Dr. Michelle Taylor confirmed as health commissioner; council demands faster, clearer opioid response and data sharing

Dr. Michelle Taylor was confirmed Thursday by the City Council committee to serve as Baltimore City's health commissioner after a hearing that focused on the city's overdose crisis, behavioral-health coordination and the health department's staffing and data capacity. Taylor, who previously led Shelby County (Tenn.) Health Department, told the committee she will prioritize behavioral health, public-health infrastructure and a "life course" approach linking child and adult health. She emphasized the opportunity presented by mayoral opioid-restoration funds and said the city has "the pieces and parts" to mount an effective opioid-response ecosystem if those elements are aligned. Council members pressed Taylor on the city's target to reduce overdose deaths by 40% by 2040. She described that target as ambitious but achievable given resources and coordination, and…