BALTIMORE, MD (August 18, 2016)–Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen released the following statement following Governor Larry Hogan’s announcement of $500,000 in bridge funding for Baltimore City’s Safe Streets program:

“I want to thank Governor Hogan and the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention for recognizing the impact of Baltimore City’s Safe Streets program as an evidence-based intervention that saves lives, and for understanding that we must fund what works.

"In 2015 alone, our Safe Streets staff mediated nearly 700 conflicts, the majority of which would have resulted in gun violence. Three of our sites have previously gone a year or longer without a firearm homicide, including our Park Heights location, which just eclipsed 365 days without a deadly incident.

"A forthcoming publication from Johns Hopkins reinforces this evidence, finding that Safe Streets has had a larger effect on reducing non-fatal shootings than any other single public safety strategy in Baltimore.

“This stop-gap funding will allow Safe Streets to continue operations into January 2017, supporting our outreach workers who are committed to curing violence and promoting peace in our communities.

"We will continue to work with the Hogan administration and all those dedicated to breaking cycles of violence and trauma in Baltimore City as we establish the long-term sustainability of this life-saving initiative.”