Emergency Preparedness & Response

The Baltimore City Health Department Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) is committed to preparing Baltimore City for public health emergencies such as large-scale disease outbreaks, bioterror events, and other emergencies with an impact on the health of the community.

We do this by:

  • Talking to residents and community leaders about ways we can prepare ourselves for health emergencies.
  • Planning together with government agencies and local healthcare for the response.
  • Monitoring information from hospital emergency department visits, the weather, and other data to identify risks to health or possible health emergencies.
  • Partnering with the city, state, private partners, and community groups to identify resources to meet the needs of the public during emergencies that include extreme heat (Code Red) and extreme cold (Code Blue).

Our office is grant-funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the Maryland Department of Health (MDH).

Code Red Extreme Heat

Code Blue Extreme Cold

Maryland Responds (Maryland's Medical and Public Health Volunteer Corps)

Health concerns in natural disasters

Community health resilience and outreach

To request a presentation on community health resilience and emergency preparedness or to request our participation in your health fair/community event, call us at 443-984-2622 or email us

Bioterrorism preparedness

Health system preparedness

Infectious disease preparedness

Local and state preparedness and response partners

Contact Information:

Phone: 443-984-2622 
Email Us: