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Training on heroin antidote becomes part of city’s drug court
Drug Treatment Court participants in Baltimore city received a potentially life-saving training in a matter of minutes Thursday morning as a part of a new program from the health department targeting people most at risk for an opioid overdose. “We’re teaching them there is something very simple they can do and they can do it […]
A new weapon in Maryland’s fight against heroin
After almost 20 years dealing with convicts, Major Craig Rowe could see the trend. “The majority of our crimes in Washington County are either directly related to or a byproduct of addiction, [whether] crime directly related to the heroin or the drugs or a crime they committed to obtain the drugs,” the warden of Washington […]
West Nile Virus confirmed in 3 Maryland adults
Maryland’s health department has confirmed three cases of West Nile virus in the Baltimore area. The department announced this year’s first confirmed cases in the state on Friday. All three people are adults. Health officials say West Nile virus has been detected in mosquito pools collected in Montgomery and Worcester counties. A mosquito pool is […]
State health department reports increase in fatal drug overdoses
ANNAPOLIS — Fatal overdoses from drugs and alcohol rose 15 percent in Maryland from 2011 to 2012, driven by a 54 percent increase in heroin-related deaths, according to a report released by the state health department on Wednesday. Heroin-related overdose deaths increased from 245 in 2011 to 378 last year, after having declined 36 percent […]
Mumps outbreak hits Baltimore’s Loyola University
Loyola University says more than a dozen students have come down with mumps or suspected mumps cases. University officials say the cases began in mid-February, and they are advising students on ways to avoid spreading the virus. The university says affected students live on and off campus, and the Baltimore city and Maryland health departments […]
Health officials cut off water in part of building after 17 are sickened
Baltimore health officials say a water heater they blamed for sickening people at an office complex has been replaced, but the building’s water systems must be flushed. Seventeen employees at the Johns Hopkins at Keswick administrative complex were sickened last week and 11 were sickened Monday. Officials say the two buildings at the complex will […]
Health dept. closes Timonium surgery center
Maryland health officials have closed a cosmetic surgery center after three patients who had liposuction developed severe infections, including one who subsequently died. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Wednesday ordered the closure of Monarch Med Spa in Timonium after the procedures, which took place from mid-August to mid-September. The three patients […]
CDC trying out free rapid AIDS test at Riverdale pharmacy, other drugstores
ATLANTA — Getting an AIDS test at the drugstore could become as common as a flu shot or blood pressure check, if a new pilot program takes off. The $1.2 million program will offer the free rapid HIV tests at pharmacies and in-store clinics in 24 cities and rural communities, the Centers for Disease Control […]
Proposal would require defibrillators at Anne Arundel pools
ANNAPOLIS — The Anne Arundel County Council is scheduled to vote on emergency legislation that would require all public and semi-public pools to have a defibrillator. County Executive John Leopold has introduced the legislation, called Connor’s Law, and the council is set to vote on July 2. The emergency legislation needs five votes instead of […]
Aging in place: A little help can go a long way
VERONA, N.J. — Retirement communities may have their perks, but Beryl O’Connor says it would be tough to match the birthday surprise she got in her own backyard when she turned 80 this year. She was tending her garden when two little girls from next door — “my buddies,” she calls them — brought her […]
Health officials announce 3 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Md.
An Ocean City hotel is voluntarily closing a week earlier than planned for the season after three people who were guests developed legionellosis about a week after staying there. Maryland’s health department made the announcement Wednesday. The health department says it has not confirmed that the guests acquired the illness at the Plim Plaza Hotel, […]
State health officials seek ban on crib bumper pads
Maryland proposed the first statewide ban on the sale of crib bumper pads Tuesday, with health officials saying they pose unnecessary risks to infants. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s informal proposal for a ban stems from a four-member task force’s recommendation in May that the state declare crib bumpers a hazard because […]
