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Evaluation of the Baltimore Health Corps Pilot: An Economic and Public Health Response to the Coronavirus

September 30, 2022

The Baltimore Health Corps was a city-run pilot launched in June 2020 and concluding in December, 2021. The pilot simultaneously addressed two issues: the spread of COVID-19 and the resulting employment crisis faced by Baltimore residents.The Baltimore City Health Department and the Mayor's Office of Employment Development led the Baltimore Health Corps, drawing on their experiences with equitable recruitment and hiring practices, workforce-supporting activities and public health worker training. Together, they led a team of public and private partners that included the Baltimore Civic Fund, Baltimore Corps, HealthCare Access Maryland (HCAM), Jhpiego and the Mayor's Office of Performance and Innovation.The initiative tracked those who contracted the virus at the height of the pandemic and connected COVID-19-positive individuals with testing, resources and other assistance. In doing so, the Baltimore Health Corps also placed unemployed workers on a path to high-quality, lasting careers via temporary positions as community health workers with the Baltimore City Health Department and HealthCare Access Maryland (HCAM). The program hired from a pool of Baltimore residents who reflected the city's racial and ethnic demographics and were unemployed, underemployed or furloughed because of the pandemic. By September 2021, 336 health workers had received training and took on roles within either the Health Corps' contact tracing and outreach program or the care coordination and access program.While these health worker positions were intended to last just eight months, as the pandemic persisted, the jobs were extended thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. As of May 2022, 126 Baltimore Health Corps workers remain employed with either the health department or HCAM, while 119 former staff members have since moved on to other employment opportunities.This is the Final Report to follow the Early Lessons Report for the Baltimore Health Corps Pilot Study. Readers are encouraged to review the Early Lessons Report for a detailed description of the formation of the Pilot Study, the role of each partner, as well as findings from the first year of the Pilot Study.

Tackling the Dual Economic and Public Health Crises Caused by Covid-19 in Baltimore: Early Lessons from the Baltimore Health Corps Pilot

April 13, 2022

On March 12, 2020, the first case of Covid-19 was diagnosed in Baltimore City. Its infection rate increased rapidly through March and into April and May, proving to be 4 times higher among Latino residents and 1.5 times higher among Black residents than the city's White population. At the same time, the city's unemployment rate surged from 4.9 percent in March to a peak of 11.6 percent in April 2020. In June, The Rockefeller Foundation supported the Baltimore City government in launching the Baltimore Health Corps (BHC), a pilot program to recruit, train, and employ 275 new community health workers who were unemployed, furloughed, or underemployed, living in neighborhoods hardest hit by the health crisis and especially those residents unemployed as a result of Covid-19. BHC used equitable recruitment and hiring practices to employ contact tracers, care coordinators, and support staff, with a focus on good jobs, fair pay, training, skill-building, and support to improve career trajectories. This report, compiling data and interviews midway through the project, is a look at some of the early successes and the challenges ahead.

Reducing Violence and Building Trust: Data to Guide Enforcement of Gun Laws in Baltimore

August 28, 2020

This report is the product of the Reducing Violence, Building Trust: Data to Guide Gun Law Enforcement in Baltimore project. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research (JHCGPR) collected and analyzed data relevant to the enforcement of laws restricting the possession of firearms by prohibited individuals and unlawful carrying of concealed firearms to provide data-driven recommendations for more fair and effective practices. The project was designed to help inform the response to the dual crises in Baltimore—extraordinarily high rates of gun violence, and gun law enforcement practices that, in some cases, have violated the law and more generally weakened community members' trust in the police.

Life After Prison: Tracking the Experiences of Male Prisoners Returning to Chicago, Cleveland, and Houston

May 15, 2010

Examines the reentry experiences of 652 men in the three cities, including housing stability, family relationships, substance use, employment, and recidivism. Analyzes outcome predictors such as prison programs, job training, and family structure.

Toxic Baby Furniture: The Latest Case for Making Products Safe From the Start

June 10, 2008

Estimates indoor pollution levels of formaldehyde -- linked to increased risks of allergies, asthma, and cancer -- emitted by cribs, changing tables, and other baby furniture. Makes suggestions for avoiding exposure and for regulatory action.

Upstream, Downstream: From Good Intentions to Cleaner Waters

May 1, 2008

Findings of a unique study of public attitudes about stormwater in the Baltimore, MD region are explored in this report. Four focus groups were conducted to develop themes for further followup in telephone surveys of 800 Baltimore area residents. Respondents clearly indicated that altruistic concern for the environment is not enough to spur behavior change. They are motivated by self interest. Key points of the research are:Stormwater is an urgent problemThe public is uninformed, but willing to be engagedPeople are motivated by health concernsA focused public information campaign has the capacity to reach people and change behavior

The Cost of the Death Penalty in Maryland

March 6, 2008

Analyzes 1,136 capital cases between 1978 and 1999 to estimate the total costs to the state's taxpayers (i.e., prison and adjudication costs for the duration of the case) when the death penalty is sought compared to when it is not.