Mission 

To promote health and prevent disease and disability for the residents of Baltimore County through leadership, services and partnerships and to assure a health system that is accessible, coordinated, comprehensive, culturally sensitive, community based, accountable, and of high quality.

History

When the Baltimore County Department of Health (BCDH) was formed in 1924, our county was little more than a collection of farms and villages, public health nurses walked to their home visits, and each health center was fortunate to have one telephone. Today the BCDH utilizes modern technology but our mission has remained constant. Then, as now, public health's primary purpose is the prevention of disease and promotion of health.

The importance of good personal health cannot be underestimated. It is the cornerstone of good public health. The Baltimore County Department of Health is part of a nationwide network of agencies whose business is protecting health. Since the beginning of the 20th Century, life expectancy of Americans has increased from 45 years to 75 years. Public Health with its focus on prevention is responsible for 25 of those years. Curative medicine is credited with the other five.