Childhood lead poisoning is considered the most preventable environmental disease among young children. Lead poisoning can negatively affect children’s intelligence, behavior, hearing, and development. The most common sources of elevated blood lead levels in Arizona are lead-based paint found in homes built before 1978, imported goods such as spices, makeups, and ceramic pottery, lead in [...]
We met a major milestone in 2014 when we filed our final new set of regulations for Arizona’s 5,500 licensed healthcare facilities. We’ve now completed our overhaul of the State’s regulations of hospitals, behavioral health inpatient facilities, nursing care institutions, recovery care centers, hospices, behavioral health residential facilities, assisted living facilities, outpatient surgical centers, outpatient [...]
The role of a surveyor can be a difficult one. Our team of licensing surveyors need to maintain neutrality as regulators and be able to apply the Arizona Administrative Code (otherwise known as “the rules”) to a wide variety of facilities within the healthcare system. Part of our surveillance includes investigating complaints- which can be generated from [...]
Last week the Altarum Institute released a report highlighting Arizona as one of only 10 states to successfully integrate physical activity and nutrition criteria into Quality Rating and Improvement Systems for child care facilities. In Arizona, the quality rating system for child care is known as Quality First and is administered by First Things First. To [...]
Our Division of Licensing Services monitors a wide range of facilities including hospitals, assisted living and skilled nursing centers, behavioral health facilities, child care facilities, and group homes for folks with developmental disabilities. Our teams of surveyors conduct inspections, on-site surveys, and complaint investigations to make sure all of our licensed facilities promote quality care [...]
This is a story about making great-tasting sugar free lemonade from lemons. About a year and a half ago the legislature passed a bill that eliminated our general funds for licensing (nursing homes, assisted living, hospitals, behavioral health, child care etc.). In exchange, the Bill included a provision that gave us “exempt” rulemaking authority to collect [...]
