In a new initiative being launched with 11 Baltimore hospitals, the City Health Department plans to certify each one that adopts “best practices” for treating patients who overdose on opioids or are struggling with addiction. 

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On Wednesday night, Judge Catherine Blake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled in Baltimore City’s favor in our Teen Pregnancy Prevention suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Judge Blake granted the City’s motion for summary judgment, ruling that the federal government’s decision-making was arbitrary and capricious.

This victory is a victory for the youth of Baltimore City, and for the use of science and evidence in education and health. It means that students in our City will continue to receive evidence-based, science-based teen pregnancy prevention education. It means that we will continue to be able to build capacity for teachers who are specifically trained to teach physiology, STD and HIV prevention, and holistic curricula to empower teens to make the best choices for themselves. It means that we will be able to continue our work in reducing teen birth rates, which fell 61% in Baltimore between 2000 and 2016—and that we will not roll back the gains that we have made.

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HEALTH PROFESSIONALS shouldn't wait for the perfect data to come along before planning interventions to improve population health, experts say, because there is no perfect data. 

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