This has been a super hot week- and we’ve even had a couple of extreme heat warnings in the southern deserts with more to come this holiday weekend (it might get to 120o Saturday). Homeless folks have the highest risk for heat-related illness because they have limited access to cool spaces and finding water to drink [...]
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 [...]
Our cross-cutting team from Childcare Licensure and IT have been overhauling the Childcare Licensing Website over the last few weeks- and the new site went live this week. We’re very excited about the changes. After the “face lift” it got 18 months ago, I didn’t know what to expect next – which is just as [...]
The results are in, and 14 of Arizona’s 15 county local health departments will be recognized through the Project Public health Ready recognition program. Coconino County led the way and was the first AZ local health department to receive recognition. When we saw how well the program worked in Coconino County, the counties and our [...]
Some of the folks that we serve in our diverse mission have complicated medical conditions and may have had trouble in the past finding health insurance because of a pre-existing health problem. The federal Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) may be able to help some of these folks, especially since the premiums for the Plan will drop by 40% [...]
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 [...]
We've been operating on several fronts all week for the Monument Fire. Licensing made sure that facilities in the area had executable evacuation plans and knew who to contact if they needed to evacuate. They also made sure that the facilities that remained open had enough staff. Fifteen facilities relocated patients and residents this week. Most are ready to go back, and our licensing team has 8 reopening inspections [...]
Everybody knows that people in different parts of the country behave differently when it comes to smoking and physical activity, but does it impact how long they live? The answer is yes. According to fascinating study, Americans are living longer, but not in every part of the country. In fact, in some areas, life expectancy [...]
We’re delighted that Cory Nelson has agreed to share his talents with us as our new Arizona State Hospital CEO. Cory has been serving for the last ten years as the CEO at the South Dakota Human Services Center in Yankton, SD where he runs a 304-bed state psychiatric facility. He has a great reputation [...]
Today the FDA released the new, graphic warning labels that will be on cigarette packs. The labels educate smokers and others, including kids, about the dangers of tobacco use and encourage smokers to quit. Using this proven techique, the U.S. joins 43 other countries that already require pictures or images on cigarette packs. The warning [...]
