Baltimore City ranked last — again — among healthiest counties in Maryland, but industry analysts see promise for improved health here.
Baltimore showed improvement in premature death, alcohol-impaired death, and air pollution in the 2016 County Health Rankings, released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Analysts noted the city’s concentration of primary care doctors and mental health specialists, compared to the rest of the state, as strengths.
A recent push in Baltimore for education programs — for children and adults — is another positive sign, said Marjory Givens, a researcher for the rankings report at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
“This is promising — that communities are coming together even though things aren’t at their best right now,” Givens said.
Education may not be an obvious indicator of health, but a strong primary school education means students will be more likely to pursue continuing education, gain the skills they need to find jobs and contribute to the local economy.
Organizations like BUILD, (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development) that prepare adults to re-enter the workforce are important because having a job can make residents feel more connected to their community and committed to improving it, Givens said.