Recent News

Baltimore launches campaign to stop the elderly from falling (Baltimore Sun)

Apr 16th, 2018

Far more people end up in the hospital with injuries from falling in Baltimore than in the rest of the state, leading city officials to launch a campaign Monday to curb the rate of falling among the elderly.

“Falls are a growing public health concern, especially for older adults,” said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen.

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Leana Wen

Baltimore City Officials Announce Citywide Falls Prevention Strategy for Older Adults

Apr 16th, 2018

BALTIMORE, MD (April 16, 2018) — Today, Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen announced a new Citywide falls prevention strategy aimed at reducing falls-related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for older adults in Baltimore City.

Leana Wen

Baltimore Officials Look To Reduce Accidental Falls, Costs (WJZ)

Apr 15th, 2018

Officials in Baltimore are hoping to find ways to reduce number of people injured in accidental falls, and the resulting health costs as well. 

A citywide initiative to be announced Monday is focused on prevention of falls, especially among older residents.

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March for Science 2018: Passionate advocates push the cause for research across the globe (USA Today)

Apr 14th, 2018

Thousands on the National Mall on Saturday marched past the Environmental Protection Agency and to the U.S. Capitol to advocate for science to play a larger role in society — and stressed how research already ripples through a slew of issues from guns to immigration.

Leana Wen, commissioner of health in Baltimore City, spoke to the crowd about the realities of the opioid epidemic in her urban center today. Society needs to change how it views addiction, she stressed, adding "science shows us addiction is a disease, not a moral failing." 

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Leana Wenopioids

Bmore Healthy Newsletter: April 13, 2018

Apr 13th, 2018

Click here to read the 4/13/18 newsletter.

In this issue:

  • Note From The Commissioner
  • Dr. Wen Participates in Panel Discussion with Senator Mikulski at Johns Hopkins Undergraduate Public Health Conference
  • Dr. Wen Speaks at Beyond Flexner Conference
  • and more

Subscribe to the Bmore Healthy Newsletter.

Note From The Commissioner: Legislation on the Right Side of History

Apr 13th, 2018

Monday was the final day of the Maryland General Assembly. We are excited about several priority bills the legislature passed, including efforts to ensure affordable access to healthcare, to reduce gun violence, and to advance maternal and child health. Our team at the Baltimore City Health Department provided testimony on no less than 27 bills, including the Maryland Health Care Access Act of 2018 (HB1782/SB387); Pharmacist Gag Rule Bill (HB736/SB576); Maryland Prenatal and Infant Care Coordination Services Grant Program Fund (Thrive by Three Fund) (HB1685/SB912); and the Maryland Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Fund Bill (HB432/SB0545). We are grateful to our representatives in Annapolis for recognizing the need to fight for health coverage for all Marylanders, and for standing on the right side of history.

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Hospitalizations from falls 55 percent higher in Baltimore than rest of the state (Baltimore Sun)

Apr 13th, 2018

Baltimore officials will announce a citywide initiative Monday aimed at curbing the number of injuries from falls, a major problem in the city that results in $60 million in hospital costs a year. 

The city’s new strategy will focus on mapping where falls occur using real-time hospital data and targeting fall prevention efforts in hot spots where there are high fall rates. The initiative will also include an educational campaign. The city will work with non-profit organizations to help make seniors’ homes more fall-proof.

Read the entire story.

Leana Wen

25 ways to make Baltimore better: Suggestions from Aaron Maybin, Leana Wen and more (Baltimore Sun)

Apr 13th, 2018

We asked 25 notable people from the Baltimore area about ways to improve the community. Here’s what they said: 

Take control of your health and help those around you 

Learn to use naloxone or narcan, and carry it in your medicine cabinet and first aid kit. We are in the middle of an opioid epidemic, and in the case of an overdose, this is one medication that will save someone’s life within seconds. Everyday residents who are not medically trained — our neighbors and friends — have saved the lives over 1,600 lives. And, know your numbers. Go to your primary care doctor every year and make sure that you know your blood pressure and cholesterol. Get tested for HIV. HIV does not discriminate — one in 5 don’t know that they have it, so it's important that we all get tested. — Leana Wen, Baltimore Health Commissioner

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Leana Wen

In opioid epidemic, some cities strain to afford OD antidote (AP)

Apr 12th, 2018

On a Baltimore street corner, public health workers hand out a life-saving overdose antidote to residents painfully familiar with the ravages of America’s opioid epidemic. But the training wraps up quickly; all the naloxone inhalers are claimed within 20 minutes.

“Every week, we count the doses we have left and make hard decisions about who will receive the medication and who will have to go without,” said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, who issued the city’s innovative blanket prescription for the drug in 2015.

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Leana Wenopioids

Baltimore City short on overdose kits (WBAL)

Apr 11th, 2018

The U.S. surgeon general wants more people to learn how to carry and know how to use the drug Naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an overdose. 

"The problem we have is not the policy, it's the price. Between now and July, I only have about 160 kits of Naloxone left to give out, which means that every day, I have to make a decision about who is going to get this Naloxone and who will have to go without," Wen said.

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Leana Wenopioids

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