Note From The Commissioner:
Dear Community Partner,
On Monday, we
announced the launch of our 14th Virtual Supermarket site at Ruscombe
Gardens, a residential
center for seniors. Our Virtual Supermarket program provides easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables for those living in Healthy Food
Priority Areas across the City. Since the Health Department launched the
Virtual Supermarket program in 2010, nearly $600,000 worth of groceries have been purchased, with
43 percent of customers buying more fruits and vegetables. I joined our
partners at Shoprite to distribute groceries to the residents and to discuss
the importance of this program in helping Baltimoreans make the healthy choice
the easy choice.
Just as food
insecurity impacts a range of neighborhoods and communities in Baltimore,
addiction does not discriminate. On Sunday, I joined in worship and spoke to congregants of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian
Church and the greater Bolton Hill community about the Health Department’s
opioid overdose prevention and treatment work, and conducted a naloxone training for all the attendees. The event also
featured poignant testimonials from attendees about their recovery journeys. It
is important to acknowledge that addiction is a disease, treatment works, and
recovery is possible. Research shows that naloxone distribution reduces fatal
overdoses without increasing drug use, and that Medication-Assisted Treatment
(MAT), combined with psychosocial supports, is critical to treating opioid
addiction. Faith communities can help dispel myths about addiction, fight
stigma, and collectively advocate for medical best practices in addressing this
epidemic.
This week, I celebrate
and recognize social workers – the “unsung heroes” working in our hospitals and
clinics every day. As an emergency physician, I rely on social work
professionals for so much. I was privileged to keynote the Mercy Hospital luncheon celebrating
National Social Work Month, where I discussed the importance of social workers
to safeguarding health in our City. Social workers are the ultimate problem
solvers who are advocates, champions, and leaders. We celebrate them today and
every day!
It is often
said that “public health saved your life today, you just didn’t know it.” But
maybe it’s time for people to know – maybe it’s time for those of us working in
public health to tell the stories of the communities we serve, and to make the
case for public health every day. I am grateful to work with a dedicated team
committed to making the progress earned through public health visible.
Leana Wen, M.D., M.Sc.
Dr. Wen Responds to
President Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse
This week, Dr. Wen released a statement in response to President
Trump’s rollout of his “Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply
and Demand.”
“While it is laudable that President Trump is devoting time and
attention to the opioid epidemic, much of his announcement today is deeply
troubling,” Dr. Wen said.
She discussed three major concerns about his plan: an overemphasis on
punitive measures, a lack of specific and sustained commitment for funding
directly allocated to communities demonstrating greatest need, and a dearth of
evidence-based interventions.
Click here to read Dr. Wen's op-ed in The Hill.
For coverage of Dr. Wen’s response, see CNN, Vox, The Hill, The Washington Post, NBC, and The
Baltimore Business Journal.
Dr. Wen Speaks at Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church
Dr. Wen
addressed congregants of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church and members of the
larger Bolton Hill community on Sunday. She discussed the Health Department’s
programs, in particular the Health Department’s “three-pillar” approach to
addressing the opioid epidemic in Baltimore City: saving lives with naloxone,
expanding access to treatment, and fighting stigma with science. She later took
questions from the audience and discussed the role faith communities can play
in addressing the opioid crisis.
“Faith
communities can help the Health Department spread the message that treatment
exists and recovery is possible. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), with
wraparound services and psychosocial support, is evidence-based and shown to be
most effective,” said Dr. Wen.
Read coverage
about the event in The
Baltimore Sun, WMAR, and WJZ.
BCHD Launches New Virtual Supermarket Site
On Monday, the
Health Department and Klein’s Family Markets announced the newest Virtual
Supermarket site at Ruscombe Gardens. The Virtual Supermarket program and
Klein’s Family Markets support online grocery ordering and delivery at
Baltimore senior apartment buildings, while providing and promoting healthier
foods at area corner stores.
“It is
difficult to ask people to eat healthy when they don’t have options to do so,”
said Dr. Wen. “With the support of our partners and generous organizations, we
can invest in solutions to the critical issue of food access. We can work
together to level the playing field so that our older adults can choose healthy
options, and reduce their risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart
disease.”
Dr. Wen later assisted
in the distribution of the first groceries to be delivered to the building.
Ruscombe Gardens is the City’s 14th Virtual Supermarket site.
For coverage of
the event, see WJZ, WMAR, and Baltimore
Fishbowl.
Dr. Wen Speaks at
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Event
Dr. Wen
discussed the Health Department’s HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment work at the
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event at Mount Washington
Conference Center. Dr. Wen discussed how the Health Department’s Needle
Exchange Program is helping stem the spread of HIV, while emphasizing the
importance for attendees at the event to “know their status.”
“As Reverend
Debra Hickman says: ‘what’s the difference between stigma and discrimination?
One is a mindset and the other one is an action, but they both result in the
same thing. We must treat everyone with dignity, humanity, and compassion,’”
said Dr. Wen.
To learn more
about the Health Department’s HIV/STD services, click here.
Dr. Wen Speaks at
Mercy Hospital Social Work Month Luncheon
Dr. Wen
addressed attendees at an event honoring the contributions of social workers at
Mercy Hospital for National Social Work Month. As an emergency physician, she
discussed the important contributions of social workers in the emergency room
setting, and illustrated how social workers are often uniquely equipped to
address patients’ behavioral health needs. Dr. Wen also shared the Health
Department’s opioid overdose prevention and treatment work, the B’More for
Healthy Babies initiative, and the Vision for Baltimore program.
“Social workers
are problem solvers who help the most vulnerable. We are here to celebrate you
as leaders, advocates, and champions,” said Dr. Wen.
Click here to read the Health Department’s White
Paper on the state of health in Baltimore City.
Senior Medical
Advisor Testifies in Favor of Prenatal and Infant Care Coordination Services
Senior Medical Advisor Dr. Shelly Choo testified before the Maryland House Health and Government
Operations (HGO) Committee in support of House Bill 1685, the Maryland Prenatal
and Infant Care Coordination Services Grant Program Fund (Thrive by Three Fund).
She shared her expertise on Baltimore City’s maternal and child health
services, noting that the City has provided care coordination to 5,500 women
and infants. Dr. Choo added that while we spend $200 per family in care
coordination, adequate funding levels should be closer to $700. Dr. Choo noted
that the Health Department is confident that the Thrive by Three grant program
established by House Bill 1685 will help close this funding gap.
WBFF-TV, Channel 45: Assistant
Commissioner of Chronic Disease Prevention Discusses Billion Step Challenge
Last weekend,
Assistant Commissioner of Chronic Disease Prevention Greg Sileo appeared on
WBFF to discuss the Billion Step Challenge. The campaign is being recognized by
the AETNA Foundation’s Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge.
“With the
Billion Step Challenge, the Mayor and the Health Commissioner have put the
challenge out there to say, ‘let’s get people conscious of the steps they are
taking every day.’ That’s going to keep people healthier,” said Mr. Sileo.
Watch the full clip here. Learn more about the Billion Step Challenge here.
Senior Medical Advisor Speaks at Senator Cardin's Opioid Roundtable
Dr. Choo represented Dr. Wen at Senator Cardin’s Opioid
Roundtable Discussion at Anne Arundel Medical Center. She described how two
Baltimore City residents die every day from overdose, in part due to the sharp
spike in fentanyl-related deaths, which have increased from four in 2012, to 419
in 2016. She talked about the City’s “three-pillar” strategy for combatting the
opioid crisis: saving lives with naloxone, expanding
access to treatment, and fighting stigma with science. Dr. Choo also noted that
over 30,000 individuals have been trained to use Narcan; everyday
residents have used the antidote to save the lives of over 1,700 of their
fellow residents. She also acknowledged the important role of hospitals and
primary care clinics in combatting the opioid epidemic by having medication-assisted
treatment available.
Public Health Heroes Spotlight: Chronic Disease Prevention Team's Community Asthma Program
The Health
Department’s Chronic Disease Prevention team operates the Community Asthma
Program (CAP), an intervention strategy aimed at reducing the number of
children and youth in Baltimore between the ages of 2 and 18 who have trouble
controlling their asthma. Through CAP, community health workers offer asthma
education and visit the homes of young asthma patients.
To read the full blog, click here.
Health Department Recruiting for Baltimore Corps
Fellows
 Applications
for the Baltimore Corps Fellowship are now available. The Health Department is
looking for new Fellows to join us starting in September 2018. Baltimore Corps
places participants in city government agencies, foundations, and non-profit
and community organizations throughout Baltimore for a yearlong Fellowship.
Baltimore Corps also supports each Fellow through professional development
trainings, individual mentorship, and periodic retreats and seminars. If you
know a recent graduate or young professional interested in joining us at the
Health Department, please send them the application link below.
If you have
any questions about the Baltimore Corps Fellowship, please contact Chief Policy
and Engagement Officer Gabe Auteri at gabriel.auteri@baltimorecity.gov.
Click here for a link to the application.
BCHD in the News
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