With 175 Americans dying each day from drug overdoses, the opioid crisis is akin to “a plane crashing every day,” Mayor Catherine Pugh said on Friday as she and other Baltimore officials urged Congress to approve comprehensive legislation to combat the epidemic.

Cummings and Warren, both Democrats, sought to use the forum — nationally televised by C-SPAN — to promote legislation that would provide $100 billion over 10 years for services to combat substance use disorders. It is modeled after 1990’s Ryan White Act that provided billions of federal dollars to combat the AIDS crisis. 

“This is what we on the front lines have been asking for,” said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, who moderated the panel.

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The number of drug- and alcohol-related deaths in Maryland soared to an all-time high of 2,282 last year as the state continued to struggle with an opioid addiction problem that has gripped the entire country.

“This is an escalating epidemic,” said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana S. Wen. “But still we don’t even see the peak of this epidemic yet.”

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With rising childhood obesity rates a growing concern in the United States, one city has taken a big step towards reducing kids’ sugar intake. Baltimore has just become the first major city in the country to have soda banned from kids’ menus.

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Maryland's deadly opioid crisis is showing no signs of abating with the latest state data highlighting a rising number of deaths due to fetanyl use.

Fentanyl-related deaths continue to rise, increasing from 1,119 in 2016 to 1,594 in 2017, according to information released Thursday on unintentional drug and alcohol-related intoxication deaths from the Maryland Department of Health. The agency's statistics include deaths in 2017 and the first three months of 2018.

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When patients at Anne Arundel Medical Center meet with their doctors, the conversations soon will broach a new topic beyond medical history and diagnoses: gun safety.

Hospital officials — viewing gun violence as a public health epidemic — want to strip the politics out of the gun ownership debate and have frank, non-judgmental talks about the measures patients are taking to keep their firearms safe.

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A major US city has made it illegal for cafes and restaurants to include sugary drinks on children's menus. 

The city – in the state of Maryland which has a population of more than six million – has prohibited restaurants offering kids soft drinks, instead making the default kids' menu options water, milk and 100 percent fruit juices.

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In an effort to combat childhood obesity, Baltimore has become the first major U.S. city to ban soda and sugary drinks from kids’ menus in restaurants. The Baltimore City Healthy Kids Meals Bill was signed by Mayor Catherine Pugh in April and went into effect in mid-July. Menus aimed at children in the city can now only include water, non-sweetened flavored or sparkling water, milk, or 100 percent fruit juice, The Baltimore Sun reports.

In a statement, Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen explained the change, saying, “Taking out empty calories from sugary drinks is a powerful lifestyle change we can make to help our children to get and stay healthy. This law will help families make the healthy choice the easy choice.”

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Cities officials concerned about the effects potential new Title X restrictions might have on women's access to health services were joined in their worry by member's of Baltimore's Congressional delegation Monday.

Proposed changes to the Title X Family Planning Program may affect funding for Baltimore’s 23 sites that provide such services, warn Mayor Catherine Pugh, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, and Congressman John Sarbanes.

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In an attempt to lower the rate of childhood obesity (at least in their city), Baltimore has a new law on the books that bans restaurants from serving sugary drinks to kids.

The Baltimore City Healthy Kids Meals Bill, signed by Mayor Catherine Pugh earlier this year—declaring that water, milk and 100 percent fruit juice are now the default beverage options for all kids' meals offered at restaurants in the city—went in effect last Wednesday. 

“The science is clear: One of the biggest contributors to childhood obesity is sugary drinks, and childhood obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and early death,” said Dr. Leana Wen.

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