DRUM Healthy Families

Project Background

Founded in 1999 to reduce infant mortality, DRUM Healthy Families is Baltimore City’s first evidence-based, in-home visiting agency for families with pregnant women and children under the age of five. DRUM is committed to providing strength-based quality support to expectant families with young children from birth to school readiness in order to enhance their lives and positively impact the safety and development of healthy children.

In 2022, DRUM was presented with the opportunity to make their current headquarters their forever home.

DRUM intends to purchase the facility, which is an anchor institution in the community, to augment our multi-generational home visiting services by adding on-site services.

DRUM will partner with strategic service providers to deliver wrap-around supportive services on-site such as Johns Hopkins WIC HOPE, infant and pediatric dentistry, PRP mental health services, a dedicated childcare center, as well as spaces for family mediation and co-parenting education and support. Additionally, DRUM plans to include a kitchen that features nutrition and meal-prep classes for new mothers and fathers.

Challenges

The Vision: Improve accessibility and circulation.

The renovated building will bring natural light into open spaces used for informal and formal education, health, and supportive gatherings.

The power of design

This project was lead by NDC’s Julia DiMauro with volunteers Abigail Bauman and Violeta Fiorino-Schwartz. Violeta won our 2024 Baltimore Volunteer of the Year award. Read about her volunteer experience here! The project was funded through Baltimore City DHCD.