891 - B’More For Healthy Babies: A Look Back at 15 Years of Infant Mortality Reduction in Baltimore

Public Health On Call

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Novelcoronavirus, Health, Publichealth, Covid, Globalhealth, Coronavirus, News, Health & Fitness, Education, Medicine, Covid19, Science

4.8 • 620 Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

About this episode:

In the early 2000s, babies in Baltimore were dying at an alarming rate. In this episode: a look at Baltimore’s enormously successful health program to reduce infant mortality and close unacceptable disparities in infant death and how it has developed into a program that offers support and resources for individuals and families across the lifespan.

Guests:

Dr. Josh Sharfstein is the vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a former Baltimore City Health Commissioner.

Rebecca Dineen is the assistant commissioner for Maternal and Child Health at the Baltimore City Health Department.

Stacey Stephens is the director and clinical instructor of B’More For Healthy Babies at Promise Heights.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

B’More For Healthy Babies
B’More for Healthy Babies Turns 15—Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
The Public Health Strategy Behind Baltimore’s Record-Low Infant Mortality Rate—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Baltimore City Youth Data Scorecard: Babies Born Healthy Indicator Details—Baltimore’s Promise
Babies kept dying in Baltimore. People worked together to understand why.—Maryland Matters

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Public Health On Call, a podcast from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,
0:05.9	where we bring evidence, experience, and perspective to make sense of today's leading health challenges.
0:16.3	If you have questions or ideas for us, please send an email to public health question at jhhhu.edu.
0:23.8	That's public health question at jhhu.edu for future podcast episodes.
0:31.5	Hey listeners, it's Lindsay Smith-Rogers.
0:33.8	Today, a look at Be More for Healthy Babies, a Baltimore City Health program that just
0:39.5	celebrated its 15th anniversary. What started out as an initiative to reduce infant mortality
0:45.8	rates, especially among black children who were dying at very high rates compared to their
0:50.5	white counterparts, has grown into a program that cares for people across their
0:55.1	lifespans. Stephanie Desmond is joined by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Public Health
0:59.7	Vice Dean, Dr. Josh Sharfstein, Assistant City Health Commissioner Rebecca Deneen, and Stacey
1:05.5	Stevens, who works on the program in some of the city neighborhoods. Let's listen.
1:10.2	Josh Sharfstein, Rebecca Deneen, and Stacey Stevens.
1:14.1	Thanks so much for joining me.
1:15.8	Thanks for having us, Stephanie.
1:17.4	So today we're here to talk about a program that just celebrated its 15 years in existence.
1:23.9	Be more for healthy babies.
1:25.0	So I want to start with you, Josh.
1:27.0	You were the city health commissioner
1:29.7	in the mid-2000s, and you identified a problem, and you all brainstormed it came up with a solution.
1:35.9	Can you tell me, Josh, what it was like at the time? Sure. Let me just say that it's great to be here
1:41.6	with Rebecca and Stacey. I am so impressed with the work that they've done
	...

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