As I assumed leadership of the Baltimore City Health Department one year ago, Iwrote about the need to tackle underlying disparities in three critical areas with innovative, evidence-based approaches. Much has happened since then, including April's unrest that has given our work even more urgency. Under Mayor Rawlings-Blake's leadership, and with the dedicated work of our staff and partners, we have improved outcomes as we strive for health equity for Baltimore's residents.

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.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leana-wen-md/one-year-in-baltimore-fightin...