Recent News

Mayor Pugh's annual back-to-school rally distributes around 3,200 free backpacks (Baltimore Sun)

Aug 4th, 2018

Parents and children lined up to get free backpacks decorated with smiley faces, baseball bats and sharks, and filled with school supplies at Mayor Catherine Pugh’s annual back-to-school rally.

The event, hosted at the War Memorial Plaza downtown Saturday, distributed around 3,200 backpacks ahead of the Sept. 4 start date for city schools. Fewer than 100 backpacks were left over, which will be distributed next week, Pugh spokesman James E. Bentley II wrote via text message.

The rally also featured an array of sponsors, including the Baltimore Fire Department, which taught hands-on CPR; the Enoch Pratt Library; and the Baltimore City Health Department, which delivered immunizations to children in the War Memorial Building.

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Baltimore ‘Back-To-School Rally’ Gets Kids Prepared (WJZ)

Aug 4th, 2018

Baltimore City students will head back to class one month from today.

Public Health Heroes: Office of Youth Violence Prevention Supporting Male Survivors of Violence Program

Aug 3rd, 2018

The Health Department’s Supporting Male Survivors of Violence Program (SMSV) is housed within the Office of Youth Violence Prevention, and is one of 12 pilot programs funded through the Office for Victims of Crime within the U.S. Department of Justice.

Office of Youth Violence Prevention

Baltimore Suing Trump Administration Over Healthcare (Patch)

Aug 3rd, 2018

The city of Baltimore is suing President Donald Trump and his administration over the Affordable Care Act. With a total of four cities listed as plaintiffs, the lawsuit was filed Thursday in Maryland district court.

"We are deeply concerned about the impact of the rising uninsured population on health and costs to our city," Baltimore Health Commissioner Leana Wen said in a statement Thursday.

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Leana Wen

Health Department Raises Awareness about Benefits of Breastfeeding during World Breastfeeding Week – August 1 through August 7

Aug 2nd, 2018

Today, during World Breastfeeding Week, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen joined staff at the Health Department’s Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Program to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding for healthy mothers and babies.

Baltimore City Joins Other Jurisdictions, Individuals, to Sue President Trump for Intentionally Sabotaging the ACA, Increasing Costs of Health Coverage

Aug 2nd, 2018

Faced with Stark Increases in Premiums and Rising Underinsured Rates, Americans Sue to Halt Trump Administration Sabotage

In systematically attacking the health law, President Trump is increasing the cost of health coverage and the number of uninsured Americans, and is violating his constitutional duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”

Leana Wen

Four cities sue Trump administration over ACA rollback (Modern Healthcare)

Aug 2nd, 2018

Four major U.S. cities sued the Trump administration Thursday over its regulatory dismantling of the Affordable Care Act, claiming that federal actions are already overtaxing their health departments.

Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, joined liberal advocacy groups in the suit, filed in a U.S. District Court in Maryland, alleging that President Donald Trump and his administration "are deliberately trying to make the (ACA) fail." They maintain that these efforts will drain city budgets and resources to manage public health as coverage rates are predicted to drop. 

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Leana Wen

Baltimore joins lawsuit against Trump Administration's Affordable Care Act actions (WMAR)

Aug 2nd, 2018

Baltimore City filed suit against the Trump Administration Thursday, joining other jurisdictions looking to stop potential changes to the Affordable Care Act that might result in higher premiums and underinsured rates, the Baltimore City Health Department said.

“Our Health Department’s clinics serve as a safety net for the uninsured and underinsured in Baltimore City, providing essential health services from reproductive health and dental care to HIV/AIDS and addiction treatment,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. “By intentionally sabotaging the ACA, the Trump Administration is directly increasing the number of uninsured and underinsured Baltimoreans. This will increase demand for our services, without additional resources."

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Leana Wen

Suing the Trump administration to protect the ACA, health and the economy (The Hill)

Aug 2nd, 2018

In her op-ed, Dr. Leana Wen discusses why Baltimore City filed a suit against the Trump Adminisration for intentionally and unlawfully sabotaging the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and how it will affect the residents of Baltimore.

"We in Baltimore join Columbus, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, and citizens in Charlottesville, Virginia, to express our deep concern about the consequences of sabotaging the ACA. In Baltimore, more than 10,000 residents are enrolled in plans purchased through the health insurance marketplace. Destabilizing the ACA could mean that 10,000 people in our city alone could become uninsured."

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Leana Wen

Trump's undermining of Obamacare violates the Constitution, new lawsuit charges (NBC News)

Aug 2nd, 2018

After congressional Republicans repeatedly failed last year to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Trump promised to “let Obamacare implode” on its own.

A new lawsuit being filed Thursday argues that Trump’s efforts to make good on that promise violate the U.S. Constitution.

Trump has “waged a relentless effort to use executive action alone to undermine and, ultimately, eliminate the law,” the complaint charges, according to a draft obtained by NBC News. The lawsuit is being filed in Maryland federal court by the cities of Chicago, Columbus, Cincinnati and Baltimore.

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