Agency News Note from Commissioner: One Year Later Dear friends and partners, It has been one year since the death of Freddie Gray and one year since our city experienced a period of civil unrest fueled by decades of disenfranchisement, structural racism, and systemic inequalities and injustice. It was also a year ago that our team demonstrated immense dedication, working tirelessly throughout a truly difficult time for our city. During the unrest, BCHD led such critical efforts, including: - Canvassing neighborhoods and set up a hotline to ensure our residents had access to life-saving medications;
- Ensuring that hospitals were protected and developed a plan to communicate with emergency managers across the city to coordinate efforts;
- Mobilizing an emergency shuttle, food pantry and medical supply pantry at the Sandtown-Winchester Senior Center; and
- Establishing a 24/7 crisis hotlines and group counseling for trauma debriefing.
Our mandate is to help all residents realize their full health potential, especially when the challenges seem daunting. Public health should never take a back seat. We were on the front lines providing care for our most vulnerable during the unrest, and over the past year we have continued to take steps to address underlying health disparities our city. We have helped children better achieve their potential by expanding mental health services to 119 schools, providing students with nearly 300,000 visits to health suites in 180 schools, and obtaining needed funding for our children with an $8.5 million federal grant for reproductive health education and a $1.5 million grant for community-based youth violence prevention. Our signature B’More for Healthy Babies program has experienced continued success, with a 50 percent reduction in sleep-related infant deaths and a 32 percent reduction in teen birth rates. We mobilized support for policy changes and improved services to ensure childhood immunizations, begin trauma-informed care trainings, decrease sales of cigarettes to underage youths, and ban dangerous substances like powdered alcohol and synthetic drugs. We have taken on the epidemic of substance abuse head-on, launching one of the most aggressive opioid overdose prevention programs in the country. Last year, we trained more than 7,000 people in using the antidote, naloxone; worked with the Police Department to train officers; and became the first jurisdiction in Maryland to issue blanket prescriptions for all 620,000 residents. We launched a 24/7 crisis and resource phone line for addiction treatment; introduced a “Don’t Die” anti-stigma campaign; and worked with state partners to secure $3.6 million toward a stabilization center. This work, featured by President Obama, the U.S. Surgeon General, the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, is saving lives while changing the understanding that addiction is a disease; treatment exists, and recovery is possible. We have also made strides to increase care for our most vulnerable populations. We secured a $22 million grant to bring HIV prevention and treatment to underserved populations while creating 70 new jobs in the city. The White House acknowledged Baltimore’s leadership in HIV care, as we joined the Fast Track Cities initiative to end AIDS by 2030. We started biweekly town halls entitled B’More Health Talks and convened hospital CEOs and community leaders to develop citywide initiatives to assist the most vulnerable including around food access and preventing falls in the elderly. We have made much progress over the past year, but this week especially, we must remember that public health is an important social justice tool—and can help us to address the challenges that fueled the unrest and to transform our city. Together we can ensure Baltimore becomes a healthier, more inclusive, and more equitable city. Best wishes, Leana Wen, M.D. M.Sc. BCHD Announces Citywide Preparedness Plan for Zika Virus On Tuesday, Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Dr. Wen joined City leaders to announce Baltimore City’s Zika Preparedness Plan to educate the public about the Zika virus and coordinate a citywide response to help prevent the spread of the virus. Baltimore’s Citywide Zika Plan will be the first in Maryland, and aims to serve as a model for other cities. As of today, Maryland has had nine confirmed cases of Zika virus infection. All have been related to travel to areas with ongoing transmission; none have involved local transmission. During mosquito season, there is the potential for local transmission in Baltimore if an individual with travel associated Zika is bitten by a mosquito and that mosquito then bites other residents.. Zika cannot be transmitted via casual contact (i.e. shaking someone’s hand), but can be transmitted through sexual contact. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her baby. In February, Mayor Rawlings-Blake announced the formation of a Strategic Zika Preparedness Task Force. Chaired by Dr. Wen and the Health Department team, this Task Force convened high-level representatives from nearly 20 city agencies to determine recommendations and assess the capacity for a city-wide response to the Zika virus. The citywide plan announced this week was based on the Working Group’s recommendations to prevent the potential spread of the Zika Virus in Baltimore, and consists of two major components: 1.Develop and implement citywide mosquito control plan. Baltimore City will restart the mosquito surveillance and control program, which has been inactive since 2007. This will involve: - Targeted spraying in affected areas with adulticide and larvacide in response to confirmed cases of Zika;
- Starting responses to standing water through 311 and coordinating environmental sanitarians to distribute larvacide;
- Conducting mosquito surveillance to identify mosquitos that may carry Zika; and
- Increasing the City’s capacity to investigate possible cases of Zika and conduct community outreach.
Additionally, Baltimore City will provide Zika prevention kits for 9,000 pregnant women (which may include permethrin, repellent, condoms, and larvacide). 2. Conduct widespread public education. Over the last several months, BCHD has conducted extensive public education around the Zika Virus and its potential impact on the region. Under the plan, we will continue to: - Distribute educational materials and messaging through media, social media, and community outreach;
- Disseminate educational materials to all city agencies;
- Continue to regularly update hospitals and providers across the city with the latest CDC guidance; and
- Engage in targeted outreach for pregnant women through the B’More for Healthy Babies program, as well as obstetric providers, Health Care Access Maryland (HCAM), Baltimore City Department of Social Services (BCDSS), and other entities.
In addition, BCHD will soon release a Zika Ambassador Program (ZAP) and informational packets which will provide City agencies, community based organizations, neighborhood associations, and individuals with the information they need to be aware of Zika, how to prevent it, and how to educate others. Through the ZAP, the Health Department will also hold “train the trainer” sessions for individuals from community based organizations to learn about Zika and receive the tools necessary to educate individuals they serve in their community. Our Zika Working Group will continue to monitor this this quickly evolving situation and will provide recommendations and updates as the latest information becomes available and will ensure coordination and rapid deployment of resources as necessary. To learn more about the Zika Virus, including information for women who are, may become pregnant, and their partners, as well as tips to prevent the potential spread of the virus, please visit: http://health.baltimorecity.gov/zika-virus/ The CDC has additional information including the latest travel guidance, available at: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/ We will be providing regular updates on our website at http://health.baltimorecity.gov/zika-virus and on twitter @BMore_Healthy, during the spring and summer months. |
BCHD Goes to the Polls—for Naloxone Trainings! We would like to extend a special thank you to the volunteers who came out Tuesday for our first ever Election Day Naloxone Training event! With the help of our volunteers, we were able visit 7 different polling locations in some of the areas hardest hit by the opioid epidemic and train over 80 people on how to administer the life-saving drug, naloxone. We truly appreciate you taking your time to help educate people on how to save a life. If you were unable to make it to one of our trainings yesterday, please visit www.dontdie.org/getcertified to become certified to carry and use naloxone. And if you would like to know about future volunteer opportunities, please contact Kelleigh.eastman@baltimorecity.gov. |
Red Carpet Launch for Baltimore in Conversation! |
As Baltimore strives to become HIV-free, we must address the social stigma that fuels this epidemic that impacts so many of our residents– stigmas such as homophobia, transphobia, and serophobia. Last Friday, the Baltimore City Health Department hosted Baltimore in Conversation, a red carpet event highlighting never-heard-before stories of triumphs from African American, same gender loving people and their allies. We will continue to host events in the coming weeks and months to inspire hope and to build community empathy around structural oppression and its impact on our everyday lives and health. Learn more about the movement at http://www.baltimoreinconversation.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreInConversation/ |
#ProjectPresence: The Opening Exhibition B’More Health Talks Thank you for joining us for the Baltimore City Health Department's latest B’More Health Talk! Today’s discussion focused around issues of trauma, mental health, and the development of the new citywide strategy on trauma and emotional well-being. Thank you to today’s panelists: - Jan Desper Peters, Executive Director, Black Mental Health Alliance;
- Dr. Laurel Kiser, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry University of Maryland School of Medicine;
- Karen Kreisberg, Executive Director, The Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund, The Fund for Change, and The Bancroft Foundation;
- Annette March Grier, President and Co-founder, Roberta’s House; and
- Lynn Mumma, Vice President of Strategy, Behavioral Health System Baltimore
These twice-monthly virtual town hall meetings are an opportunity for leaders in our community to discuss efforts to reduce health disparities, engage in our city's collaborative strategy, and share the work that organizations are doing. As always, you can join us by calling 605-562-3180 and using the access code 117-245-291 and tweet-chat live with the hashtag #BMoreHealthTalks. In the meantime, we hope you will email us at bmoreheard@baltimorecity.gov with suggestions, ideas, or comments for this and future episodes. You can listen to all of our past Bmore Health Talks on our Soundcloud. |
Bringing Our Children to Work… for a Day The Baltimore City Health Department celebrated Take Your Child to Work Day this Thursday, giving our children the opportunity to learn about BCHD and the City of Baltimore and will provide first-hand experience of the inner workings of an office environment! Throughout the day, the Health Department arranged tours, staff presentations, and fun and educational activities. Children even got to spend some time with our Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen! It was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the work of our amazing staff to their children and to help inspire the potential public health leaders of tomorrow! |
Events Baltimore-wide Diabetes Prevention Events Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have high blood glucose or hemoglobin A1C levels, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. If prediabetes goes untreated, individuals may develop diabetes and increase their risk of other chronic diseases such as heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. The Baltimore City Health Department Office of Chronic Disease Prevention, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, has been working diligently to expand the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) throughout Baltimore City. The National Diabetes prevention program is a lifestyle change program that provides tools to help people reach their goals toward living a healthier life. The program includes: - Trained lifestyle coach
- Weekly exercise activities
- Nutrition and exercise log to track progress
- Stress management strategies.
Anyone can check if they are at risk of having Prediabetes by taking the CDC recognized Prediabetes screening test. There are a number of locations in Baltimore City that offer DPPs for high risk individuals. See the flyer for more details or visit the Diabetes Prevention website at health.baltimorecity.gov/chronic-disease-prevention/diabetes-prevention. Take Steps to End HIV/AIDS Walk 2016 | | Please join the Baltimore City Health Department’s HIV/STD Services Bureau as we “Take Steps to End HIV/AIDS” at the 2016 Baltimore AIDS Walk/Run on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 8:30 am. For more information about the event, please the Baltimore AIDS Walk/Run page. You can search for the BCHD team by typing ‘Baltimore City Health Department - HIV/STD Services’ in the search field. Additional information will be sent out as the date for the event approaches. Forward this information along to your family and friends to participate as well. We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday, May 1st. |
Get Pump’d for the Purse & Pumps 1 Mile Awareness Walk Get your strut on while raising awareness about HIV/AIDS among women and girls in your community. The Purse & Pumps 1 Mile Awareness Walk will take place at Druid Hill Park’s Sundial Pavilion from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturday, May 14th. Bring your friends for a day to remember! For more information contact the BCHD STD/HIV Prevention Program: jillian.newsam@baltimorecity.gov or Vonda.colson@baltimorecity.gov. | | |
Retirement Ready Seminars 2016 The Baltimore City Employees’ Retirement Systems (ERS) will conduct monthly Retirement Ready Seminars (RRS) targeted to employees with 15 or more years of ERS membership service. Seminars will be held on the third Wednesday during eight months of 2016. Each session will go from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. No seminars will be conducted for the months of July, August, November, or December. The full list is below for your convenience. The seminars are designed to provide City employees with timely and accurate information about their retirement benefits, including but not limited to: retirement eligibility requirements, retirement application process, disability and death benefits, military time, transfer time, beneficiary designation, and other topics of interest. Additionally, information about Social Security benefits, retirement savings options, health care upon retirement, living wills, power-of-attorney, and estate planning will be discussed. The remaining Retirement Ready Seminar dates are as follows: · May 18, 2016 · June 15, 2016 · September 21, 2016 · October 19, 2016 The Office of the Labor Commissioner is authorizing one day of permission leave for employees to attend a seminar. Any employee who wishes to attend a seminar must submit a request to the immediate supervisor at least two weeks in advance. The request may be denied for operational reasons. Contact ERS to make an appointment: 443-984-3200. News Clips We want to hear from you! Have a unique talent? Doing great things in the community? Have you made a healthy lifestyle change? To nominate yourself or a colleague to get featured in the newsletter just contact BCHD2@baltimorecity.gov. Thank you! Stay in the loop and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and BCHD Blog and don't forget to visit the website. |
