The health issues
facing urban America are not qualitatively different than the rest of the
nation but differ in intensity and scope.
Cities tend to concentrate the most egregious and intractable health
problems in the country. Baltimore,
though home to two renown academic health centers (AHCs) has health indicators
that rival third world countries. In
fact, the neighborhoods immediately surrounding its major medical centers have
the worst health conditions in the city.
For example, almost 7% of the pregnant women who live near the Johns
Hopkins Medical Institution and over 7% of those who live near University of
Maryland have received no prenatal care by their third trimester. This compares to 3-5% in the rest of the
city (Table 1). Clearly, medical care
alone cannot address these inequities. This paper describes
the development of the Urban Health Initiative – a collaborative partnership
between the Johns Hopkins University and the East Baltimore community. The overarching goals of this Initiative
are, first, to rededicate the traditional Hopkins missions of research, teaching,
and patient care toward cultivating health in East Baltimore, and second, to
develop a national model for using the resources of an academic health center
to make a material difference in the health of the East Baltimore community. Table 1. Pregnant
women in Baltimore without prenatal care
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
(1) Identify the poor health indicators which cluster around Baltimore's Academic Health Centers
(2) Describe the activities of the Jonhs Hopkins University Urban Health Institute
Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Partnerships
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.