Earthquakes.  Tornadoes.  Hurricanes. Winter Storms. Flooding. Civil unrest. We have experienced all of these emergencies in Baltimore in recent years and while each situation comes with its own set of challenges, each is also similar in that individual preparedness plays a major role in how safe the public remains during and immediately after the emergency. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 2012 National Survey, 46 percent of respondents believe that natural disasters will occur in their community; however, nearly 70 percent of Americans have not participated in a preparedness drill or exercise in their home, school, or workplace in the past two years.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a time to recognize vaccines, one of the top 10 public health accomplishments of the 20th Century. It is also a time to remind people that immunizations are not just for children.  They are needed throughout our lifetime. Starting even before a baby is born, mothers can help protect them by getting flu and whooping cough (pertussis) vaccines themselves. These vaccines will provide some disease protection (immunity) that will last the first months of a baby’s life. 

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law transformative legislation that would change the future for millions of Americans, establishing the Medicare and Medicaid programs.  While Medicare and Medicaid started as basic insurance programs for Americans who didn’t have health insurance, the programs have changed over the years to provide more and more Americans with access to the quality and affordable healthcare they need. 

In the space of just a few hours, we’ve dropped off flyers to a dozen recreation centers, visited a health clinic, listened in on a senior citizen symposium, and spoken at two neighborhood association meetings. Though with three desks tucked into a quiet corner of the Health Department’s headquarters, it is rare to find us there for very long.