Make no mistake about it – Baltimore has been hit hard by the HIV epidemic. Baltimore City has the sixth highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the country and one of the country’s highest HIV death rates. And although the number of newly reported HIV infections in Baltimore between 2009 and 2011 decreased overall by more than 24 percent, new infections diagnosed in the black community have increased by 1.5 percent.

Bundle up, Baltimore! Cold temperatures have arrived, but it could get worse. Baltimore City officials have also declared a Code Blue through Monday, Feb. 16 due to low temperatures in the teens and wind chills below zero. “Our advice on keeping warm in cold weather may seem like common sense, but with six hypothermia-related deaths this season, it is vitally important to remember that cold can kill,”said Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner. “All Baltimoreans need to look out for friends and family members and ensure they have warm shelter. Remember that carbon monoxide is a silent killer – do not use unapproved sources of heating."

Baltimore is becoming a destination for drug traffickers looking to take advantage of rising demand among heroin users. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh on Wednesday announced that Maryland will join a six-state coalition to target a heroin supply line along the East Coast that is driving heroin deaths in Baltimore and throughout the state. Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake have made reducing heroin deaths a priority. The city is looking into training police officers and first responders to carry naloxone, an overdose-reversing drug, and wants to find ways to expand rehabilitation services for users.