Community Health

Free cookbook The Learn to Live program of the Department of Health has a new healthful eating kit that features a free cookbook and tips that will help you select foods high in fiber and low in fat and sodium. Recipes are also quick, easy and economical. Information: visit http://www.LearntoLiveHealthy.org or call 410-222-7979. Tobacco sales compliance The health department's Learn to Live program offers to retailers a tobacco sales compliance kit. The kit includes a training guide that explains Maryland's tobacco laws.

Education can heal health disparities The Baltimore Sun's shocking front-page statistics on the life-span differences among Baltimore neighborhoods stunned even seasoned community health professionals like me and my staff ("20-year life gap separates city's poorest, wealthy," Oct. 16). But they shouldn't. This is just the latest study confirming what we see every day in our health centers: outrageous health disparities related to poverty, lifestyle, environmental exposure and other preventable causes.

After ducking the nation's health care crisis for many years, Congress finally stands on the verge of passing comprehensive health reform. Each of several bills on the table would build on our existing public-private system to bring us much closer to making comprehensive, high-quality health care available to all Americans. Maryland is the wealthiest state in the nation. Yet almost one in five residents is uninsured or underinsured, and many more are just one medical bill from bankruptcy or foreclosure.

Politicians do it all the time: target churches to reach African-Americans. But instead of wooing voters, health care advocates hope to tap into the power of black clergy to educate blacks on health problems gripping their communities. St. Agnes HealthCare and the foundation of former Orioles star and cancer survivor Eric Davis announced yesterday that they have teamed up on a three-year program to educate ministers on diseases that disproportionately affect blacks. "We are going directly to the leaders," said Angela Hunt, executive director of the Eric Davis Foundation, a nonprofit group born after the Oriole outfielder's colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 1997.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake plans to announce Wednesday that Baltimore's next health commissioner will be a veteran public health official from New York City, one who began her life in the South Bronx projects but went on to attend Yale and train as a pediatrician. Oxiris Barbot was chosen from a list of more than 40 candidates to replace Joshua Sharfstein, who left last year to become principal deputy commissioner at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For the past seven years, Barbot has served as the medical director of New York City's Office of School Health, a program run jointly by the health and education departments.

Care for cancer patients The Wellness House of Annapolis offers services and programs to assist those living with cancer and their relatives, including children. Walk-in hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. All classes and services are free for cancer patients, caregivers and families. Pre-registration is required. The Wellness House is at 2625 Mas Que Farm Road. Appointments: 410-990-0941 or wellnesshouse@comcast.net . Health email alerts The county Department of Health has a community health email alert system to provide timely notices about department services and community health issues.