Recent News

Commissioner Wen Testifies before State Committee on Baltimore City Heroin Taskforce’s Recommendations

Oct 20th, 2015

ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 20, 2015)– Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen testified Tuesday before the Maryland State Joint Committee on Behavioral Health and Opioid Use Disorders to update the General Assembly on the recommendations provided by the Baltimore Mayor’s Heroin Treatment & Prevention Task Force Report and to urge the General assembly to provide support for the report’s recommendations.

“As an ER doctor, I have seen the devastation of heroin addiction firsthand, and as the city’s doctor, I have seen how heroin ties into the very fabric of Baltimore,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. “It is impossible to separate heroin use from the rampant health disparities that divide our city. Baltimore has been fighting the heroin epidemic for years, and we look forward to sharing the lessons we learned with our State partners and further collaborate to heal our communities.”

Md. health centers concerned there are too few treatment slots for addicts

Oct 20th, 2015

Some Maryland health centers are reluctant to screen patients for drug abuse as part of a state intervention program because they’re concerned that there are not enough treatment beds available for

Dr. Leana Wen Urges Physicians to Be More Involved in Communities During Keynote Address to National Physicians Alliance

Oct 17th, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 17, 2015)– Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen today delivered a keynote address in front of hundreds of medical professionals at the National Physicians Alliance’s 10th Annual Conference.

A founding member of the National Physicians Alliance (NPA), Dr. Wen spoke before the conference, entitled “Truth to Power: Alliance for the Public Good,” to encourage the importance of physician advocacy to overall community health and reiterated the importance of stronger physician-community relations.

B'more for Healthy Babies Celebrates 6 Years of Success

Oct 14th, 2015

BALTIMORE, MD (October 14, 2015)–Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen joined elected officials, city representatives, and families from across Baltimore City today to celebrate six years of success in reducing infant mortality rates at an event honoring the B'more for Healthy Babies (BHB) initiative.

In 2009, Baltimore City had the fourth highest infant mortality rate in the nation. B'more for Healthy Babies was founded to ensure that all babies are born at a healthy weight, full-term and ready to thrive in healthy families. Since the program’s inception, Baltimore’s infant mortality rate has dropped by over 20 percent, hitting its lowest point ever recorded in 2012. Disparities between black and white infant deaths have also consistently decreased. As a result of B’More for Healthy Babies, the teen birth rates in the city have dropped by an unprecedented 32 percent.

Baltimore City Launches New Phone Line to Help Residents in Crisis and Those Seeking Substance Use and Mental Health Services

Oct 5th, 2015

BALTIMORE, MD (October 5, 2015)–Working to improve access to critically needed care, Baltimore City has launched a new, single phone number for Baltimore City residents to use for substance use and mental health crisis calls, services and treatment, and information.

The Crisis, Information & Referral Line, 410-433-5175, will be answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, giving people in need of help the opportunity to talk to a trained professional at any time. Creating such a resource is a key recommendation in the city’s recently released report of the Mayor’s Heroin Treatment and Prevention Task Force. 

Baltimore offers one crisis line for substance use and mental health

Oct 5th, 2015

As part of their response to the opioid crisis, Baltimore City officials have launched a new hotline number for residents for substance abuse and mental health crisis calls.

Baltimore City Health Department: October Digest 2015

Oct 1st, 2015

Baltimore City Health Department Digest - October 2015

Health Commissioner Wen Announces Plan to Make Lifesaving Medication Available to All Baltimore Residents

Sep 30th, 2015

BALTIMORE, MD (September 30, 2015)–Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen today announced plans to issue a “standing order” for naloxone, also called Narcan, a medication that completely reverses the effect of an opioid overdose. Under a change in state law that begins October 1, doctors in the state of Maryland affiliated with local health departments are now able to issue written standing orders that allow designated individuals, such as overdose response program trainees and pharmacists, to dispense naloxone without a doctor’s prescription.

With Dr. Wen’s standing order, Baltimore City will become first jurisdiction in Maryland to expand access to the opioid antidote.

New Maryland law allows for blanket prescription for heroin overdose drug

Sep 30th, 2015

Thousands of people have been trained to use a drug that prevents heroin overdoses, but many have faced a hurdle to obtaining naloxone — a doctor's prescription.

Baltimore Health Department launches youth violence prevention program

Sep 30th, 2015

A new youth anti-violence campaign is underway in Baltimore City.

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