Baltimore's Pratt Library expands social impact programs to help customers

BALTIMORE -- The Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore has partnered with local institutions and the mayor's office to expand its social impact programs to help residents achieve their life goals, the library system said Wednesday.

The expanded programs would provide resources for healthcare, substance abuse assistance and housing. 

Healthcare

The library will host nursing students from the University of Maryland School of Nursing at four library locations, where they will help customers with general wellness screenings, blood pressure checks, medical education, referrals and more.

The students, who are doing field placement hours under the supervision of a registered nurse, will be at the following locations at these times from now until May 5.  

Central Library: Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Brooklyn: Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Southeast Anchor Library: Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Waverly: Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

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 the Pratt Library website. 

Peer Navigators

The Peer Navigator program at the Pratt Library helps customers navigate and recover from substance misuse, mental health, or behavioral health challenges with the help of support specialists with lived experiences. 

Thanks to a donation from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the library is expanding the program to seven library locations. 

The program will be at:

• Brooklyn
• Cherry Hill
• Edmondson Ave
• Walbrook 
• Central Library 
• Southeast Anchor Library
• Pennsylvania Ave. branch  

Learn more about the program here. 

Housing Navigators

The library system said its staff has seen "an increase in the number of people who need information on affordable housing."

So the library partnered with the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services to place Housing Navigators in five library locations.

The Housing Navigators. who will help library customers with housing instability issues, will be at five library locations starting this spring.

The navigators will be at Central Library, Southeast Anchor Library and the Pennsylvania Avenue, Brooklyn, and Waverly branches starting later this month. 

"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."