By: Sarah Ceponis, Kelleigh Eastman, and Wes Williams

In the space of just a few hours, we’ve dropped off flyers to a dozen recreation centers, visited a health clinic, listened in on a senior citizen symposium, and spoken at two neighborhood association meetings. Though with three desks tucked into a quiet corner of the Health Department’s headquarters, it is rare to find us there for very long.

As BCHD’s newly hired Baltimore Corps Fellows, we were brought onboard to assist with theagency’s public health recovery efforts under Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s OneBaltimore initiative.  Our primary focus is on being present in the city, being available to residents, and being ever-ready to traipse the streets and sidewalks of Baltimore in pursuit of conversation and collaboration about health.

Baltimore Corps, through which we were all placed in this role, is a nonprofit that connects young professionals to leading social impact organizations working to strengthen our city.  As Baltimore Corps Fellows at the Health Department for the next 15 months, we are working to do just that: strengthen Baltimore, and specifically, to use April’s unrest as a framework for diving into deeper discussion on health disparities here. Our overarching mission is really to listen to Baltimore’s residents, better understand their health concerns, and work together to address these concerns.

One of the first steps in fulfilling this mission has been to launch our listening campaign, “B’More Heard.” In our first month on the job, we’ve begun spending time in many different neighborhoods, in a variety of contexts (fair, forums, meetings, and other events) to simply talk with residents. We are making everyone aware of services that the Health Department already has in place, but also are soliciting information in regards to anything that community members feel they are in need of or concerned about. In essence, we are making sure to listen—and give all Baltimoreans a chance to be more heard.

The three Fellows bring with us experience in community organizing and engagement, public health, and social entrepreneurship. We have a few years of experience between us working in Baltimore, but are still relative newcomers here, and that is why we are relying on those we meet in the community to help us understand the issues, and ideas for improvement, that they have in mind to grow healthier together. This experience is really not about what the Fellows bring to the table—it is about hearing about all the great things Baltimoreans from every corner of the city can bring to the table! We have begun to make ourselves a compassionate and consistent presence in Baltimore’s communities, and as we continue to do so, we hope that community members will invite us into deeper conversation about what it means to improve their and their neighbors’ lives.

So, when you see us at a health fair or community event or meeting, please, we ask, come to our table. Share with us. We can’t wait to hear from you!