The first week of April is an important one in the world of public health as we recognize both National Public Health Week as well as National Youth Violence Prevention Week. At a time in Baltimore when public health is a critical lever for addressing some of our city’s major disparities, we must all consider the ways in which public health and social justice are inextricably connected.

This week, I had the honor of joining University of Maryland, College Park President Wallace Loh, University of Maryland, Baltimore President Jay Perman, and Deans Albert Reece and Boris Lushniak to kick off National Public Health Week. Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and I also led a discussion at HealthLab@LightCity about the intersection of health and public safety. BCHD and BPD have collaborated on a multitude of projects, including several to address the opioid epidemic and improve treatment for people with mental illness and the disease of addiction. We look forward to continuing this cross-agency collaboration under Mayor Pugh’s leadership.  

Across BCHD, we have participated in several other events and initiatives this week to support and promote the role of public health. For example, I shared our work with aspiring public health leaders at the convocation day for the Friends School of Baltimore. Members of our BCHD team lead conversations about mental health, trauma, and arts in Baltimore; discussed violence prevention strategies with members of Congress; and prepared service providers with crucial infant health information through B’more for Healthy Babies’ annual “Rattle and Roll” event.

Today, we are excited to announce that BCHD has received a $4.2 million, five-year cooperative agreement from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to support efforts to implement a comprehensive model that will better connect patients to health-related community and social services. Under BCHD’s leadership, through the implementation of a community health worker hub and innovative technology tools, this project will empower Baltimore City hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) to better identify patients’ social needs, navigate them to essential resources, and collect essential community-level data.

As an emergency physician, I have seen how health outcomes are impacted not only by the medical care we provide, but also by underlying social needs—including housing and food access, transportation, and access to mental health and addiction services. We will utilize this transformative opportunity to reduce health care costs, coordinate services, and improve care for our most vulnerable. Thanks to our partners across the city, including all seven healthcare systems, for their partnership and collaboration!

Baltimore City is at the forefront of innovative public health approaches. Next Monday, I will speak on a panel with President Bill Clinton at the 2017 Health Matters Summit to discuss Baltimore’s pioneering approaches to health equity and community-led solutions to access health care. You can tune in live at on April 10 at 10:25 a.m. at https://www.clintonfoundation.org/healthmatters2017.

Health is truly about all of us. During this National Public Health Week, I’d like to thank all of the BCHD employees and all of our partners who work hard every day to ensure the health and wellbeing of residents and communities across Baltimore!

Sincerely, 

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

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