Pratt Library Expands Services to Customers Through Partnerships

Healthcare, substance misuse, and other experts available

March 15, 2023

Baltimore, MD – The Enoch Pratt Free Library is thrilled to announce an expansion of social impact programs to help customers throughout Baltimore City achieve their life goals through innovative partnerships. “People rely on the Pratt Library as a community hub in our city,” says Pratt Library President & CEO Heidi Daniel. “These new partnerships will provide valuable resources about healthcare, substance misuse, and housing insecurity that our customers can use for free to help them meet their goals in life.”

Healthcare in the Library

The Pratt Library is hosting nursing students from the University of Maryland School of Nursing at 4 library locations. The students, who are doing field placement hours, are helping library customers with a number of things including general wellness screenings, blood pressure checks, medical education, referrals and more under the supervision of a registered nurse.

“Healthcare in the Library is an innovative partnership between the Enoch Pratt Library and the University of Maryland School of Nursing,” says Patricia Zimberg, JD, MS, RN of University of Maryland School of Nursing. “Community health clinical experiences enable students to develop the necessary skills for advancing a culture of health. As the healthcare system navigates the current nursing shortage, public health nurses play a key role in improving and maintaining the health of communities through primary and secondary prevention efforts.”

The nursing students are serving customers at four locations: Central Library, Southeast Anchor Library, Brooklyn and Waverly branches from now until May 5.

For more details visit www.prattlibrary.org/services/healthcare-in-the-library or check out this YouTube video.

Peer Navigators

In partnership with the Maryland Peer Advisory Council and Healing City Baltimore, the Pratt has expanded its Peer Navigator program to 7 library locations. Peer Recovery Support specialists are individuals with lived experience of substance misuse, mental health, or behavioral health challenges. They provide a safe, supportive, and confidential environment in which the peers serve as role models for recovery. A pilot of the Peer Navigator program began in December of 2021 at the Pennsylvania Avenue branch and has assisted more than 1500 library customers. The Peer Recovery Support specialists have gone through Recovery Coach Academy and are working towards 500 field placement hours. They are supervised by a certified Peer Navigator.

“I am proud to partner with Enoch Pratt, Care First, MPAC, and Healing City Baltimore to expand the Peer Navigator’s program. The opioid crisis continues to devastate our communities,” says Councilman Zeke Cohen. “The Peer Navigators exemplify the resilience, innovation, creativity and scrappiness of Baltimoreans. We are committed to saving lives through a trauma responsive approach.” Tiffinee Scott with the Maryland Peer Advisory Council says “Enoch Pratt’s social impact programs are innovative, inclusive, educational, healing, restorative, and transformational for all.”

The Peers are now serving customers at the Brooklyn, Cherry Hill, Edmondson Ave, and Walbrook branches, as well as Central Library, Southeast Anchor Library and maintaining service at the Pennsylvania Ave. branch. The expansion of the Peer Navigator program is thanks to a generous grant from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst).

“CareFirst is extremely proud to support Enoch Pratt Library, the Maryland Peer Advisory Council and Healing City Baltimore as they expand their peer navigator programming to serve even more residents of Baltimore,” said Lester Davis, Vice President and Chief of Staff at CareFirst. “We recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to behavioral health treatment and support. We believe no one is best equipped to serve our communities than the folks that live there, and this program takes it one step further by bringing together peers with lived experience and those in need of support and treatment in trusted community spaces. We look forward to seeing all they can accomplish and the lives they save with this expanded program.”

More information on Peer Navigators is available at www.prattlibrary.org/services/peer-navigators.

Housing Navigators

Pratt Library staff have seen an increase in the number of people who need information on affordable housing. Starting this spring, the Pratt will partner with the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services to place Housing Navigators in five library locations. The Housing Navigators will help library customers with housing instability issues.

“Housing ends homelessness and Housing Navigators are critical to eliminating barriers in the housing process and reducing the time someone experiences homelessness,” said Irene Agustin, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services. “We are proud to partner with the Pratt Library and use federal funds to make housing resources more accessible to our neighbors in need.”

Housing Navigators will be available at Central Library, Southeast Anchor Library, as well as the Pennsylvania Avenue, Brooklyn, and Waverly branches starting later this spring. Funding for the Housing Navigator program is part of a $75 million commitment to homeless services announced by Mayor Brandon M. Scott in February 2022 and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This ARPA funding, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs, is part of a larger initiative to combat housing insecurity in communities that the COVID-19 public health emergency has most negatively impacted.