Note From The Commissioner:
Dear Community Partner,
Yesterday, I joined
Mayor Catherine Pugh and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford to announce plans for the
first Stabilization Center in Maryland—the beginning of Baltimore’s efforts to
create a 24/7 “ER” for addiction and mental
health. Mayor Pugh and
Chief of Operations Pete Hammen have championed the Stabilization Center from
when they were in the State Legislature; they were instrumental to Baltimore
City securing the $3.6 million for capital costs for the Center. Mayor Pugh is
truly at the forefront of leaders across the country to call for science-based,
compassion treatment of individuals with the disease of addiction.
I also thank
our federal partners in Congress for approving the 21st Century
CURES Act. Of the $10 million available to the State of Maryland from CURES, $2
million is provided by the State to Baltimore. Additional operating support
comes from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission, in the way of a
$600,000 grant. We thank the CHRC for their early and continued support, and
Behavioral Health System Baltimore and Tuerk House among others as our key
implementation partners.
We are in the
midst of a national epidemic of opioid overdose and addiction. Here in
Baltimore City, over 700 people died last year from overdose – that’s around
two residents per day. Science shows us that addiction is a disease, treatment
exists, and recovery is possible. Yet, a recent Surgeon General’s report found
that only 1 in 10 people with the disease of addiction are able to access the
treatment that they need. For what other disease would we find this acceptable?
As an emergency
physician, I’ve treated thousands of patients who come to the ER seeking help
for addiction. They know they need help; I know they need help. And every
medical provider who sees them knows that they need help. Yet the ER is not
always the best place to help them; these patients often need behavioral support
and wraparound services. We providers become frustrated that we can’t get our
patients the help that they need. Our patients and family members are
frustrated at the inadequacy of our medical system. These are some of our most
vulnerable citizens. We would never tell patients suffering from a heart
attack, “Sorry, we can’t help you today. Wait three weeks and come back then.”
Why would we do this for the disease of addiction?
Here in
Baltimore City, under Mayor Pugh’s leadership, we have made progress to treat
addiction as the disease that it is. My blanket prescription for the opioid
antidote naloxone has enabled everyday residents to save the lives of 1,785
people in the last two years. Together with our public safety partners,
including the Fire Department, we responded to the rise in fentanyl deaths by
using data to identify hotspots, then we deploy, in real-time, outreach workers
to educate and to save lives. We recognize that treating addiction as a crime
is unscientific, inhumane, and ineffective. And we are working on expanding
access to on-demand treatment through a “Hub & Spokes” model, and – heeding
a call to action by Mayor Pugh – we are partnering with our hospitals to treat
addiction just as we would diabetes, heart disease, and any other chronic
illnesses.
The
Stabilization Center is one more step towards on-demand addiction treatment. It
will offer a safe place for individuals with addiction to sober and receive
short-term medical and social interventions. The Center will conduct medical
screenings, connect patients with behavioral health and social services, and
offer buprenorphine inductions for those eligible. Patients who meet specific
criteria will be diverted through EMS transport to the Stabilization Center.
This will create a non-traditional access point for individuals with specific,
behavioral health needs. This is the beginning of Baltimore’s efforts to create
a 24/7 “ER” for addiction and mental health.
Baltimore City
has never taken a back seat to public health. The Stabilization Center is an innovative
step towards treatment-on-demand. I feel grateful every day to work with
an incredible team at the Health Department, and with our partners on the
state- and city-levels, all of whom are dedicated to combating the opioid
epidemic in Baltimore and treating addiction as the disease that it is.
Leana Wen,
M.D., M.Sc.
City Officials Announce Creation of State’s
First Stabilization Center
On Wednesday, Lt.
Governor Boyd K. Rutherford joined Mayor Catherine Pugh and Health Commissioner
Dr. Leana Wen to announce plans for the state’s first Stabilization Center. The
Stabilization Center is the beginning of Baltimore's efforts to create a 24/7
behavioral health emergency department. Through emergency medical system (EMS) transport,
the Center will divert patients who meet specific criteria from emergency
departments, and provide stronger links to community-based behavioral health
care. It will create a non-traditional access point for individuals with
behavioral health needs who engage in high-risk substance use and related
behaviors who are experiencing a crisis and/or are at risk of overdose. The
Center is expected to open in Spring 2019.
"Patients
in need of addiction and mental health services should be able to access
treatment at the time that the need it, which is what we would provide for
people requesting help for any other disease,” said Baltimore City Health
Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. “I thank Mayor Pugh for her leadership, and the
Maryland Legislature, Governor’s office, and the Maryland Community Health
Resources Commission for making this center—the beginning of an ‘ER’ for
addiction and mental health—a reality. The Stabilization Center is one step in
the right direction to provide 24/7 access to evidence-based, compassionate
treatment to all of our residents.”
Please see coverage in The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Fishbowl, The Daily Record, The Seattle Times, The Washington Post, WBAL, WBFF, WCBC, WMAR. Click
here for more information.
Dr. Wen Speaks at Press
Event Celebrating 8th Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act
Dr. Wen spoke at a press event organized by
Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative in Annapolis last Friday to celebrate the
8th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. She was joined by Congressman John
Sarbanes, Senators Brian Feldman and James Mathias, and Delegates Joseline Pena-Melñyk, Robbyn Lewis, Bonnie Cullison, and Jay Jalisi.
“Today, 400,000 Marylanders have health insurance
because of the ACA. We cannot afford to roll back the gains that have been
made; health must be a basic human right,” said Dr. Wen. “Thank you to our Maryland
legislators for standing up for our patients and for the fundamental right to
health.”
The
Hill: Dr. Wen Pens Op-Ed on
the City’s Lawsuit Against HHS for Cuts to Teen Pregnancy Prevention Funding
Dr. Wen
authored an op-ed in The Hill detailing
why Baltimore City is suing the Trump Administration for cutting funding from a
grant awarded to the Baltimore City Health Department for evidence-based teen pregnancy
prevention education, and how it will impact Baltimore’s youth.
“In Baltimore,
we do not see this funding cut as a number,” wrote Dr. Wen. “We see the faces
of 20,000 teens who will not receive critical pregnancy prevention education.
We see the effect on their futures and on their children’s futures. We see the
impact on our communities. We fear what this means for valuing science and
evidence, and for how we can continue to fulfill our responsibility of
protecting health and ensuring well-being.”
Read the full
op-ed here.
Dr. Wen Speaks at
National Doctors’ Day Event at Kennedy Krieger Institute
On Monday,
Dr. Wen spoke at a National Doctors’ Day event at Kennedy Krieger Institute.
She discussed the Health Department’s B’More for Healthy Babies initiative,
Vision for Baltimore program, and opioid overdose prevention and treatment
work. Dr. Wen took the opportunity to thank the “unsung heroes” of Kennedy
Krieger, who help treat some of the most vulnerable patients in Baltimore City,
including children with special needs.
“Those of us
working in public health have to discuss our successes and flip the narrative
about our inner cities,” said Dr. Wen. “Public health is so often invisible –
we need to make that work visible.”
Click here to read our White Paper on the
State of Health in Baltimore City.
Dr. Wen Honored as Influential
Marylander
Last Thursday, The Daily Record awarded Dr. Wen with
the 2018 Influential Marylander Award at a ceremony honoring her and other
distinguished awardees. Dr. Wen was recognized as a dedicated civic leader and acknowledged
for her contributions to the State of Maryland. Special Assistant to the Chief of
Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff, Morgan Franklin, accepted the award on her
behalf.
Dr. Wen Featured in Baltimore Fishbowl’s “#MeToo in
Baltimore” Collection
Dr. Wen was
recently featured in a Baltimore Fishbowl
collection of conversations with Baltimore women discussing their reflections
on the #MeToo movement. In the article, Dr. Wen talks about witnessing
discrimination at work – from her mother’s struggles with a boss, to the
challenges she has experienced, even in a leadership position.
“It’s about the
system, but we are the system,” said Dr. Wen. “And that’s why I think it’s
important for us all to take collective responsibility and say, ‘What can I do
as a leader? What can I do in order to identify, promote and mentor other
women? How can I best support the women on my team and women that I come into
contact with?’”
Click here to read the full article.
Billion Step Challenge Registers Participants at
Reopening of Shake and Bake
The Health Department participated in the Grand Reopening of the newly
renovated Shake and Bake Family Fun Center this Friday, signing residents up
for the Billion Step Challenge. The City of Baltimore is committed to providing
a safe and fun environment to get out and active, and the new Family Fun Center
will help facilitate this effort.
To join the Billion Step Challenge, click here.
Supporting Male Survivors of Violence (SMSV) Participates
in “Kids Play in the Park” Event
The Bocek Community
Association of Madison/East End held a “Kids Play in the Park” event last
Saturday filled with community members, food, and music. Outreach workers from
the Health Department’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention’s Supporting Male
Survivors of Violence (SMSV) initiative participated in the event by
facilitating games and team building activities, as well as organizing a
clothing drive. “We are a dynamic team [Bocek Community Association and SMSV],”
said Maxine Lynch, coordinator, Bocek/Madison East Community Association. “And
working with the SMSV Outreach Workers was amazing! Youth were excited! It was
refreshing to see kids and youth engaged with mini-exercises and games.” SMSV’s
aims to identify the needs of young males of color and their families, as well
as address existing gaps in services.
For more information about the Office of Youth
Violence Prevention (OYVP), 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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