The opioid epidemic has ravaged families and communities across Maryland, claiming thousands of lives every year. In 2015, there were 1259 drug- and alcohol-related intoxication deaths. That number rose to 1,468 deaths on only the first nine months of 2016, according to the most recently available data.

Addiction and overdose are undoubtedly health issues, but for years, our efforts to curb drug use focused solely on the criminal justice side of the equation. As the heartbreaking numbers indicate, that alone is not enough. We must do more to save lives, improve access to on-demand treatment, and eliminate stigma about the disease. Only then will we be able to fully address this health crisis.

Read the entire op-ed.

You may have noticed over the past few days that we revealed a new Baltimore City Health Department logo. The logo change is part of a larger rebranding strategy to standardize our image across the entire agency.

Over the past six months, the communications team analyzed our internal and external documents as well as evaluated the core values of the agency. The result was a refined vision and mission statement grounded in equity, community, and wellbeing.

The first week of April is an important one in the world of public health as we recognize both National Public Health Week as well as National Youth Violence Prevention Week. At a time in Baltimore when public health is a critical lever for addressing some of our city’s major disparities, we must all consider the ways in which public health and social justice are inextricably connected.