One of our primary goals over the last couple of years has been to shift the focus of our performance measures toward actual outcomes. In other words, we don’t want to measure our success on simple activities like whether we did an intervention, placed an ad, or whether someone’s paperwork is right- but on whether [...]
Over the last few weeks, we've been working on ways to engage family members in the treatment of patients- as part of our continuing efforts to promote a culture of care at the hospital that reflects recovery and resilience. One of those ways is to make sure that our policies make it easier for family members to visit the [...]
Your health is influenced by lots of things- genetics, behaviors, and the environment into which you're born, grow, work, and live. A “Health Impact Assessment” is a way of assessing and influencing policy or project decisions to improve health. A simple example is that if your neighborhood has safe, accessible sidewalks or walking or biking paths, you’ll be more likely to be physically active. [...]
Today is the Great American Smoke Out – started by the American Cancer Society to encourage smokers to quit, even if it is just for one day. Arizona is doing very well compared to the rest of the country when you talk about stopping smoking. Our state is down to 16% of the adult population [...]
That largest exercise in Arizona history wrapped up last weekend, but now the work begins. Vigilant Guard featured a pseudo tropical storm, flooding and a nuclear bomb blast in downtown Phoenix. Arizona cities, counties, state and federal agencies participated in the exercise - testing emergency and evacuation plans, as well plans to transport and prioritize [...]
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the most serious tickborne disease in the US. AZ has recorded 38 cases so far this year compared to 17 in all of 2010. Most of the cases are in the eastern part of the state. The disease’s symptoms include a nasty “spotted” rash that usually starts 2-5 days after a fever starts. Early [...]
It’s been a while since I mentioned to you that our Division of Licensing has a really good web site called AZ Care Check. Our website provides a 3 year history of survey results, complaint investigation results and if any of our licensed facilities (nursing homes, assisted living, hospital and other medical facilities, childcare or [...]
The death of a child is a tragedy not only for their family, but also for our communities- and finding ways to save kids' lives is a sentinel public health goal. But- as is always the case- finding solutions and implementing effective public health interventions requires solid data collection and analysis. That’s where the annual [...]
I know I read like a broken record- but prescription painkiller misuse and abuse is a huge public health issue not just here- but nationally. The newest edition of CDC Vital Signs presents information about prescription painkiller overdoses in the United States and highlights promising strategies for addressing the issue. Please share this information broadly with [...]
Part of my job as the Director is to be the Chair of the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council- which expands resources through planning for folks with developmental disabilities and their families. The Council advocates for folks of all ages to achieve the highest possible level of independence while being included in the life of the surrounding community. We rolled out our new Five [...]
