Recent News

"Fellows help Baltimore City Health Department with residents' needs" (WBAL-TV) June 10, 2015

Jun 10th, 2015

Many Baltimore neighborhoods are trying to put their communities back together after the recent civil unrest and the city Health Department is doing its part too. The Health Department is sending post-graduate fellows into areas to find out from residents how they can help move forward.

"Health Department brings on Baltimore Corps fellows to help in unrest response" (Baltimore Sun) June 10, 2015

Jun 10th, 2015

As Sarah Ceponis watched the unrest in Baltimore explode in April, her mind went to the underlying public health disparities inherent in neighborhoods such as Sandtown-Winchester. Ceponis, studying for a master's degree in public health at Johns Hopkins, was taking a course on health and well-being in the urban core. She saw the unrest as a "window of opportunity" in which people were actually paying attention to public health issues — such as neighborhood access to pharmacies — that are often ignored.

"Heroin Epidemic" (WYPR) June 9, 2015

Jun 10th, 2015

Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen was a guest on WYPR's "Midday with Dan Rodricks" show discussing how Baltimore's heroin and overdose epidemic can be addressed.

"Local banks could improve in serving seniors, report says" (Baltimore Sun) June 9, 2015

Jun 10th, 2015

Baltimore-area banks could do more to help prevent financial fraud targeting older adults, according to a report to be released Tuesday by the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition.  Arnold Eppel, deputy commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department's Division of Aging and Care Services, said the role of tellers can be critical in helping older people avoid becoming victims of fraud.

"Heroin Doesn’t Have to Be a Killer " (New York Times) June 7, 2015

Jun 7th, 2015

It's a subject we find hard to talk about, even though it kills more people in America than guns or cars and claims more lives than murder or suicide.  I’m talking about drug overdoses, taking close to 44,000 lives a year.  Baltimore is aggressively trying to reduce heroin deaths through an outreach program.

"Amid teen pregnancy decline, debate renewed about birth control in schools" (Baltimore Sun) June 7, 2015

Jun 7th, 2015

A decades-old practice of dispensing birth control to students in Baltimore is generating new debate as schools are again offering a long-acting hormone implant as an option. After Baltimore schools became the first in the nation to provide Norplant to students more than 20 years ago, city leaders say they continue to be pioneers in adolescent reproductive health.

"We can cure violence" (Baltimore Sun) June 7, 2015

Jun 5th, 2015

Violence prevention is a key function of public health. In many ways, violence is no different from an infectious disease. Just like measles or the flu, it is contagious and spreads from person to person. It creates fear and wreaks havoc. It results in illness, trauma and death.

"My First Time in a Strip Club" (New York Times) June 5, 2015

Jun 5th, 2015

The first time most guys go into a strip club, it’s party time. Alcohol pours. Dancers sell dreams. Groomsmen pick up the tab as lap dances go to the bachelor. A 21st birthday party ends with a crowded drunk selfie followed by some “tag me in that” pleas. My first time in a strip club was a little different. I wasn’t there for a drink or lap dance. I wasn’t with my boys. I was with Nathan Fields, a community health educator for the Baltimore Public Health Department, as he made his weekly rounds at strip clubs on East Baltimore Street, or “The Block,” as it’s known.

On-the-street efforts to stop the violence in Baltimore (WYPR) June 5, 2015

Jun 5th, 2015

Amid a spike in homicides since the Baltimore riots in April, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake earlier this week pointed to a bright spot in efforts to reduce violence in the city: Safe Streets,  an effort of the Baltimore City Health Department which hires mostly ex-offenders to stop violence in four Baltimore neighborhoods. We sit down with Greg Marshburn, an Outreach Supervisor for Safe Streets at its Mondawmin site in West Baltimore, and Dante Barksdale, an Outreach Coordinator for Safe Streets, to talk about stopping violence in Baltimore.

"Teen pregnancy in Baltimore" (WYPR) June 3, 2015

Jun 4th, 2015

Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen was a guest on WYPR's Midday with Dan Rodricks discussing violence prevention, Safe Streets, health disparities, substance addiction, the need for increased naloxone training, and teen pregnancy prevention issues.

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