Recent News

Synthetic Weed Is Back, Bigger Than Ever, and Scary as Hell (Daily Beast)

Jun 1st, 2018

The young woman had pale skin and fire-red hair, and by all appearances was only minutes away from dying from opioid overdose. 

The grim scene unfolded in February, in the Kensington section of North Philadelphia. It’s where the death rate from heroin mixed with illicit fentanyl ranks among the highest in the nation, and the sight of young bodies lying prone and unresponsive on the sidewalk has become the new normal for a cluster of impoverished neighborhoods that have already suffered decades of collateral damage from the war on drugs.

Read the entire story.

In effort to 'normalize' breastfeeding, an oasis at the train station (Baltimore Sun)

Jun 1st, 2018

Amid the activity and noise of Penn Station is a new oasis of sorts, an enclosed pod decorated with sky imagery, where women can nurse infants and pump milk. It’s equipped with benches, a fold-down table and electrical outlets to enable a practice that doctors promote as beneficial to the health of babies — but many moms find hard to do when in public.

Read the entire story.

Leana Wen

Bmore Healthy Newsletter: June 1, 2018

Jun 1st, 2018

Click here to read the 6/1/18 newsletter. Subscribe to the Bmore Healthy newsletter.

In this issue:

  • Note from the Commissioner
  • Hundreds of Seniors Join Mayor Pugh, the Health Department, and Rec & Parks for National Senior Health and Fitness Day in Patterson Park
  • Clinical Director Named President-Elect of Maryland Assembly on School-Based Health Centers
  • and more

Note From The Commissioner: Farewell and Thank You to a True Public Servant

Jun 1st, 2018

Farewell to Olivia

6 Ways People Who Inject Drugs Can Avoid HIV and Hepatitis C Infections (US News & World Report)

May 31st, 2018

IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, A teenage boy who was undergoing treatment for substance use disorder was surprised a couple years ago to learn he'd been infected with hepatitis C. The boy, then 17, was attending private school – and sharing needles with classmates to use heroin, says Dr. Carlos Malvestutto, infectious diseases fellowship program director at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.

Read the entire story.

Leana Wenopioids

Man hopes to save lives with St. Louis syringe exchanges that cut risk of disease outbreak (St. Louis Dispatch)

May 29th, 2018

Aaron Laxton’s trunk is full of supplies for drug users. Laxton goes out nearly every day handing out free syringes to heroin addicts in St. Louis. Laxton is on a mission to help them survive until the day they get clean — just like he did.

Read the entire story.

opioids

Baltimore City Health Commissioner Lena Wen at Health Datapalooza

May 27th, 2018

What do you do when there’s no data to suggest potential solutions? Lena Wen, Baltimore City Commissioner of Health, says, “we throw the boat at it to save lives in our community.” Through a process of iteration, Wen and her team are learning how to more efficiently solve for social determinants of health...starting with a successful public/private collaboration to reduce Baltimore's infant mortality rates.

Watch the interview here.

Leana Wen

Public Health Heroes: The Baltimore City Health Department Hearing and Vision Team

May 25th, 2018

The Baltimore City Health Department’s Hearing and Vision Team has provided 20,000 state-mandated hearing and vision screening services to students at first entry into Baltimore City Public Schools and during the 3rd and 8th grades. 

Hearing and Vision Team

Bmore Healthy Newsletter: May 25, 2018

May 25th, 2018

Click here to read the 5/25/18 newsletter. Subscribe to the Bmore Healthy newsletter.

In this issue:

  • Note from the Commissioner
  • Dr. Wen Serves as Convocation Speaker at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Commencement Ceremony, Awarded Dean’s Medal
  • Recording of Dr. Wen’s Panel at Women of the World Festival Available Online
  • and more

Note From The Commissioner: Public Health Leaders of Today and Tomorrow

May 25th, 2018

This week, I was incredibly honored to deliver the Convocation address for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Class of 2018 on Tuesday. During Convocation, 916 graduates from 61 countries were awarded their degrees—153 doctoral degrees and 74 master's. These are the public health leaders of today and tomorrow!

The Bloomberg School’s mission is the cornerstone of public health – saving lives, millions at a time. This is the dedication to being the society’s doctor, and it’s exemplified through the leadership of Dean Ellen Mackenzie. This Convocation was Dr. Mackenzie’s first as the Dean, and I was particularly touched to receive the Dean’s Medal, the highest recognition conferred by the School for public health leaders. Previous awardees included former Senator Barbara Mikulski; Dr. Harold Varmus (Former Director, National Institutes of Health); Carol Bellamy (Former Executive Director, UNICEF); and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.

Subscribe to the Bmore Healthy newsletter.

Dr. Wen Speaks at Hopkins

Pages