Healthy Baltimore 2020
Health Department aims to change its relationship with the community in the years ahead
Healthy Baltimore 2020 is Baltimore City Health Department’s strategic plan for a healthier city. Unlike plans from previous years, this one is less about crunching numbers and more about communicating the Health Department’s efforts to the broader community.
As such, the BCHD has hosted a number of Town Halls at venues throughout the city to spread the word and get feedback from concerned citizens. The first of these events was held at Impact Hub Baltimore and several others were held at local library branches. The plan is also open to public comment via the initiative’s website: http://www.hb2020.com/
Since taking the department’s helm, Dr. Leana Wen has implemented a number of major campaigns and initiatives with great success. She wants the department to be run with a start-up mentality and to a large extent this is possible because of the flexible funding structure of the department.
Dr. Wen is a new kind of health commissioner for the city, playing a much more public role than some of her predecessors. She’s set to be a big part in any change in the way citizens perceive the department. Her piece in the Washington Post outlines her broad vision and innovative approach:
