Recent News

A Blueprint for a Healthier Baltimore (Afro)

Sep 1st, 2016

By: Dr. Leana Wen

In thousands of conversations with community members, businesses, grassroots organizations, and elected leaders across Baltimore, I have seen how our City continues to wrestle with deeply-rooted issues of poverty, racial inequality, and structural racism.

​Here in Baltimore, there are neighborhoods just blocks apart where the life expectancy differs by 20 years. We have made significant strides in reducing infant mortality, and yet Black babies continue to die at twice the rate of White babies. Homicide continues to be the leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds in the city – more than 90 percent of homicide victims in 2016 have been Black.

Baltimore City Announces Increased Response to Addiction on International Overdose Awareness Day

Aug 31st, 2016

Baltimore, Md. (August 31, 2016) – Today, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen joined U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman John Sarbanes, and partners across the city to highlight Baltimore’s ongoing response to the overdose crisis in observance of International Overdose Awareness Day, a global annual event to raise awareness of overdose and reduce stigma associated with the disease of addiction.      

Baltimore City Health Commissioner Commends FDA for Issuing Warning for Dangerous Combination of Medications Amid Opioid Overdose Crisis

Aug 31st, 2016

BALTIMORE, MD (August 31, 2016) – Today, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen issued the following statement in response to the decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to adopt a “black box warning” on the concurrent prescription of opioids and benzodiazepines: 

Baltimore Draws 10-Year Blueprint To Cut Racial Health Disparities (Kaiser Health News)

Aug 31st, 2016

Baltimore officials presented a 10-year plan Tuesday that sharply highlights the poor health status of African-Americans and aims to bring black rates of lead poisoning, heart disease, obesity, smoking and overdoses more in line with those of whites.

“We wanted to specifically call out disparities” in racial health, said Dr. Leana Wen, who became the city’s health commissioner early last year. “And we have a moonshot. Our moonshot is we want to cut health disparities by half in the next 10 years.”

 

FDA requires new warnings on danger of combining opioids, benzodiazepines (Washington Post)

Aug 31st, 2016

The Food and Drug Administration, alarmed that increasing numbers of Americans are combining opioid painkillers and benzodiazepines, said Wednesday that it will require tough new warnings on the product labels that spell out the serious dangers of mixing the drugs.

The agency said it will require “boxed warnings” — its strongest category — on 389 separate products and will mandate the warning on opioid-containing cough medications. The new language will list the hazards of using the medications in tandem, which include extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma and even death.

U.S. FDA strengthens warning over opioid/sedative combination (Reuters)

Aug 31st, 2016

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday strengthened warnings about the danger of combining opioid painkillers or cough medicines containing opioids with benzodiazepines, a common class of sedatives.

The agency is requiring that black box warnings, the strongest available, be added to nearly 400 products, alerting doctors and patients that combining opioids and benzodiazepines can cause extreme sleepiness, slowed breathing, coma and death.

FDA Boosts Warning On Danger Of Combining Opioids And Anxiety Meds (NPR)

Aug 31st, 2016

The Food and Drug Administration is warning that patients and doctors should more fully understand the potentially life-threatening risks of combining anti-anxiety or sleep medications with prescription opioids.

To that end, the agency is requiring that nearly 400 products carry a "black box warning" highlighting the risks from combined use, it said in a press releaseWednesday. The risks include extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma and death.

Baltimore attacking overdose epidemic (WMAR)

Aug 31st, 2016

On Baltimore's Block, they deal in drugs of a different kind---naloxone, which is an antidote for opioids, and one of the city’s health educators, Nathan Fields, offers a simple message. 

"If you save a life today, you can make a better choice tomorrow,” Fields said. “If you don't save a life today and that person dies, then there's no tomorrow." 

New labels warn against mixing opioids, benzodiazepines (CNN)

Aug 31st, 2016

In the Food and Drug Administration's latest move to help stem the tide of drug overdoses, it is now requiring "black-box warnings" on nearly 400 products to warn about the dangers of using opioid painkillers in combination with benzodiazepines, drugs commonly used to treat neurological and psychological conditions including seizure, anxiety and insomnia. 

Both opioids, such as hydrocodone and oxycodone, and benzodiazepines, such as diazepam and alprazolam, can slow the central nervous system. Using them together can lead to extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma and death.

Baltimore City Health Department Launches “Healthy Baltimore 2020”

Aug 30th, 2016

BALTIMORE, Md. (August 30, 2016)—The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) today released Healthy Baltimore 2020, a strategic blueprint for health and wellness in Baltimore City through the lens of health equity.

 

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