Last week, I wrote a piece for The Daily Record arguing that access to affordable prescription drugs is a human right. In the ER, I have seen time and time again what happens when people don’t take their medications because they simply can’t afford them. In Baltimore, I experience this limitation every day as we ration the life-saving opioid antidote, naloxone. This should never happen: nobody should be priced out of their ability to live.
BCHD Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and BCHD Assistant Commissioner for Clinical Services Dr. Adena Greenbaum discuss PrEP, one of the most powerful tools we have to stop the spread of HIV.
The price of a drug that has saved the lives of more than 800 people overdosing on heroin or other opioids in Baltimore is rising rapidly.
"We shouldn't be priced out of saving lives," said Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore's health commissioner. "In a time of a public health emergency, we should be making it more affordable and available."
With the legislative session in Annapolis underway, the Baltimore City Health Department is actively advocating for public health improvements with our legislators in Annapolis. On Monday, I joined Delegates Brooke Lierman and Robbyn Lewis to endorse legislation that will create the Maryland Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (MVIPP) Fund. The Fund will support science-based, public health approaches to prevent gun violence.
The Maryland General Assembly’s 2018 session has started. We at the Baltimore City Health Department are hard at work with our state legislators on a variety of bills to safeguard health and well-being.
A critical priority is protecting the Affordable Care Act and preventing the gains made from being rolled back. Last month, I expressed my full support for a state-enforced individual mandate bill, which would use collected funds and apply them toward marketplace plans for those who are uninsured but do not qualify for Medicaid. I hope to assist with other legislation to strengthen the ACA, including expansion of Medicaid and Medicare and development of a public option.
BALTIMORE, MD (February 1, 2018) — Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen issued a Code Blue declaration for Baltimore City, beginning Friday evening, Feb. 2, through the morning of Saturday, Feb. 3.
President Trump’s State of the Union address was 80 minutes long. He spent just 49 seconds on the opioid epidemic, something he has declared to be a public health emergency.
BALTIMORE, MD (January 29, 2018) — Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen issued a Code Blue declaration for Baltimore City, beginning Tuesday evening, Jan. 30, through the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 31.
The Baltimore City Health Department says the number of sleep-related infant deaths nearly doubled last year. In 2017, 13 babies died in their sleep in Baltimore City, compared to seven deaths the year before. On Tuesday, the department testified in front of the City Council. They are pushing to take more action against sleep-related infant deaths. “There are multifaceted issues to why someone might not put their baby to sleep safely,” Rebecca Dineen, co-leader of B’More for Healthy Babies. “These are conditions that are a result of their environment as much as it is knowledge of the right thing to do.”
