One day in 1997, a man woke up in the ER after experiencing a heroin overdose. He was scared and homeless, unsure of how to access services to manage his addiction. Soon after this experience, the man encountered “the nicest people in the world” at a Baltimore City Health Department Needle Exchange Van. The peer recovery staff built a relationship with this man based on shared experiences and successfully encouraged him to go into—and stick with—a treatment program that worked for him.

BALTIMORE, MD (May 19, 2016)–Today Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen issued the following statement following this week’s votes by Congress to approve funding to combat the Zika Virus:

BALTIMORE, MD (May 16, 2016)– The Baltimore City Health Department today announced the start of Baltimore City’s Code Red program for the coming summer.

Code Red is a multi-agency effort to provide help provide cooling relief to vulnerable populations in Baltimore. Throughout the summer, City agencies provide public education to residents on the effects of sustained heat on health and perform outreach regarding energy assistance programs for senior residents and other susceptible groups through Community Action Partnership Centers.