"Numerous studies have shown that regular consumption of sugary drinks is a major factor in childhood obesity, promoting public health officials to call for eliminating these empty calories as the single biggest lifestyle change parents and children can make," said Dr. Wen.

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Healthcare professionals can improve patient screening for opioid abuse and better identify patients with opioid use disorder, experts said here Friday, recognizing that these efforts will be difficult. 

"It's so frustrating because we know what works," said Dr. Leana Wen. "It's so easy, I cannot understand why we don't do it more ... We are rationing Narcan."

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The Baltimore City Council appears poised to pass a bill requiring restaurants to make children’s meals healthier, drawing ire from the industry.

“Taking out empty calories from sugary drinks is a powerful lifestyle change we can make to help our children to get and stay healthy,” said Dr. Leana Wen, the city’s health commissioner, in a statement. 

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The Health Department’s Maternal and Infant Care program (M&I), operates the national Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) home visiting model to help low-income, first-time mothers have healthy pregnancies and successful birth and aftercare outcomes