Maryland has successfully tackled some significant public health challenges including reducing the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease. In fact, the state had the fifth lowest rate of smoking in the country in 2014 according to the American Public Health Association.
Maintaining a high level of public health in Maryland is a joint effort between state, local, and federal public health officials, academia, and non-governmental organizations. For instance, the Emerging Infections Program under the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) combines the efforts of state epidemiologists with the public health specialists at two Maryland Schools of Public Health.
Epidemiologists with the DHMH tracked 86 diseases in 2013 and identified 1,198 cases of Lyme disease throughout the state. This disease is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in Maryland, and the agency educates the public on how to properly handle tick bites, and what symptoms indicate an active infection.
Environmental health scientists in the DHMH’s Environmental Health Bureau work with a variety of stakeholders to keep the residents of Maryland safe from environmental hazards such as lead, radon, and carbon monoxide.
The DHMH is working jointly with the Maryland Department of the Environment to closely track environmental health issues. Maryland is one of 23 states that receive funding from the CDC allocated to develop a national and state tracking network of environment and health data.
The collaborative efforts of public health officials at the state, federal, and local level are having a demonstrable impact on improving the health of the state’s residents. These efforts are greatly helped by the presence of stellar academic institutions with dedicated Schools of Public Health.
An Analysis of the Salaries of Public Health Professionals in Baltimore
The Maryland Department of Labor and Industrial Relations provides the range of salaries for public health officials in the Baltimore area for 2014. These salaries can vary substantially, but public health specialists with advanced degrees such as a Master of Public Health are likely to earn salaries at the experienced level.
A Comparison of the Salaries of Public Health Professionals in Maryland
For comparison, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the hourly wages and annual salaries of public health professionals throughout Maryland for 2014.
