Health and Faith in Baltimore

All faiths – Health in many ways – All over the city

Barbara Nasir and I not too long ago.

Barbara Nasir and I nursed our cranberry, orange scones and warm drinks, Orange-Pekoe Tea for her, Caffè Latte for me, way too long over our recent breakfast meeting one a busy Saturday morning at bustling Atwater’s Café at Baltimore’s Belvedere Square Market. All the tables around us were taken and new arrivals waited to rest their feet after they had shopped for their vegetables, Italian gourmet foods, smoked salmon. But what can you do when you are talking to a lively person who speaks in a stream of well-articulated, insightful medical observations. Barbara is a master at colorful human-interest stories. My original plan was to focus on the public health efforts to reduce cancer health disparities, a field in which Barbara Nasir as a licensed practical nurse has a decades-long experience and continues to be involved in even after her retirement. Baltimore’s health disparities are indeed a touchy topic. Here race, gender, and even one’s zip code can tell a grim story of unequal distribution of citizen health. Continue reading →