Monday was the final day of the Maryland General Assembly. We are excited about several priority bills the legislature passed, including efforts to ensure affordable access to healthcare, to reduce gun violence, and to advance maternal and child health. Our team at the Baltimore City Health Department provided testimony on no less than 27 bills, including the Maryland Health Care Access Act of 2018 (HB1782/SB387); Pharmacist Gag Rule Bill (HB736/SB576); Maryland Prenatal and Infant Care Coordination Services Grant Program Fund (Thrive by Three Fund) (HB1685/SB912); and the Maryland Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Fund Bill (HB432/SB0545). We are grateful to our representatives in Annapolis for recognizing the need to fight for health coverage for all Marylanders, and for standing on the right side of history.

I am thrilled that a number of our legislative priorities passed during session, and I am proud of my team for being strong advocates for public health. This week, I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta and share lessons about public health advocacy from Baltimore. At the Beyond Flexner Conference, it was an honor to join incredible leaders who are melding health professional work with social justice. There were many highlights of the conference, including meeting the former Minister of Health of Rwanda, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, and Morehouse School of Medicine President, Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice.

I also had the opportunity speak at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was my first time visiting the CDC, and by invitation of someone I greatly admire, fellow emergency physician and National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Director Dr. Debra Houry.

At the Health Department, we are committed to employing evidence-based interventions and using science to guide policy. This Saturday, I’ll be speaking at the 2018 March for Science in Washington, D.C., along with dozens of other scientists and health advocates. I look forward to marching and raising my voice in support of health as a human right and of science and evidence in decision-making. If you are in the D.C. area, I hope that you will join me.

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

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