Note From The Commissioner:
Dear Community Partner,
On Wednesday, I
joined Open Society Institute (OSI)-Baltimore to celebrate their 20th
anniversary celebration. OSI-Baltimore has been a key partner in multiple
collaborations to further public health and social justice with the Baltimore
City Health Department. When we wanted to provide naloxone for use by police
officers, OSI-Baltimore was one of our initial funders. They funded our work to
link people to treatment at the time they need it. They are also a key partner
in the City’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. They are
helping us change the paradigm that incarcerating people who have the disease
of addiction is ineffective, unscientific, and unethical.
OSI-Baltimore
does not shy away from doing the hard things. In fact, I can always count on
them to take a stance that may be unpopular at the time, but that is ultimately
on the right side of history. This courage is exemplified in Director Diana
Morris. On Wednesday, I had the great privilege to be presented with their
“Bold Thinkers” award along with Dr. Lawrence Brown from Morgan State
University, and to be present for an engaging conversation between civil rights
attorney Vanita Gupta and historian Taylor Branch.
Earlier this
week, I joined leaders from across the city, including Ron Daniels, President
of Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Sam Ross, President and CEO of Bon Secours
Hospital; and Reverend Debra Hickman, Co-Founder and CEO of Sisters Together
And Reaching, Inc. (STAR) at an event hosted by The Atlantic, Healing the Divide: An Atlantic Forum on
Health Equity.” In
conversation with Editor-in-Chief Steve Clemons, I noted that Baltimore is an
ecosystem of optimism and hope, and that courage exists everywhere in the city.
There is so much to be inspired by in Baltimore, and so much great work being done
every single day.
Former First
Lady Michelle Obama has said, “All of us are driven by a simple belief that the
world as it is just won’t do - that we have an obligation to fight for the
world as it should be.” It is an honor to join my team at the Health
Department—and our partners throughout the city—in the fight against injustice,
and for the world as it should be.
Leana Wen,
M.D., M.Sc.
Washington Post: Dr. Wen and Public
Citizen President Author Op-Ed on Naloxone Pricing
This week,
Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and Public Citizen President
Robert Weissman co-authored an op-ed in The
Washington Post, urging the federal government to use their authority to
reduce the price of naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote.
“The choice
before the Trump administration is simple: They can choose to lower prices and
save lives. Or they can choose to perpetuate the rationing of lifesaving
treatments and avoid offending Big Pharma at the cost of letting people across
the country die for lack of access to affordable, easy-to-use naloxone delivery
devices. We should not be priced out of the ability to save lives.”
Read the op-ed here.
Dr. Wen Honored with
“Bold Thinker” Award by OSI-Baltimore
On Wednesday
evening, Open Society Institute (OSI)-Baltimore President Diana Morris honored Dr.
Wen with the “Bold Thinker” Award for her visionary leadership in the field of
public health and for spearheading a range of innovative public health
interventions. She was joined by Vanita Gupta, former Director of the Civil
Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Dr. Lawrence Brown,
Assistant Professor of Community Health and Policy at Morgan State University.
The awards were given out as part of an event commemorating OSI-Baltimore’s 20th
Anniversary. The event concluded with a keynote conversation between Ms. Gupta
and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Taylor Branch.
“What an honor
to be named a ‘Bold Thinker’ by one of our key partners, OSI-Baltimore,” said
Dr. Wen. “I am grateful to Director Diana Morris for her leadership in
Baltimore and for supporting the programs of the Baltimore City Health
Department. I count OSI-Baltimore as a key collaborator in BCHD’s naloxone
distribution efforts, Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Program, and
initiatives to combat the stigma surrounding addiction. Congratulations to
OSI-Baltimore on your 20th anniversary and thank you for your continued efforts
to improve health equity and advance social justice in Baltimore."
Pictured above
[from left]: Ms. Morris, Ms. Gupta, and Dr. Wen. Click here to learn more about the “Bold Thinker” award and
OSI-Baltimore’s 20th Anniversary Event.
Dr. Wen Speaks at
Healing the Divide: An Atlantic Forum on Health Equity
On Wednesday,
Dr. Wen was interviewed by The Atlantic’s
Washington Editor-At-Large, Steve Clemons, as part of “Healing the Divide: An
Atlantic Forum on Health Equity.” The event took place at Center Stage, and
featured Margaret Low, President, AtlanticLIVE; Olga Khazan, Staff Writer, The Atlantic; Alice Kennedy, Deputy
Commissioner of Housing, City of Baltimore; Dr. Garth Graham, President, Aetna
Foundation; Dr. Samuel Ross, CEO, Bon Secours Hospital; and Ruth Ann Norton,
President and CEO, Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, among others.
“I am glad to
be invited by AtlanticLIVE President Margaret Low to discuss how the Baltimore
City Health Department is working to eliminate health disparities in the City,”
said Dr. Wen. “Health is about much more than health care. The social
determinants of health – where we live, work, and play – affect our residents’
health outcomes. Where a child is born should not determine whether he or she
will live, and I commend Olga Khazan and her colleagues at The Atlantic
for advancing national conversation around the racial and socioeconomic factors
that contribute to health disparities.”
To read Ms.
Khazan’s article, which was informed by data provided by the Health Department,
click here. To watch video from the Forum, click here (interview begins at 36:26).
Dr. Wen Issues Statement Encouraging Congress to
Support CARE Act
This week, Dr.
Wen issued a statement encouraging Congress to adopt a “Ryan White for the
opioid epidemic” by supporting the CARE Act. This week, Congress reviewed various
bills aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic.
“Congress made
a decision with the Ryan White Program: no longer would we allow our loved ones
to die of HIV/AIDS,” said Dr. Wen. “We need to make the same decision now.
Congress has the power to prevent overdose deaths. I urge our elected
representatives to take action and adopt a proposal that has saved millions of
lives before, and will save millions of lives now. We have the ability to stop
this epidemic, as long as we have the will and commit the resources to do so.”
Read coverage
in STAT. Read the full statement here.
Dr. Wen Provides
Keynote Remarks at Institute for Patient and Family-Centered Care Conference
On Monday, Dr.
Wen provided remarks at the opening plenary for the Institute for Patient and
Family-Centered Care (IPFCC) Conference. She was joined by Dr. Redonda Miller,
President of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, who welcomed researchers, patient and
family advisors, and advocates from across the United States and Canada to
Baltimore.
“I was honored
to be the plenary speaker for the Institute for Patient and Family-Centered
Care’s 8th International Conference,” said Dr. Wen. “I am grateful
to have been invited by the President and CEO of IPFCC Beverley Johnson to
share with attendees ways in which the Baltimore City Health Department
convenes governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to address health
disparities in our City. I enjoyed discussing how the Health Department employs
an equity lens in our work, hires ‘credible messengers,’ and uses ‘upstream’
interventions to address the root causes of health disparities. It is important
not just for government officials, but also academicians, researchers, and
community members working in the private sector to play their part in
addressing the social determinants of health, and I commend IPFCC for working
towards this goal.”
Pictured above
[from left]: Dr. Bill Schwab, Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Wen,
and Dr. Johnson.
Click here to read Healthy Baltimore 2020, the Health Department’s
blueprint for health, which outlines a plan to cut disparities in half over the
next decade.
Dr. Wen and Special
Assistant to the Commissioner Pen Article for Poverty & Race Research
Action Council
Dr. Wen and
Special Assistant to the Commissioner Narintohn Luangrath co-wrote an article,
“Treating Racism as a Public Health Issue,” for a collection of articles
compiled by the Poverty & Race Research Action Council in commemoration of
the 50th anniversary of the Kerner Commission Report. Their article
argued that all issues – violence, employment, housing, education, and beyond –
can and should be tied back to health, and that addressing health disparities
as a core civil rights issue is a moral imperative. Other article contributors
included: Shaun Donovan, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development; Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal
Defense Fund; and former U.S. Senator Fred Harris, the last surviving member of
the 1968 Kerner Commission.
“Local health
departments can help fulfill some of American democracy’s unfulfilled promises
by employing interventions that address racial disparities in health. Those of
us working on the frontlines of public health have the power to translate the
values and goals articulated in the Kerner Report into programs and policies –
local solutions befitting our communities.”
To read the
full article, click here.
Health Department
Celebrates National Nursing Assistant Week
Each year, National Nursing Assistant Week is observed during the second
full week of June. This year’s theme is “Nursing Assistants: Creating a
Community of Caring.” While many nursing assistants work in hospitals,
nursing homes, and other long-term care agencies, there are close to 140 Health
Department employees who provide nursing-related services in schools, health
clinics, and in the community. The Health Department recognized these
employees with a proclamation from Mayor Catherine
E. Pugh, and special mementos and messages from Health Department leadership.
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, 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.
Coming Up: Healthy Baltimore: A Festival of
Wellness
BCHD In The News
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