Recent News

Commissioner's Corner: We Cannot Repeal the ACA

Mar 10th, 2017

On Monday night, members of the U.S. House of Representatives proposed a bill that aims to replace the Affordable Care Act. I am gravely concerned about the implications for Baltimore. As I mentioned in an opinion piece in The Baltimore Sun, the proposal threatens to dismantle Medicaid, which is the safety net that provides insurance for women, children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. It would cut reproductive health services and gut programs that focus on disease prevention. It takes away protections to low-income individuals to help them get insurance, and will take us back to a time when people are forced to choose between paying for food and medications.

Testimony in favor for SB 669 Tobacco Products - Minimum Age and Civil Fines

Mar 9th, 2017

Following is testimony given by Emilie Gilde, Director of Tobacco Use and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention. The statement was presented to the Finance Committee on behalf of Dr. Wen on March 9, 2017.

Testimony in favor of SB 988 Maryland Community Health Worker Act

Mar 9th, 2017

Following is testimony given by Margret Schnitzer, Director of the Community Asthma Program. The statement was presented to the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs on behalf of Dr. Wen on March 9, 2017.

Baltimore tech firm tapped to make sure Flint water crisis doesn't happen here (BBJ)

Mar 9th, 2017

The health department is working with seven private sector teams of experts, designers and engineers to confront public health issues impacting the city with technology solutions. The project is backed by city-sponsored microgrants.

Delali Dzirasa said his software company is working on a tool to make sure Baltimore doesn't become the next Flint, Mich.

Fearless Solutions LLC was tapped by the to develop a data dashboard that maps public health information for the city. The health department collects a lot of data each year — on disease tracking, restaurant inspections, lead levels, etc. — but it is fragmented and there was no way to consolidate it and map trends or anomalies across the city.

That is the problem that Fearless took on, developing a dashboard that could bring all of that data together and give clear, concise picture of health trends in Baltimore. Residents and health officials will be able to look at certain health indicators to see which neighborhoods they most affect and how they interact with other health issues in the city, Dzirasa said. The dashboard will also be able to create predictive models based on past health trends, so the department can start planning how to confront new health problems before they come up.

Read the entire story.

Leaders celebrate 1000th pair of glasses given to city students (Video) (ABC2 News)

Mar 9th, 2017

Baltimore leaders celebrated the 1000th pair of glasses provided under the Vision for Baltimore program.

The citywide partnership launched in May to give elementary and middle schools students access to glasses, regardless of their family's ability to pay.

Mayor Catherine Pugh joined Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and city schools CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises Wednesday to mark the milestone.

Vision for Baltimore was launched by the Baltimore City Health Department along with Baltimore City Public Schools and Johns Hopkins University.

www.abc2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/leaders-celebrate-1000th-pair-of-glasses-given-to-city-students

Testimony in Favor of Co-Prescribing Naloxone Saves Lives Act of 2017

Mar 8th, 2017

Following is testimony given by Mark O’Brien, Director of Opioid Overdose Prevention and Treatment. The statement was presented to the Health and Government Operations Committee on behalf of Dr. Wen on March 1, 2017.

Testimony in Favor of HB 1329 Heroin and Opioid Prevention Effort (HOPE) and Treatment Act of 2017

Mar 8th, 2017

Following is testimony given by Mark O’Brien, Director of Opioid Overdose Prevention and Treatment. The statement was presented to the Health and Government Operations Committee on behalf of Dr. Wen on March 7, 2017.

Baltimore City Announces 1000th Pair of Free Glasses Delivered to Students through Vision for Baltimore

Mar 8th, 2017

BALTIMORE, MD (March 8, 2017) – Baltimore City officials marked a major milestone today as the 1,000th pair of glasses was delivered through the Vision for Baltimore program.

Overhaul of health law faces criticism from both sides in Maryland (Baltimore Sun)

Mar 8th, 2017

Health care advocates and Democratic lawmakers in Maryland called a newly released GOP plan to replace the Affordable Care Act a threat to coverage for more than 400,000 state residents, while top Republicans, including Gov. Larry Hogan, argued that the law must be changed to preserve access to health insurance.

"The governor doesn't want to see anyone losing health care," said Doug Mayer, Hogan's chief spokesman. "But he wants a system that works."

But even Mayer characterized the plan congressional Republicans released Monday evening as "just a first draft" for replacing the health law known as Obamacare.

Even as Democrats attacked the plan Tuesday for threatening coverage and increasing costs, it was rejected by Republican deficit hawks, panned by party moderates and given only lukewarm support from President Donald Trump. Conservative lawmakers and outside groups, bristling at the creation of a government entitlement, dubbed the bill "Obamacare 2.0" or "Obamacare lite."

Read entire story. 

Baltimore City Health Commissioner Expresses Grave Concern about Plan to Replace the Affordable Care Act

Mar 7th, 2017

BALTIMORE, MD (March 7, 2017) – Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen today issued the following statement in response to a bill that aims to replace the Affordable Care Act.

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