On-the-street efforts to stop the violence in Baltimore (WYPR) June 5, 2015

Amid a spike in homicides since the Baltimore riots in April, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake earlier this week pointed to a bright spot in efforts to reduce violence in the city: Safe Streets,  an effort of the Baltimore City Health Department which hires mostly ex-offenders to stop violence in four Baltimore neighborhoods. We sit down with Greg Marshburn, an Outreach Supervisor for Safe Streets at its Mondawmin site in West Baltimore, and Dante Barksdale, an Outreach Coordinator for Safe Streets, to talk about stopping violence in Baltimore.

"Baltimore mayor touts 'Safe Streets Zone' success" (WBAL-TV) June 2, 2015

Despite the continuing violence, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is celebrating crime reduction more than a year without a deadly shooting in a Safe Streets Zone. Rawlings-Blake called the success an important milestone for the city. The mayor said thanks to the Safe Streets team and the community for the hard work they've done in reducing violence. The last fatal shooting in Cherry Hill was April 22, 2014.

"Baltimore's Cherry Hill celebrates more than a year without a murder" (WMAR-TV)

It is a neighborhood those born and raised in say has a reputation they are always fighting to overcome. Now there is proof, they say, that fight is working. It has been more than 400 days since someone was killed in the streets of Baltimore's Cherry Hill neighborhood. 

"Health Department Announces OneBaltimore / Baltimore Corps Team To Lead Department’s Public Health Recovery Efforts"

The Baltimore City Health Department announces the selection of a team of fellows to lead the agency’s public health recovery efforts under Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s OneBaltimore initiative. 

"Evaluation Confirms Patient Seen At Hopkins Does Not Have Ebola"

The Baltimore City Health Department reports that clinical evaluation and laboratory tests conducted at Johns Hopkins Hospital have ruled out a diagnosis of Ebola for the patient who was admitted yesterday with a chief complaint of fever and a recent travel history to West Africa. The patient is expected to be discharged from the hospital today and poses no risk to the general public.

"Mental health resources available to children traumatized by Baltimore riots" (WMAR-ABC2) May 27, 2015

As video of fires and looting played out on televisions across the country, many kids were living it. "Trauma in general at the level that we saw in our city has caused more concern for mental health across the board. These are scars that will follow people throughout their lives and it’s important for us to address it now,” Baltimore City Health Commissioner Leana Wen said.

"In Baltimore's bloody May, Safe Streets keeps peace" (Baltimore Sun) May 27, 2015

I'm looking at some numbers and speaking with James Timpson, who runs the Safe Streets violence prevention program in Park Heights, and I'm wondering: Why aren't these guys in every high-crime corner of the city? If the mayor and police commissioner want to make some "adjustments" to curtail the shootings and killings in Baltimore, why not expand Safe Streets — and now?

"Health commissioner urges caution over heat-related illnesses" (Baltimore Sun) May 21, 2015

As summer unofficially begins, Baltimore's health commissioner is urging residents to be wary of the risks of extreme heat. "Heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of people dying and thousands becoming ill every year," Dr. Leana Wen said in a statement. "Heat waves are silent killers and a public health threat, particularly for the young, the elderly and those in our city who are the most vulnerable."

"Baltimore City Prepares For 2015 Code Red Heat Alert Season"

Today, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen was joined by representatives of the Mayor’s Office, Baltimore City Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management, and Office of Human Services / Community Action Partnership in announcing the kickoff of Code Red Heat Alert season, which began May 15th and runs until September 15th

"Heroin deaths continuing to rise in Maryland" (Baltimore Sun) May 19, 2015

The department's annual tally of drug- and alcohol-related deaths shows heroin's toll continuing a steep rise that began several years ago. The number of heroin-related deaths in 2014 was 25 percent higher than the previous year, and more than double the total in 2010. The Baltimore task force is scheduled to issue its recommendations to Rawlings-Blake in July. Dr. Leana S. Wen, the city health commissioner, said the new state statistics confirm what she calls a "public health crisis" — but a preventable one.

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