protections for key provisions of the ACA.”
Click here to read SB1011
Click here to read HB1167
Click here to read SB690
Click here to read HB726
Senior Medical Advisor Testifies Before Maryland
House Committee in Support of Dental Therapy Bill
On Wednesday, Senior
Medical Advisor Dr. Shelly Choo testified on Dr. Wen’s behalf before the House
Health and Government Operations Committee in support Advanced Practice Dental
Hygiene (HB879). The bill would help address the shortage of dental care in Baltimore
for Medicaid eligible patients by expanding the number of providers capable of
providing advanced procedures under the supervision of a dentist. Tooth decay
is the most common chronic childhood disease, and severe cavities can affect
the nutrition, growth, and development of young children. For example, pain
from dental cavities may prevent a child from eating, sleeping, or even
concentrating in school. Thus, oral health care not only treats dental
diseases, but also provides prevention through cleanings and anticipatory
guidance.
“In Baltimore
City, we have a dental shortage,” said Dr. Choo. “Only 26 percent of dentists
in the City accept Medicaid, creating a bottleneck for dental services among
patients in the program. This bill will help alleviate that bottleneck, and
increase access to dental care for children and adults.”
Click here to read the bill.
Public Health Heroes:
Maternal and Infant Care Program’s Nurse Family Partnership
The Health Department’s Maternal and Infant Care program
(M&I), operates the national Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) home visiting
model to help low-income, first-time mothers have healthy pregnancies and successful
birth and aftercare outcomes. Home visiting is one
aspect of B’more for Healthy Babies, a ground-breaking initiative that supports
mothers, babies, and families from preconception to age three.
The M&I program
aims to improve the health of pregnant women and their children, and to support
the self-sufficiency of program participants. Each client is assigned a
licensed nurse who gives in-home aid from the start of the client’s pregnancy
until their child is two-years-old. The team currently consists of five nurses
who can each see between 25 and 30 families.
Click here
to read the entire blog post.
BCHD in the News
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