The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the importance of public health expertise. In Baltimore, the city’s health department connected residents with free vaccines, take-home tests and conducted contact tracing. As a result, Baltimore achieved a 86 percent vaccination rate and fared better than most in terms of COVID mortality.
But the Baltimore City Health Department has been in flux since the departure of COVID-era health commissioner Letitia Dzirasa in 2023.
In August, a new health commissioner was named to the role.
Confirmed by the Baltimore City Council in September, Dr. Michelle Taylor brings a wealth of experience in treating substance abuse, the health consequences of poverty and more. Taylor is from Memphis, Tennessee, where she oversaw the region’s health department.
She joins Midday to discuss the opioid crisis, behavioral health programming and the city's latest initiatives to protect public health.
