* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Holton
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Baltimore City Health and Fitness Coordinator
FOR the purpose of requesting the Health Commissioner to appoint a member of his staff to serve as the Baltimore City Health and Fitness Coordinator to work with private, corporate, and community organizations, public and private schools, communities of faith, hospitals, health systems, health clubs and gyms, pharmaceuticals, medical outlets, local, state and federal government agencies, non-profit health agencies, and sports teams to form a coalition to promote healthy living and fitness and to combat preventable disease and illness that threaten the lives of our adults and that threaten to detrimentally impact the quality of life and shorten the expected life span of our young people; and to require the Coordinator to develop a system to provide a single point of entry for Baltimore residents seeking information about how to access governmental and private industry fitness and healthy living services.
Body
Recitals
The Baltimore City Council has consistently introduced legislation seeking to inform residents of the City of the health problems that affect the overall well-being of the constituency. Legislation has addressed the issues of diabetes - pointing out that statistics compiled by the Center for Preventative Health Services show that there were 44,525 cases in Baltimore or more that 17% of all documented diabetes cases in Maryland; heart disease - that 25% of all deaths in Baltimore, in 2003, were attributed to heart disease; and stroke - a University of Maryland study found that, consistent with the national trend, young black males are 2 to 3 times more likely to suffer a stroke than their white counterparts.
The Baltimore City Health Department's 2003 status report shows that of the 49,000 residents of Maryland who have asthma, 11,000 are children that live in Baltimore, and that while the prevalence in the state is 7.5%, prevalence of all Baltimore City residents is 10.6%, and that Baltimore City has the highest rates of oral and lung cancer mortality in the state. Heart disease and cancer historically were and remain the number 1 causes of death of Baltimore City residents, overall, but AIDS is the number 1 cause of death among 25- 44 year-olds.
Baltimore City's historically poor state of health has caused the City to be the brunt of journalistic speculation, as well as the subject of legitimate scientific study. In the February 2005, edition of Men's Fitness magazine, the results of an annual study found that Baltimore ranked as the 25th fattest city nationally, taking into account health care, TV watching, and access to health clubs. This past September a new study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that Baltimoreans face the lowest life expectancy of almost any jurisdiction in America and can expect to live an average of 68.6 years, compared to a life expectancy of 81.3 years in Montgomery County. The study attributed the City's short life span to chronic health problems among those aged 15-59, including cardiovascular and lung disease, diabetes, the effects of smoking and alcohol use, and injuries - all of which are well understood and preventable.
The Commissioner of Health released an update on the age adjusted mortality rate in Baltimore City, showing that the life expectancy in Baltimore City was actually 71.6 years in 2005, acknowledging that "the latest data on mortality demonstrates clear progress in Baltimore City. But this is not 'mission accomplished'. We still have much more progress to make, especially in reducing disparities in mortality."
When faced with a similar health challenge, Philadelphia, named America's Fattest City by Men's Fitness in 2000, named a Health and Fitness Czar to lead in a first-ever city-wide "health revolution". The Office of Health and Fitness worked in communities, educating and providing skills to those residents willing to work to fight chronic disease and overweight through lifestyle management by establishing Fun, Fit & Free!
The four goals of Fun, Fit & Free! are as follows:
• To establish an effective infrastructure to implement programming and measure program effectiveness.
• To work with individuals and entities in the public and private sectors to assist with the development, implementation and education of Fun, Fit & Free! initiatives.
• To increase public awareness of healthy and unhealthy behaviors through unique city-wide programming.
• To develop programming that educates and inspires young people to develop positive lifestyle behaviors.
The six specific objectives are:
• To expand development of viable models for effective health promotion.
• Expand and identify new opportunities for creating conditions in the social structure that facilitate behavioral change.
• Utilize a social marketing approach to health promotion.
• Empower community and faith-based organizations for health education and promotion.
• Lay groundwork for meaningful collaboration among organizations, institutions, and corporations.
• Expand community leadership within the Fun, Fit, & Free! structure.
In an ongoing quest to improve the health and fitness of Baltimore City residents, this past August the Baltimore City Health Department kicked off an initiative call "Prevention Wednesday", a public information campaign to promote healthy living, prevent disease and improve community health. The goal of the program is to deliver timely prevention information for a broad public audience by linking a frequently overlooked health topic...with a frequently overlooked day of the week, known by some as "hump"day. Just like "hump" day is the day that gets a person through the rest of the work week, "Prevention Wednesday" will highlight a particular action that can prevent illness and help a person get through the next day and the days thereafter in improved health.
On November 2, 2006, our Health Commissioner also announced a new initiative to improve the health of the city workforce. B'More Healthy is a collaboration involving the Baltimore City Health Department, the unions of City employees, Mercy Medical Center, the City's Division of Occupational Safety, and the Department of Human Resources, and it is aimed at improving the health and well-being of approximately 14,500 City employees. After an initial screening to review risk factors for chronic disease at employee health fairs or during a visit to the Occupational Medicine Services at Mercy Medical Center, employees' baseline information will be entered on B'More Health cards, health improvement will be measured against that information, and modest rewards will be available for employees who meet their own personal goals, such as smoking cessation, weight management, exercise, blood pressure control, and diabetes treatment.
In announcing the B'More Healthy program, which will begin in 2007, the Commissioner of Health noted, "When it comes to chronic illness, prevention is the best medicine." Implementing a program based on this philosophy to serve all Baltimore residents would benefit the individual physical and mental health of City residents and the overall social and economic health of Baltimore City.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Baltimore City Health Commissioner is requested to appoint a member of his staff to serve as the Baltimore City Health and Fitness Coordinator to work with private, corporate, and community organizations, public and private schools, communities of faith, hospitals, health systems, health clubs and gyms, pharmaceuticals, medical outlets, local, state and federal government agencies, non-profit health agencies, and sports teams to form a coalition to promote healthy living and fitness and to combat preventable disease and illness that threaten the lives of our adults and that threaten to detrimentally impact the quality of life and shorten the expected life span of our young people; and to require the Coordinator to develop a system to provide a single point of entry for Baltimore residents seeking to access governmental and private industry fitness and healthy living services.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Baltimore City Health Commissioner is requested to widely distribute this Resolution to the appropriate "health" partners in the medical, business, and academic communities as well as neighborhood associations and community organizations.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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