Note From The Commissioner:
Dear Community Partner,
Last week,
Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and I convened all 11 hospitals in Baltimore to
announce our partnership to combat the opioid epidemic. Addiction is a disease.
Treatment for it cannot be siloed and stigmatized.
Baltimore City
hospitals have done exceptional work already. Nearly all of our City’s ERs
offer medication-assisted treatment on demand and peer recovery specialists,
something true of no other major city in America. Through my standing order for
naloxone, more than 36,000 residents have been trained to use the antidote medication,
and these residents have saved more than 1,900 lives. Law enforcement and
health officials teamed up to start a program that allows residents arrested for
low-level drug offenses the opportunity to choose treatment and case management
instead of prosecution. In March, we announced the opening of our Stabilization Center, a first-of-its-kind 24/7 urgent care
facility dedicated to issues of addiction and mental health.
Still, we have
much more to accomplish. Each year, we lose more and more of our residents to
opioid addiction. Last summer, Mayor Pugh and I presented an out-of-the-box solution to the opioid epidemic: fully connecting addiction treatment
with our hospitals.
That call rested on a simple premise: Addiction is a disease, and we should
respond to it accordingly. No hospital would deny patients care if they had
diabetes or cancer; we must treat addiction in the same way.
Last week, we
launched a project that will help realize this vision. The Health Department is
working with our hospital systems to create “levels of care” that enshrine best
practices for responding to the epidemic and publicly recognize hospitals that
implement those practices. The project is based on a similar initiative in Rhode Island, one of the only places in the country
where the number of overdoses went down last year, rather than up.
Please see the
op-ed that Mayor Pugh and I wrote in The
Baltimore Sun
recently on this subject. You can also watch parts of the Levels of Care press
conference or read more about the initiative in the Washington
Post, U.S.
News and World Report,
The
Baltimore Sun, Baltimore
Magazine, Baltimore
Fishbowl, Fierce
Healthcare, WJZ, WEAA, WBAL, and WBAL Radio.
Now, we want to hear what you think. Our proposal is being developed with the
active partnership of all of our hospitals. We want to hear from our community
partners. Together, we can build upon the work that’s already been done and
make Baltimore City a national model for treating addiction alongside every
other disease. That means treating addiction in the places where medical
treatment is best delivered: in our traditional health care institutions — hospitals included.
Finally, an
important recognition: This week is National Nurses Week. I am honored to work
with hundreds of dedicated nurses at the Health Department who treat children
with chronic conditions in our school health suites, who care for patients in
our clinics, and who improve health and well-being of our residents. Today and
every day, we honor our nurses.
Leana Wen,
M.D., M.Sc.
Tribute to Baltimore County
Executive Kevin Kamenetz
Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen issued the
following statement after the sudden death of Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz on yesterday:
“I join the
millions of Marylanders in mourning the sudden death of Kevin Kamenetz. The
County Executive was a courageous supporter of many important health care
proposals to improve access and serve the most vulnerable. My heart goes out to
his family and so many loved ones.”
WJZ-TV: Dr. Wen Participates in Second
“Standing Together” Town Hall
On Wednesday, Dr. Wen participated in WJZ’s second
“Standing Together” Town Hall, which featured a conversation around Baltimore’s
opioid addiction and overdose crisis. Dr. Wen was joined by a variety of
stakeholders working in law enforcement, public health, and in community
organizations, including Attorney General Brian Frosh, Former Baltimore City
Mayor Kurt Schmoke, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, Baltimore County
Health Officer Dr. Gregory Branch, and outreach workers and peer recovery
specialists from B’More Power and other community organizations. Dr. Wen
discussed the importance of saving lives with naloxone, expanding access to
treatment, and combating the stigma surrounding addiction.
“During the time it takes to tape this Town Hall,
five people across the country will have died of overdose. We know what works,
but where is the money and the willpower to get there?” said Dr. Wen.
Watch the town hall
here, and click here to learn more about the Health Department’s Don’t
Die campaign.
Dr. Wen Speaks at The Atlantic: Justice in America Event
in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Wen was
welcomed by AtlanticLIVE President
Margaret Low to speak at The Atlantic’s
Justice in America event last Thursday in Washington, D.C. Dr. Wen shared the
Health Department’s evidenced-based Safe Streets program and other
anti-violence initiatives with the attendees. Other speakers at the conference
included: Barry Scheck (Founder, The Innocence Project); Emily Yoffe
(Contributing Editor, The Atlantic);
and Piper Kerman (Author, Orange is the
New Black).
"I
applaud The Atlantic for organizing ‘Justice in America’ and
for putting together a panel that highlights gun violence as a public health
issue," said Dr. Wen. "The science is clear: violence is a contagious
disease, spreading from person to person. I was honored to discuss the
Health Department's evidence-based approaches to interrupting violence,
including our Safe Streets program. In 2017, Safe Streets' outreach
professionals de-escalated and mediated over 1,000 conflicts, four out of five
of which were deemed likely or very likely to result in gun violence. Three out
of four of our Safe Streets sites have gone at least one year without a fatal
shooting. Early interventions work, and I am proud to lead a city government
agency that works to prevent gun violence from happening in the first
place."
To watch a
recording of the panel discussion, click here.
Dr. Wen Joins
Advocates to Request Federal Government Take Action to Lower the Price of
Naloxone
Last week, Dr. Wen joined advocates at a press event to
announce a formal request from the Health Department and advocacy group Public
Citizen for the federal government to use its authority to lower the price of
naloxone. Dr. Wen was joined by (pictured left to right) Health Department
Community Health Educator Nathan Fields, Public Citizen President Robert
Weissmann, Catholic Charities of Baltimore Director of Community Services
Division Amy Collier, and Communities United Activist Perry Hopkins, who each emphasized
the importance of access to naloxone.
“In Baltimore,
everyday residents have saved the lives of close to 2,000 people with
naloxone,” Dr. Wen said. “Unfortunately, we are having to ration naloxone and
make hard decisions about who will receive the medication and who will have to
go without because we simply don’t have the resources to purchase this
lifesaving antidote. We already have the policies in place to save lives. We
are in the middle of a national epidemic. We are calling on the federal
government to take action and ensure that we are not priced out of the ability
to save lives.”
View coverage of
the request in BioWorld, Bloomberg, CQ Now, Futurism, Inside
Health Policy, The New
York Times, STAT, The
Daily Record, and WJZ.
Dr. Wen Provides
Introductory Remarks at Nicholas Kristof’s “Building a Fairer Society” Lecture
Last week, Dr.
Wen provided introductory remarks about her longtime friend and mentor, New York Times opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof, to the crowd gathered at the George Peabody Library in
Baltimore. She joined Senator Barbara Mikulski and Dr. Tracy Bale, Director of
the Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development
(CERCH) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in welcoming Mr.
Kristof. In her remarks, Dr. Wen shared her experiences collaborating with Mr.
Kristof on a variety of projects, while discussing the work that the Health
Department is doing to support the well-being of children and families in
Baltimore.
"I was
honored to welcome a friend and mentor, Nicholas Kristof, to Baltimore. Thank
you to the University of Maryland School of Medicine for organizing an
important event around improving health outcomes for our children,” said Dr.
Wen. “I applaud their commitment to promoting a greater understanding of how
environmental factors impact the health of children. It is fitting that Mr.
Kristof, who has devoted his career to improving the well-being of women and
children in the United States and around the world, was invited to share his
experiences.”
Click here to read more about event.
Dr. Wen Addresses Crowd at March for Babies
On Sunday, Dr.
Wen spoke at the March for Babies, which took place at Canton Crossing
Waterfront. Dr. Wen and her eight-month-old son Eli were joined by the Health
Department’s B’More for Healthy Babies team. The event prominently featured
families connected to the mission of March of Dimes, including families who
lost their infants and mothers who gave birth to pre-term babies. The event
also featured members of the March of Dimes Board, and representatives from
hospitals and corporate sponsors, including BGE and United Healthcare.
“When we March
for Babies, we make a statement about the world in which we want to live – a
world in which we promote the health and well-being of our mothers and babies,”
said Dr. Wen. “It is an honor to be speaking at the March for Babies, and to be
joined by the Maternal and Child Health team from the Baltimore City Health
Department. Together, we are working to combat health disparities among our
most vulnerable women and children, while remembering the lives of infants we’ve
lost in the past year.”
Click here to watch Dr. Wen’s interview with WBFF-TV at the March for
Babies. To learn more about the Health Department’s B’More for Healthy Babies
initiative, click here.
Baltimore to Expand
Safe Streets
The Safe
Streets program is expanding from four to 10 sites. Mayor Pugh’s office is
currently looking for groups to launch three of the new sites.
“Thank you
Mayor Catherine Pugh for your leadership in recognizing that this public health
approach to violence prevention is effective and life-saving,” said Dr. Wen. “As
ever, I am inspired by our incredible outreach workers who mediate conflicts,
change norms, and connect to opportunity every day.”
Read more in
the Baltimore
Sun.
Health Department
Celebrates National Nurses Week
The Health Department celebrated National Nurses Week this week, with a
special day of recognition for our school-based health center nurses for School
Nurse Day on May 9. The Health Department employs roughly 100 public health and
school health nurses. The Health Department honored our staff nurses with
proclamations from Mayor Pugh, and special mementos and messages from Health
Department leadership.
Pictured top photo (left to right): Clinical Director of School-Based Health Centers Joy
Twesigye, School Health Nurse Tijuanna Keith, and Assistant Commissioner for
the Bureau of School Health Francine Childs.
Pictured bottom photo (left to right): School Nurses Mary Sewell, RN; Jane Pichardo, RN; Judy Burlock, RN; Wendy Joynes, RN; Jocelyn
Robinson, RN; Vonita Vaughn, RN (Nursing Supervisor); Joy Twesigye, RN, WHNP-BC (Clinical Director)
To learn more about the Health Department’s School-Based Health Center
(SBHC) program, click here.
Division of Aging and
CARE Services Hosts 9th Annual Senior Prom
In honor of
Older Americans Month, the Health Department celebrated its 9th Annual Seniors
and Grandparents Prom at the Zeta
Center for Healthy and Active Aging. The City’s older adults were joined by students
from Baltimore Polytechnic High School and Western Senior High School, the
Young Ladies Club, and a few of their grandkids.
Click here to learn more about the Health Department’s Division of
Aging and CARE Services.
Senior Medical Advisor
Speaks at UMMC OBGYN Grand Rounds
Senior Medical
Advisor Dr. Shelly Choo participated in the University of Maryland Medical
Center’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Grand Rounds to discuss the opioid epidemic.
She reviewed how the number of fentanyl-related overdose deaths has increased
over the past several years, and detailed the Health Department’s “three-pillar”
strategy to address the opioid epidemic. She highlighted the Levels of Care initiative which identifies evidence-based best practices for
responding to the opioid epidemic, and publicly recognizes those hospitals that
successfully implement them. She also stressed the importance of referring
prenatal patients to HealthCare Access Maryland (HCAM) for care coordination
that links families to treatment and provides supportive care with home
visiting and other resources.
To learn more
about the Levels of Care initiative, click here.
Health Department
Part of $480,000 Grant to Develop New Partnership to Help the City’s Older
Adult Population
The Health Department and United
Way have received a $480,000 grant from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg
Foundation. The grant will fund an innovative partnership between the 2-1-1
Maryland United Way Helpline and the Health Department’s Maryland Access Point
(MAP) to create a
service hub that will enhance independence and quality of life among older adults
in Baltimore, better allowing them to remain self-sufficient.
“Our
partnership with 2-1-1 will help the Health Department connect the City’s older
adults with evidence-based and person-centered services. This is an important
step in supporting individuals who choose to age in place and live
independently,” said Dr. Wen. “Baltimore City’s seniors have always been the
backbone of our communities. We are grateful for the partnership of the United
Way and the support of the Weinberg Foundation to continue our work to ensure
health and wellness of our older adults.”
Click here to read about the
grant in the Baltimore Business Journal.
Office of Public Health Preparedness and
Response Conducts Emergency Exercise
Last Tuesday, the
Health Department’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) conducted
an emergency preparedness exercise in partnership with the Baltimore City Department
of Recreation and Parks and the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management. The
functional exercise tested the Health Department’s plan to set up emergency
medication centers in response to a bioterrorist attack, and to coordinate such
set-ups via the Health Department Operations Center.
During the
exercise, Recreation and Parks and Health Department staff set-up two sites
that, in the event of a real emergency, would dispense prophylaxis medication
to the community. Health Department employees staffed the operations center to
coordinate site set-up and respond to exercise injects. They performed tasks
that would likely arise during an actual emergency situation, including moving
emergency supplies from Health Department storage to both sites, and responding
to exercise requests. By practicing these plans, staff become comfortable in
their emergency response roles, while making improvements in their response
strategy.
A big thank you to
all Health Department staff who participated in the exercise:
- Shelly Choo
- Margret Schnitzer
- Tanya Bobo-Lenoci
- Jose Jimenez
- Daphne Hicks
- Bridget Wright
- Stacy Dixon
- Amy Rappole
- Shannon Snyder
- Sako Narita
- Shalawnda Adams
- DeShawn Nicholson
- Byron Murphy
Health Department Celebrates Older Americans
Month with Lyric Opera Company
Last week, the
Health Department’s Division of Aging and CARE Services sponsored a Mother's
Day Tea at the Action In Maturity senior center, in partnership with the Lyric
Opera Company. Performers entertained the group through the Opera Cares
Program.
Click here to learn more about the Health Department’s Division of
Aging and CARE Services.
May is Tick-borne Disease Awareness Month
Lyme disease is
the most common tick-borne disease in the United States. Lyme disease is caused
by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi,
and is transmitted by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, sometimes called
deer ticks. In most cases, ticks must be attached for at least 24 hours before
the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted. People are infected most often by
immature ticks, called nymphs, during the spring and summer months. Ticks can
be carried by deer and mice, in particular, the white-footed mouse.
To protect
yourself and your loved ones, use insect repellant containing 20-30 percent
DEET when outdoors, and talk to your veterinarian about tick control products
for your pets.
For additional
information about Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, click here.
Assistant Commissioner of Aging represents Dr. Wen at the Maryland
Association of Adult Day Services Conference
On Thursday, Assistant Commissioner of Aging and CARE Services Elouise
Mayne represented Dr. Wen at the Maryland Association of Adult Day Services
Conference (MAADS) at the Turf Valley Inn. Ms. Mayne's presentation centered on
supporting home and community-based medical day care, and keeping older adults
in their homes and thriving in their communities for as long as possible.
Medical Adult Day
Care Services provides the care recipient with medical and nursing care;
assistance with daily living, meals, and transportation; and individualized
care planning, among other services, at a cost of 2-3 times less than that of a
nursing home. Medical Adult Day Care Services also provides respite for the
patient’s caregiver
Older American’s Month Activities
May is Older
American’s Month, and this year’s theme is “Engage at Every Age,” emphasizing
that you are never too old (or young) to take part in activities that can
enrich your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Older American’s Month also
celebrates the many ways in which older adults make a difference in our
communities.
The Division of
Aging and CARE Services is hosting a number of events to recognize Older
American’s Month:
- May
16, 2018: Senior Nutrition and Wellness Expo, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm at Waxter
Center
- May
23, 2018: Family Caregivers Conference, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at Morgan State
- May
30, 2018: National Senior Fitness Day, 10:00 am to 12:00pm at Patterson Park
(in partnership with the Dept. of Rec and Parks)
To attend or
participate as a vendor, please call contact Jose.Jimenez@baltimorecity.gov or
call the Community Services Office at (410) 396-1337. Click here to download the event flyer.
Health Department Offers
Naloxone Trainings at Enoch Pratt Free Libraries
Learn how to save a life from an opioid
overdose. Health Department staff will conduct naloxone trainings at various
Enoch Pratt Free Libraries. Registration is not required.
Monday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Light Street Branch, 1251 Light Street, 21230
Monday, June 18 at 6:00 p.m.
Patterson Park Branch, 158 N. Linwood Avenue,
21224
Wednesday, June 20 at 2:00 p.m.
Orleans Street, 1303 Orleans Street, 21231
Tuesday, July 17 at 1:00 p.m.
Reisterstown Branch, 6310 Reisterstown Road,
21215
Thursday, July 19 at 1:00 p.m.
Forest Park Branch, 3023 Garrison Blvd., 21216
Thursday, August 2 at 2:00 p.m.
Northwood Branch, 4420 Loch Raven Blvd.,
21218
Friday, August 3 at 10 a.m.
Hamilton Branch, 5910 Harford Rd., 21214
To learn more, visit www.dontdie.org.
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