Baltimore City Health Department, Bureau of Maternal & Child Health

The Baltimore City Health Department is the oldest, continuously-operating health department in the United States, formed in 1793, when the governor appointed the city's first health officers in response to a yellow fever outbreak in the Fells Point neighborhood.  During the more than 220 years since then, we’ve been working to improve the health and well-being of Baltimore residents. We strive to make Baltimore a city where all residents realize their full health potential.

In collaboration with other city agencies, health care providers, community organizations and funders, we aim to empower all Baltimoreans with the knowledge, access, and environment that will enable healthy living. 

The Health Department has a wide-ranging area of responsibility, including acute communicable diseases, animal control, chronic disease prevention, emergency preparedness, HIV/STD, maternal-child health, restaurant inspections, school health, senior services and youth violence issues. The agency includes a workforce of approximately 800 employees and has a budget of approximately $126 million.

The Bureau of Maternal and Child Health, under the city-wide initiative Bmore for Healthy Babies (BHB). BHB is a multi-sectoral collaboration between various partners and city agencies all working together to make sure babies and children are healthy and ready to thrive in healthy families.