Recent News

“I Am My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS”

Make no mistake about it – Baltimore has been hit hard by the HIV epidemic. Baltimore City has the sixth highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the country and one of the country’s highest HIV death rates. And although the number of newly reported HIV infections in Baltimore between 2009 and 2011 decreased overall by more than 24 percent, new infections diagnosed in the black community have increased by 1.5 percent.

Total Health Care Fight HIV/AIDS

Program Changes On Tuesday - Inclement Weather

Due to the inclement weather on Tuesday:

  • Medical Assistance Transportation services for Baltimore City will be operating for dialysis, chemotherapy, and radiation transports only.  For more information call 410-396-7007 or to reschedule call 410-396-6422.
  • The Needle Exchange Program will be  working from the vans outside of the office at 2300 Garrison Blvd and not traveling to Tuesday mobile sites. Clients can call 410-396-3731 with questions.
  • City WIC clinics will be opening at 10:30 a.m.  Call 410-396-9427 with any questions.

"Health Commissioner Extends Code Blue In Baltimore Through Friday"

Baltimore City Health Commissioner Leana Wen, M.D. has extended the Code Blue Alert through Friday, February 20.  This is the seventh Code Blue alert for Baltimore this winter.

"Baltimore City announces Code Blue Emergency through Monday" (WMAR-ABC2 - February 13, 2015)

A Code Blue was declared for Baltimore City and is effect through Monday. So far this winter, six people have died from the cold weather sweeping the state.  The biggest concern in the dangerous temperatures is hypothermia, so the health department says if you need to be outside at all, make sure you cover up.

"Cold Weather Is Here, Code Blue In Effect" (WJZ-TV - February 13, 2015)

Bundle up, Baltimore! Cold temperatures have arrived, but it could get worse. Baltimore City officials have also declared a Code Blue through Monday, Feb. 16 due to low temperatures in the teens and wind chills below zero. “Our advice on keeping warm in cold weather may seem like common sense, but with six hypothermia-related deaths this season, it is vitally important to remember that cold can kill,”said Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner. “All Baltimoreans need to look out for friends and family members and ensure they have warm shelter. Remember that carbon monoxide is a silent killer – do not use unapproved sources of heating."

Vaccines are Safe, Effective and Life-Saving (Baltimore Sun Op-Ed)

"In the 1930s, outbreaks swept through every corner of Baltimore. Tens of thousands of children grew sick with fever and a tale-tell rash..."

"Maryland looks to neighboring states for help with heroin trafficking" (Baltimore Business Journal - February 12, 2015)

Baltimore is becoming a destination for drug traffickers looking to take advantage of rising demand among heroin users. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh on Wednesday announced that Maryland will join a six-state coalition to target a heroin supply line along the East Coast that is driving heroin deaths in Baltimore and throughout the state. Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake have made reducing heroin deaths a priority. The city is looking into training police officers and first responders to carry naloxone, an overdose-reversing drug, and wants to find ways to expand rehabilitation services for users.

 

Who Cares for the Caregiver?

The job of a caregiver is one of the most challenging roles anyone will undertake.  Unfortunately, there is no step-by-step manual that someone can read on what it takes to keep a loved one safe and well once he or she has serious medical problems. Typically, caregivers are family members or friends who provide emotional, physical and practical support. But what about the well-being of the caregiver and their need for service?

"Measles outbreak spreads to three more states and Washington DC; 121 people now affected" (Washington Post - February 10, 2015)

The measles outbreak spread to three more states and Washington D.C. last week, affecting 19 additional people, according to an update posted Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The highly contagious disease is now in 18 jurisdictions, with 121 people affected. The vast majority of the cases are part of the large outbreak that began in Southern California Disney theme parks in late December, the health agency said. Public health authorities have begun campaigning about the importance of vaccinating children against measles. President Obama, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy and Baltimore Public Health Commissioner Leana S. Wen, as well as the CDC and other public health organizations have called on parents to vaccinate children.

"Baltimore pediatricians, health officials urge parents to vaccinate children against measles" (WBAL-TV - February 9, 2015)

Pediatricians from 10 Baltimore-area hospitals and the city's health commissioner are urging parents to vaccinate their children against the measles. Some of the area's leading pediatricians converged Monday at a measles symposium at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to, in essence, put their foot down, saying the public is at risk when parents decide not to vaccinate their kids. "We stand here as pediatricians and public health leaders of Baltimore City and County to express our solidarity on the importance of childhood vaccination," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said.

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