Two recent cases of potential measles in Baltimore, each of which proved to be negative after lab testing, serve as a reminder and a call to action to ensure children are vaccinated against preventable diseases. At an immunization clinic at the city’s Eastern Health Clinic today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and Karl Perry, Chief School Supports Officer for the Baltimore City Public Schools, reminded parents and caregivers that students must have all required state immunizations in order to participate in school, which opens next Monday, August 31.​

The men filled the dark wooden benches of a drug court here Thursday morning, watching as Kevin Burns attached what looked like the end of a syringe and an attachment for nasal spray together in an attempt to revive his overdose victim. “His lips are a little bit blue,” said Burns, who works on drug overdose prevention for Baltimore through the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “If he doesn’t breathe, he will die. We have five to six minutes. That’s all we have.”

Baltimore residents can now help health officials to work on the life-changing problem of tobacco use with a simple phone call.  Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen announced a new tool in the fight against sales of tobacco to underage youth. Individuals can now call 311 to report businesses that are selling tobacco to youth under age 18, and Health Department officials will investigate each complaint.  The Health Department has launched a public education campaign, with messaging inside buses and radio advertisements encouraging individuals to call 311.

Plans for a fifth Safe Streets site are moving forward thanks to grant money from the Abell Foundation. The program started off slowly and eventually expanded. There have been a few years now with four Safe Streets sites that include McElderry Park, Cherry Hill, Mondawmin and Park Heights.