News Coverage

Code Red In Baltimore With 106-Degree Heat Index Forecast (Patch)

Temperatures may climb into the upper 90s in Charm City on Tuesday and feel like the triple digits for most of the afternoon. Wednesday is expected to be just as hot, if not hotter.

Baltimore Health Commissioner Leana Wen issued a code red extreme heat alert for Tuesday, Aug. 28, and Wednesday, Aug. 29. The alert means that the heat is severe enough to threaten the life or health of vulnerable residents, and people may need to use caution if they are outdoors.

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'Code Red' heat alert issued for Tuesday & Wednesday in Baltimore (WBFF)

Baltimore City announced a "Code Red" heat alert for Tuesday and Wednesday as temperatures surge for the start of the week.

Heat indexes are expected to top 100 degrees both Tuesday and Wednesday.

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CODE RED extreme heat advisory issued for Tuesday and Wednesday (WMAR)

A Code Red Extreme Heat Alert has been issued for Tuesday, Aug. 28 and Wednesday, Aug. 29, the Baltimore City Health Comissioner Dr. Leana Wen said Monday.

With high temperatures and oppressive humidity, the heat index is expected to exceed 100 degrees both days. Code Red alerts are declared when the heat is expected to be severe enough to present a "substantial threat to the life or health of vulnerable Baltimore residents," Wen's statement said. 

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Code Red Extreme Heat Alert Tuesday, Wednesday (WJZ)

With the heat index expected to be over 100 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, the Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen has declared a Code Red Extreme Heat Alert.

“Heat is a silent killer and a public health threat, particularly for the young, the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions,” Dr. Wen said.

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Baltimore's 'Staying Alive' program found to be successful in combating overdoses (Baltimore Business Journal)

The number of overdose reversal drug kits distributed and overdose reversals reported in Baltimore both increased between 2015 and 2017, according to data from the city's health department.

A city audit of the department presented Wednesday found the Staying Alive Drug Overdose Prevention and Response Plan has been successful in its goal to reduce the rate of deaths from opiate-related overdoses in Baltimore.

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Wen Celebrates Breastfeeding Support Group (UMB)

Members of the breastfeeding support group joined Baltimore City Health Commissioner Leana Wen, MD, Bronwyn Mayden, MSW, executive director of Promise Heights and assistant dean at the University o

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Poll: Most Americans Know About Opioid Antidote And Are Willing To Use It (NPR)

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams made a plea in April for more Americans to be prepared to administer naloxone, an opioid antidote, in case they or people close to them suffer an overdose.

We wondered how many people know about naloxone and the fact that someone doesn't have to be a medical professional to administer it. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they were aware of the antidote and that it could be given by laypeople; 41 percent said they weren't.

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City to study use of fentanyl-detecting test strips by distributing them in exchange vans (Baltimore Fishbowl)

In its ongoing fight against a fentanyl-fueled surge in drug overdoses, the Baltimore City Health Department plans to study the efficacy of test strips that detect the potent synthetic substance in street-purchased drugs by handing kits out at mobile syringe and needle exchanges.

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Baltimore City Health Department Encourages Naloxone Training

On August 17, Dr. Leana Wen visited Catholic Charities' Weinberg Housing and Resource Center and gave staff and clients a naloxone training.

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Forging our National Response to the Opioid Epidemic (The Afro)

In his article, Congressman Elijah Cummings covers the escalating opioid crisis, the importance of listening to those on the front lines who knows what works, and why the CARE Act would change the way the United States is fighting this health emergency.

"Confronted with this urgent threat to our health and safety, we all should be listening carefully to the advice of Baltimore City’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen."

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