Don't Die

About 25,000 Americans die annually from an opioid overdose. Between 2002 and 2013, the rate of those dying from opioid-related overdoses has nearly quadrupled. 

There were 303 total drug and alcohol overdose deaths in Baltimore City in 2014, compared with 246 in 2013, a 23 percent increase.

Dr. Wen has declared opioid overdose a public health emergency and has directed the Baltimore City Health Department and its partners to begin implementing a citywide plan that focuses on saving lives.

Naloxone, also called Narcan®, is a prescription medicine that can stop an overdose.  Parents, relatives, and friends can get it and give it to someone who is overdosing on heroin or other drugs like OxyContin® or Percocet®.

With naloxone, it is easy to save a life. So, know the signs of overdose, learn how to administer naloxone, and Don't Die. 

RethinkYourDrink

The Baltimore City Health Department is launching a public health education campaign called “Rethink Your Drink”. We are also supporting legislation to require the following warning labels on all SSB advertisements, restaurant menus, and any store that sells SSB’s:

“WARNING: DRINKING BEVERAGES WITH ADDED SUGAR CONTRIBUTES TO TOOTH DECAY, OBESITY, AND DIABETES. THIS MESSAGE IS FROM THE BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT”.

As the public health authority of the city, and based on unbiased, evidence-based research, we know that these efforts will help the health and well-being of Baltimore’s residents. There will be people who oppose these efforts based on their personal gain. But they do not have science and the best interest of Baltimore’s children at heart.

Urge the FDA to Issue Warnings for Dangerous Combination of Medications

In 2013, 22,767 people died of drug overdose deaths that involved prescription drugs, and every day in the United States, 44 people continue to die as a result of prescription opioid overdose. Concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines increases the risk of fatal overdose.

City and State health directors from across the country have delivered a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling on the agency to adopt labels to explicitly warn about a dangerous combination of medications that is helping drive the nation’s prescription drug overdose epidemic. The “black box warning” would state that the concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines increases the risk of fatal overdose. Black box warnings appear on the labels of prescription drugs and call attention to serious or life-threatening risks. A group of nationally renowned academics, researchers, and physicians also signed the petition.

 We are calling for your support to sign a public petition to show your support and tell the FDA to require black box warnings on these medications to educate physicians and patients about the dangers of mixing these two drug classes.  

Youth Health and Wellness (YHW) Strategy

Kids who are physically and emotionally healthy, supported by trusted adults, and feel in control of their futures are more likely to become happy, healthy adults. Baltimore's youth are amazing and resilient, and this strategy aims to remove anything that may stand in their way.

Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies, and Healthy Connections - all three are important to health and each one affects the other. Only by addressing all three of these areas can we make a difference in the health and wellbeing of children and youth.

People are agencies are already doing a lot for Baltimore. Our Youth Health and Wellness (YHW) Strategy wants to coordinate all these efforts. 

Join in the conversation about what this strategy means for you and how we can all work together to improve the lives of Baltimore's youth.  For an in-person discussion, consider joining a town hall. 

By working together our collective impact can be stronger.

Safe Sleep

Infant sleep-related deaths are the second leading cause of death for healthy infants in Baltimore City, and they are overwhelmingly preventable. BHB has committed considerable resources to ensure that every baby in Baltimore sleeps safely.

BHB’s SLEEP SAFE initiative includes mass media campaigns, community outreach, and education for providers. The safe sleep message has been widely promoted throughout Baltimore City via print materials and outdoor, radio, and television ads. In communities, BHB has tapped into champions such as Antoine Dow - a barbershop owner in Upton/Druid Heights - to educate family, friends, and associates on safe sleep.

More than 2,000 health and social service providers, community members, and City personnel have been trained to address common behavioral barriers to safe sleep practices among clients.  

Words Not Weapons: Youth Violence Prevention Campaign

With the goal of bringing awareness to youth violence prevention, the Baltimore City Health Department will be launching a communication campaign centered in Baltimore's emergency rooms (ERs) and spanning across neighborhoods, schools, and community hubs across the city. The campaign, called "Words Not Weapons," is a way to spread a message of non-violent conflict resolution, and it focuses on communication as being the key to violence prevention.

Know What U Want

Know What U Want is a project of the Baltimore City Health Department and The Family League of Baltimore with the support of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, The Maryland Institute College of Art, New Lens, The Abell Foundation, The Straus Foundation, The David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation and The Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation.
This citywide campaign empowers teens and young adults to consider how a family planning option might help them to reach their goals. It is a partnership between BCHD and The Maryland Institute College of Art /Center for Design Practice. 

Know What U Want and Choose what's right for U

Support Baltimore’s Synthetic Drug Ban

Baltimore City Emergency Departments are reporting a marked increase in ER visits due to overdoses on synthetic drugs.  These are mostly young people who come in completely unresponsive and are increasingly dying from symptoms related to these drugs.  We need your commitment not to sell these dangerous, illegal products in your stores.   

Marketed as safe alternatives to illicit drugs, these products often contain untested chemical compounds that can have devastating effects on users.  

We need your help to stop the spread of these dangerous substances in our communities. 

#BmoreInControl

Stress might be invisible but it is real. Stress at school. Stress at home. Stress in the streets. Sometimes you feel surrounded. You can let it weigh you down or you can take control.

Taking control means finding positive activities and surrounding yourself with positive people and role models who know what you’re facing. Who has been where you’ve been. And come out the other side.

Visit #BmoreInControl to find the tools, tips, and the resources you need to fight back, stand up, stay strong and keep your life your own.