Bmore Health Weekly Newsletter: March 18th
Note from Commissioner Dear Valuable Community Partner, Welcome to the Baltimore City Health Department weekly digest! This week,
Thank you for your support and commitment to Baltimore! With all my best, Leana Wen, M.D. M.Sc.
Agency News Baltimore City Launches Safe Streets Expansion in Sandtown-Winchester
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Obama Administration Comes to Baltimore to Award $94 Million to Help Country Combat Opioid Epidemic
Baltimore Students Kick Butts!
Dr. Wen In the Community
Learn More About the State of Health in Baltimore! This spring, conversations across our city are focusing on the state of the economy, public safety, and education. These are all essential issues – but there is another critical topic that cuts across all of them: health. BCHD’s winter white paper is a comprehensive summary of key issues, services, and policies at the health department, including (1) essential background information on key topics from behavioral health to chronic disease; (2) our accomplishments over the past year; and (3) our aspirations for the future. We believe in sharing openly the progress we have made against our top health priorities within the city, and encourage you to review the paper and to share it with anyone that you believe would benefit from seeing this content! Later this spring, we will look forward to engaging you and other partners in developing Healthy Baltimore 2020, which will build upon the content in this white paper to present a five year blueprint for health and well-being in the city.
Zika Update We understand the situation with Zika virus is constantly evolving. Out of an abundance of caution, the Baltimore Department City Health continues to closely monitor the movement of the virus, particularly among travelers. The CDC has comprehensive Zika information available athttp://www.cdc.gov/zika/. The situation with Zika is changing quickly, and we will be providing regular updates at http://health.baltimorecity.gov/zika-virus and on Twitter @BMore_Healthy especially coming into the Spring and Summer months.
B’More Health Talks Thank you for joining us for the Baltimore City Health Department's twelfth B’More Health Talk! 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. Our last discussion was entitled “Baltimore through a public health lens,” and featured a remarkable panel of guests including,
Our last Bmore Health Talks included a lively twitter chat with the hasttag #BmoreHealthTalks. We hope you’ll join us for our next talk on Friday, April 8th, by calling 605-562-3180 and using the access code 117-245-291 and tweet-chat live with the hashtag #BMoreHealthTalks. You can listen to all of our past Bmore Health Talks on our Soundcloud. You can also watch the special webcast edition of our last Bmore Health Talks on HIV on our youtube channel. In the meantime, we hope you will email us at bmoreheard@baltimorecity.gov with suggestions, ideas, or comments for this and future episodes.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and we want to make sure everyone is putting their health first and having honest conversations with their doctor. According to the American Cancer Society, most people should be receiving regular colon cancer screening beginning at age 50 and people with a family history of the disease or other risk factors should talk with their doctor about beginning screening at a younger age, so talk with your doctor to find out which tests might be right for you. Permanent full-time and permanent part-time employees are granted up to four (4) hours leave per calendar year for cancer screenings. The time will not be counted toward an employee’s accumulated leave. Prior approval from the employee’s immediate supervisor is required to get the four (4) hours of leave. Agency Human Resources Officers will provide the required form that needs to be completed and returned after the screening.
…As well as Social Work Month! We would like to take this time to acknowledge National Professional Social Work Month and highlight the important contributions social workers make to society. Our nation’s more than 600,000 social workers confront some of the most challenging issues facing individuals and families, and create solutions that help people reach their full potential and make our communities a better place to live. For activities you can take part in to commemorate the month, honor social workers, and educate the public about the often unnoticed ways that social workers bring great good to our society, visit socialworkmonth.org.
BCHD Health and Wellness Team is promoting American Heart Month Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. According to the CDC, about 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year- that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. The National Heart Attack Alert Program notes these major signs of a heart attack: chest pain or discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body (including one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach), shortness of breath, or other symptoms (i.e. cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness. The Baltimore City Health Department proudly promotes American Heart Month and encourages you to make healthy changes to lower your risk of developing heart disease. Controlling and preventing risk factors is also important for people who already have heart disease. To lower your risk: · Watch your weight. · Quit smoking and stay away from second hand smoke. · Control your cholesterol and blood pressure. · If you drink, drink only in moderation. · Get active and eat healthy.
Youth Violence Prevention Week As a city, our task is to help ensure our youth’s well-being and their growth into successful adults. Coming up is Youth Violence Prevention week in Baltimore on April 2nd to 9th. Do you know a youth or adult making their community or school safer? Then nominate them to be a Baltimorphosis winner! Deadline is March 21st. Baltimorphosis Nomination form: http://health.baltimorecity.gov/files/baltimorphosis-2016-request-nominationspdf You can find resources for activities at Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE): http://nationalsave.org/what-we-do/save-events/national-youth-violence-p...Awareness activities can include: Promote respect and tolerance; Manage your anger. Don't let it manage you!; Resolve conflicts peacefully; Support safety; Unite in action Stay tuned for more details about Youth Violence Prevention week activities in Baltimore.
Get Ready for Spring Break! The Department of Recreation and Parks is sponsoring Spring Break: Mini Camp for kids ages 5-14 this Spring Break. The camp, which includes swimming, field trips, arts & crafts, camping, and more, will run March 28th to April 1st from 8 am to 5 pm. Pay $100 or $25/day and supper is provided. Register now until March 21st online at http://bcrp.baltimorecity.gov/.
Children’s Cabinet-Reading Reminder March is National Reading Month, and we want to spread the word about signing up to be a reading tutor. As you know, the Mayor signed an executive order allowing city employees two hours of paid leave to volunteer with Reading Partners. With 90% of the 4th graders in Baltimore reading below grade level, your support of this partnership and willingness to spread the word among your team can make a huge impact on Baltimore’s children and our city. This is a fantastic opportunity to change a life. It is easy for anyone to sign up, and sites are located throughout the City. Currently, we have 82 City employees who tutor once a week with Reading Partners. While this is great, there are over 100 students who are waiting for a tutor and need your support. It's easy to make a huge difference.
Events American Diabetes Association: Alert Day
Baltimore-wide Diabetes Prevention Events In addition to the above event, we would like to share some general information about diabetes risk factors with you all. 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:
Anyone can check to see 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 offers 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. Join BCHD’s team by clicking HERE to register! 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.
Living Well With Diabetes Series If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with diabetes, we have the perfect event for you to mark on your calendar. This 6-week program will teach you how to manage the symptoms of diabetes by taking control of your health and includes 15 hours of workshops and materials. The Living Well with Diabetes series will discuss: Nutrition and Healthy Eating; Monitoring Blood Pressure; Skin and Foot Care; Prevention and Exercise; and Stress Management. The series will be hosted at Keswick Multi-Care on 700 West 40th Street, Baltimore, MD 21211. Series dates are as follows: Mar. 17, Mar. 24, Mar. 31, from 4:00 pm-6:30 pm. Free hot dinners will be provided. If you need assistance with transportation, Action in Maturity may be able to help. Please let us know when you reserve your space. Register now by calling 410-662-4363! Space is limited. Action in Maturity may be able to assist with transportation for you, if needed. Please let us know if you need assistance when you reserve your space.
Get Pump’d for the Purse & Pumps 1 Mile Awareness Walk
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. Commissioner’s office hours are 8-8:30am every day, please come by. |