On Tuesday, voters across Maryland chose nominees for the November general election. I congratulate all of the nominees and look forward to working with them to improve health and deliver critical services to our most vulnerable residents. Tom Hall hosted me for our regular WYPR Healthwatch, where we discussed the role that Maryland must play to defend against national actions such as the forcible separation of immigrant children and the Trump administration’s proposed changes to Title X that will impose a “gag rule” on clinicians.

Here at home in Baltimore, we have exciting news: we are in the process of finally moving the Health Department’s Eastern Health Clinic. Eastern provides essential services to our City’s residents, including tuberculosis screenings and treatment, STD/HIV testing and treatment, family planning services, and immunizations for children so they can attend school. Combined, these programs oversee 50,000 patient visits each year. Moreover, the Eastern Health Clinic is also the administrative headquarters for the Health Department’s School Health Supervisors, which oversee nurses in our City’s 200 public schools, as well as the Maternal and Infant Health program, which provides case management and social services for our mothers and babies.

The current Eastern Health Clinic facility was built in the 1940’s and does not have the capacity to accommodate all the services that we can provide. We are glad to have acquired and are now renovating a clinical structure nearby, at 1200 E. Fayette. After years of design and planning, construction on the new building will begin next week, with a vision for it to become a state-of-the-art facility that provides evidence-based medical services that is a welcoming space for the community members we serve.

The new clinic will offer a Health and Wellness Center that will provide fitness and cooking classes in addition to a meeting space for support groups. Thanks to our partners and funders, we have an education and training space that will be used for CPR and general health education classes. Furthermore, we are looking to improve the technology infrastructure of our Center to improve the delivery of our clinical services and the patient experience. For example, we envision every patient registering at the kiosk will be asked medical history questions in their primary language.

I thank Mayor Catherine Pugh and the Baltimore City Council for their support; the France-Merrick Foundation and the Maryland Department of Health for grant assistance; and the Department of General Services for their collaboration to make this renovation possible. It is an honor to work for a Mayor who is dedicated to making positive health outcomes a reality for all of our residents. I thank my team at the Health Department for their dedication to advancing health equity and justice, and am thrilled that the long-awaited construction of 1200 E. Fayette will help advance the Health Department’s goals of addressing health disparities and closing gaps in access to care.

Leana Wen, M.D., M.Sc.