In her op-ed, Dr. Leana Wen warns of the implications of the proposed "gag rule" - including undermining patients’ rights & violating core values of the healing professions.

"Imagine a world in which we deprive patients seeking help for diabetes of access to treatment, such that the only patients who can access care are those with health insurance from their employers or are wealthy enough to pay out-of-pocket. Imagine that even when patients decide on a course of action best suited for them, clinicians knowingly withhold evidence-based treatment. Reproductive health is a critical part of every woman’s health care. Standard medical care should be based on science, not ideology. The fundamental right to health cannot be a privilege reserved only for those who can afford it."

Read the entire op-ed.

In this edition of Midday Healthwatch, Dr. Leana Wen covers the potential impact of Maryland’s primary election results on health policies in Baltimore; proposed regulation changes involving Title X and the potential impact on women's health; the CARE Act and national opioid legislation; and the Health Department’s Hospital Levels of Care initiative and other opioid-related efforts in the City.

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First came the rains. Now come the mosquitoes.

Populations of the itch-inducing insects have multiplied across Maryland — in many areas up to three times their normal early summer numbers — because of recent storms and flooding that have given them an abundance of water to breed in.

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The Baltimore City Health Department has declared a Code Red Extreme Heat Alert through Tuesday. It is the first Code Red of the 2018 season.

"Hundreds of people die every year from heat-related illness," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said. "Heat is a silent killer and a threat to the health of everyone in our city, particularly the young, the elderly and those with chronic diseases. In weather like this, it’s important for everyone to protect against hyperthermia and dehydration."

Read the entire story.