Recent News

City adjusts emergency response to overdose deaths (WBAL)

May 5th, 2017

When authorities receive an emergency drug-related call, one might expect to see medics and not necessarily police officers, but that is changing in Baltimore City.

Treating overdose investigations as crime scenes is the new tactic that the Baltimore Police Department is using in an effort to help stem the staggering number of overdose deaths in the city.

The point is to cut off the drug supply and distribution. As part of the plan, patrol officers will be the first point of contact to gather information at the scene of an overdose from witnesses or family members who, ideally, would trace back to a dealer.

"We're trying to identify and track individuals that are supplying on the streets of Baltimore, and then build criminal cases against them regarding overdoses, particularly overdose death investigations," Baltimore police Deputy Commissioner Dean Palmere said.

The patrol officers will report to a task force consisting of a sergeant and four detectives working out of the homicide unit. The officers are working in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"My only concern is that we have a high number of homicides in the city, and I would rather them be focused solely on the homicides, but we have to look at things in unique ways and also be able to trace back because people are being killed by this stuff," Baltimore City Councilman Brandon Scott said.

According to the Baltimore City Health Department, there were more than 600 people who died from an overdose in Baltimore City last year, which is almost double the number of homicides.

Read the entire story. 

Lead In Our Water: The National Picture (On Point – NPR)

May 5th, 2017

It’s not just Flint. More cities have dangerous lead levels in their drinking water. We’ll look at where and what’s going on.

The lead contamination in Flint, Michigan caused an uproar across the country. But there are more than 3,000 cases around the U.S. where lead levels are even double that of Flint. From New York to Alabama. Pennsylvania to California. Lead levels are at treacherous highs and making our children sick. This hour On Point, America’s  on-going lead crisis.

Guests

Michael Pell, data reporter for Reuters.

Kris Maher, reporter for The Wall Street Journal. (@Kris_Maher)

Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore Health Commissioner. Emergency room physician. (@DrLeanaWen)

Nayyirah Shariff, director of Flint Rising, a coalition working to advocate for families impacted by the Flint Water Crisis. (@nayyirahshariff)

Listen to the entire show. 

Health officials warn about the threat of Zika, already 19 cases in Maryland this year (WMAR)

May 5th, 2017

Mosquitos are back!

Here in Maryland, the blood sucking pests start breeding in March, and with those itchy bites come the threat of more serious infections like Zika.

"It is very important that people know that Zika is still a global public health emergency,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen.  “And the main danger is for pregnant women because of the association with severe birth defects in the unborn child."

The virus is linked to babies being born with abnormally small heads and brains, a condition called microcephaly.

Since 2015 there have been 5,264 cases of Zika in the United States.  This year, 19 people have already contracted the illness here in Maryland.

The bugs might not be biting in your backyard yet, but with warm and wet weather in the forecast, Baltimore leaders say now is the time to take precautions.

"The best way for us to prevent mosquitos from breeding is to get rid of standing water,” Wen said.  “Even something as small as a bottle cap can be the breeding ground for mosquitos, so look in your yard and dump flower pots, dump Tupperware containers, cover your trashcans, just get rid of any area of standing water."

Read the entire story.

Baltimore City Health Commissioner Worried About Health of Millions After Passage of House Bill to Replace the Affordable Care Act

May 4th, 2017

BALTIMORE, MD (May 4, 2017) – Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen today issued the following statement in response to the Republican House bill that would replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 29 (WBAL)

May 1st, 2017

On this day, law enforcement strongly encourages residents to turn in unused, unwanted or expired medications to one of several drug disposal locations where law enforcement officials will gather and safely dispose of these medications.

Nationally, the Drug Enforcement Agency and its partners collected over 366 tons of prescription drugs at almost 5,200 sites last year.

Baltimore's Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said the event is about saving lives. The misuse of opioids kills 44 people a day, which is more than suicide, homicide and car accidents.

Read the entire story.

National Drug Take-Back Day Encourages Safe Disposal Of Unused Medications (CBS Baltimore)

May 1st, 2017

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Unused medications for a lot of people often sit somewhere in their homes. There is a fear it will land in the wrong hands, or even cause death.

It’s the reason behind the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day and many people stepped up, and properly tossed out.

Tanya Brown is one of the many people in Baltimore dropping off what she no longer needs nor uses, bottles of old prescription medication.

“I thought it was important to get these old things out of my home and get them properly disposed of,” she says.

It’s a big push from the DEA’s Baltimore district office, where assistant special agent Don Hibbert, says we are in the midst of a serious epidemic.

“In 2015, 52,000 people died from an overdose, 33,000 of those were from opioids. That’s more that can fill the capacity of Camden Yards,” says Hibbert.

“When we think about commonly abused substances, we tend to think about: the heroine, cocaine, illegal drugs, but actually prescription and over the counter drugs are some of the most commonly abused substances in America,” says Dr. Leanna Wen, Baltimore City Commissioner of Health.

Read the entire story. 

Baltimore's Health Commissioner talks about city-wide day of clean-up (Fox 45)

Apr 28th, 2017

Dr. Leana Wen discusses Mayor's Spring Clean Up, Zika, and National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

Watch the video.

City braces for overdoses after pain clinic shut down (WBAL TV11)

Apr 28th, 2017

BALTIMORE —Authorities have shut down a pain clinic in north Baltimore after police raided it this week. 

Offices of the Westside Medical Group in the 4400 block of Falls Road were closed Thursday. People who went to the door of the clinic Thursday afternoon found a notice that said, "The office of Dr. Kofi Shaw-Taylor is closed." The notice had phone numbers to call for help, including the Maryland Crisis Hotline, (800-422-0009), and the Baltimore City Health Department.

The Health Department issued a warning Tuesday after federal, state and local law enforcement shut down the clinic. 

"We sent out the alert in order to let our partners in law enforcement, in emergency departments, fire departments and EMS and other outreach workers know that there may be an increase in overdoses that are occurring," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said.

 Read the entire story: www.wbaltv.com/article/city-braces-for-overdoses-after-pain-clinic-shut-down/9572370

N Baltimore pain clinic raided by the Feds, city health department says overdoses could spike (ABC2 NEWS)

Apr 28th, 2017

BALTIMORE - A spokesperson for the DEA tells ABC 2 News a task force made up of federal and local agencies raided Dr. Kofi Shaw-Taylor's offices on Falls Road Tuesday morning, calling it a pain management clinic.

 The doors are locked, and there's a sign out front letting people know the practice is closed.  We don't have many details about the investigation into Shaw-Taylor, but the Maryland Attorney General's office says the Annapolis man was charged with Medicaid fraud.

"I was shocked to hear about this,” one patient said.

The woman says she's been coming to the clinic for the past year to get Suboxone, a narcotic used to treat opioid addiction.  It’s unclear how many people were being treated by Shaw-Taylor, however now they're all scrambling to find a new doctor and get new prescriptions.

Read the entire story.

DEA raid on Baltimore pain clinic prompts city health department to issue alert about possible increase in overdoses

Apr 28th, 2017

Health officials warned a network of medical providers throughout Baltimore this week of a possible increase in drug overdoses and withdrawals among local patients after a pain management clinic in North Baltimore was raided and closed by federal and local law enforcement, officials confirmed Wednesday.

The Baltimore City Health Department heard Tuesday from local law enforcement officials that they had closed a health care provider's office, and health officials immediately began notifying hospital emergency rooms, emergency service providers, treatment centers and others.

"We are on high alert for instances that can lead to an increase in overdoses in the city," said Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore City's health commissioner. "We monitor for all potential spikes."

Todd Edwards, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman, confirmed that his agency partnered with Baltimore police — as well as Anne Arundel County police and the office of Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh — to raid the Westside Medical Group offices of Dr. Kofi Shaw-Taylor in the 4400 block of Falls Road about 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Read entire story.

Pages