Recent News

Baltimore health commissioner latest to warn about bleeding from synthetic marijuana (Baltimore Sun)

Apr 17th, 2018

Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen added her voice to the chorus warning about the dangers of synthetic marijuana after four people in the state this month were hospitalized for extreme bleeding after taking the drugs.

Wen said the drugs are often marketed as natural but contain untested chemical compounds that can harm or kill. People who use synthetic marijuana play “Russian Roulette” because they don’t know what they are taking, Wen said in a statement.

Read the entire story.

Leana Wen

Healthwatch with Dr. Leana Wen: Stabilization Centers, Protecting Seniors, and TPPI (WYPR)

Apr 17th, 2018

On the April edition of Healthwatch, with Dr. Leana Wen: 

Dr. Wen discusses the city's first Stabilizatoin Center, cuts to the city's teen pregnancy prevention programs, and a new initiative to reduce falls among senior citizens. She answers our questions for the hour, and takes your calls, emails and tweets about your public health concerns.

Listen to the program.

Leana Wen

Plan to curb older adults from falling announced in Baltimore (The Frederick News-Post)

Apr 17th, 2018

Baltimore officials say a plan to curb hospitalizations and emergency department visits related to older adults falling has been announced. A Baltimore City Health Department news release says Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen announced the new strategy Monday.

Read the entire story.

Leana Wen

Plan to curb older adults from falling announced in city (AP)

Apr 16th, 2018

Baltimore officials say a plan to curb hospitalizations and emergency department visits related to older adults falling has been announced. 

A Baltimore City Health Department news release says Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen announced the new strategy Monday.

Read the entire story.

Leana Wen

Baltimore launches campaign to stop the elderly from falling (Baltimore Sun)

Apr 16th, 2018

Far more people end up in the hospital with injuries from falling in Baltimore than in the rest of the state, leading city officials to launch a campaign Monday to curb the rate of falling among the elderly.

“Falls are a growing public health concern, especially for older adults,” said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen.

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Leana Wen

Baltimore City Officials Announce Citywide Falls Prevention Strategy for Older Adults

Apr 16th, 2018

BALTIMORE, MD (April 16, 2018) — Today, Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen announced a new Citywide falls prevention strategy aimed at reducing falls-related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for older adults in Baltimore City.

Leana Wen

Baltimore Officials Look To Reduce Accidental Falls, Costs (WJZ)

Apr 15th, 2018

Officials in Baltimore are hoping to find ways to reduce number of people injured in accidental falls, and the resulting health costs as well. 

A citywide initiative to be announced Monday is focused on prevention of falls, especially among older residents.

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March for Science 2018: Passionate advocates push the cause for research across the globe (USA Today)

Apr 14th, 2018

Thousands on the National Mall on Saturday marched past the Environmental Protection Agency and to the U.S. Capitol to advocate for science to play a larger role in society — and stressed how research already ripples through a slew of issues from guns to immigration.

Leana Wen, commissioner of health in Baltimore City, spoke to the crowd about the realities of the opioid epidemic in her urban center today. Society needs to change how it views addiction, she stressed, adding "science shows us addiction is a disease, not a moral failing." 

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Leana Wenopioids

Bmore Healthy Newsletter: April 13, 2018

Apr 13th, 2018

Click here to read the 4/13/18 newsletter.

In this issue:

  • Note From The Commissioner
  • Dr. Wen Participates in Panel Discussion with Senator Mikulski at Johns Hopkins Undergraduate Public Health Conference
  • Dr. Wen Speaks at Beyond Flexner Conference
  • and more

Subscribe to the Bmore Healthy Newsletter.

25 ways to make Baltimore better: Suggestions from Aaron Maybin, Leana Wen and more (Baltimore Sun)

Apr 13th, 2018

We asked 25 notable people from the Baltimore area about ways to improve the community. Here’s what they said: 

Take control of your health and help those around you 

Learn to use naloxone or narcan, and carry it in your medicine cabinet and first aid kit. We are in the middle of an opioid epidemic, and in the case of an overdose, this is one medication that will save someone’s life within seconds. Everyday residents who are not medically trained — our neighbors and friends — have saved the lives over 1,600 lives. And, know your numbers. Go to your primary care doctor every year and make sure that you know your blood pressure and cholesterol. Get tested for HIV. HIV does not discriminate — one in 5 don’t know that they have it, so it's important that we all get tested. — Leana Wen, Baltimore Health Commissioner

Read the entire story.

Leana Wen

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