Recent News

"Maryland health leaders call for law requiring docs to report immunizations" (Baltimore Business Journal - February 9, 2015)

An outbreak of measles spreading across the country is prompting Maryland health officials to take a closer look at its policies for tracking immunizations. Several public health officials on Monday participated in a panel discussion about state and local response to measles at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore County's top health officer Dr. George Wm. Branch, and former Maryland Health Secretary Dr. Joshua Sharfstein (now an associate dean at Hopkins) all emphasized the need for Maryland to stay vigilant about infectious diseases despite its high vaccination rates.

"Sunday Q&A: Leana Wen, Health Commissioner for Baltimore City" (WBAL-TV - February 8, 2015)

Health Commisisoner Dr. Leana Wen was the Q & A segment guest on WBAL-TV on February 8, 2015, speaking about the health future for Baltimore.

"Baltimore-area doctors: Measles vaccines an 'obligation to one another'" (Baltimore Sun - February 9, 2015)

In response to a measles outbreak in California, pediatricians from 10 Baltimore-area medical institutions and city Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen are calling on local parents to vaccinate their children. A consensus statement signed by Wen and pediatric leaders from Johns Hopkins, Sinai, University of Maryland, Saint Agnes, MedStar, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Mercy and Harbor hospitals and practices called vaccines "more than an individual choice; they are an obligation to one another.

"Baltimore health commissioner and physicians call for measles vaccinations" (Washington Post - February 9, 2015)

Baltimore's health commissioner and a group of leading physicians Monday called on parents to vaccinate their children against the measles, warning that "the Disneyland outbreak raises the real risk that measles may come roaring back. "We have come too far to let that happen," the group said in a statement it released Monday. "...Make sure your child is up-to-date on all vaccines. This protects your child and will help safeguard all children in our community. Vaccines are more than individual choice; they are our obligation to one another."

"Baltimore has been 'lucky' to avoid measles, health commissioner says" (Baltimore Business Journal - February 9, 2015)

There hasn't been a confirmed measles case in Baltimore for more than a decade and 99 percent of Baltimore public school children have gotten their shots, but Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen thinks you should be worried about vaccines. "I don't think this is overblown," Wen said. "The fact that we haven't had a measles case in Baltimore means we're lucky."

"500 new cases of HIV/AIDS every year in Baltimore" (WMAR - ABC2, February 5, 2015)

It is no longer a fatal diagnosis, but HIV/AIDS is still a major problem in 2015.  "We in Baltimore City like other urban cities across the U.S., have HIV as a significant problem that is an epidemic," Dr. Leana Wen, Health Commissioner in Baltimore City, said. Click here to watch the story.

 

Stopping The Number One Killer Of Women

How important is your heart?  You can have a heart of gold, a heavy heart or even a change of heart.  But a healthy heart is the most important! Nationally, one in three women die of heart disease and stroke.  And did you know that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the overall number one killer in Baltimore,  is responsible for 30 percent of the deaths of women in the city and for 15 percent of all premature deaths?  In total, for men and women, heart disease claims approximately 2,000 lives in Baltimore each year.

Go Red for Women

"Inside Story - Vaccines" ( Al Jazeera America - February 3, 2015)

Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen was a guest on the Al Jazeera America: Inside Story show discussing the importance of vaccinations.

Investigative Hearing – Lead Paint Poisoning and Baltimore’s Children

The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) is pleased to have the opportunity to review Council Bill 16-0280R – Investigative Hearing – Lead Paint Poisoning and Baltimore’s Children.  The purpose of this bill is to assess the status and accelerate the pace of eradicating lead paint poisoning in Baltimore City and Maryland as a whole and working to achieve consensus on the coordinated roles and investments required to spare Baltimore’s families and children from another generation of this devastating and preventable disease.

"Health Commissioner Declares Code Blue In Baltimore For Monday And Tuesday"

With predicted low temperatures and wind chills as low as the single-digits, Leana Wen, M.D., Baltimore City Health Commissioner, is declaring a Code Blue for Monday, February 2 and Tuesday, February 3. “The very cold temperatures that we’ve been experiencing recently will continue to be with us for the next two days, and the Baltimore City Health Department along with other city agencies will be working to ensure the safety of Baltimoreans,” Dr. Wen said.   “We want to make sure all residents know how to protect themselves from cold weather emergencies.”

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