I've written many times about how important it is that we work with our partners to protect the health and safety of the people of Arizona. It’s our responsibility to take advantage of opportunities to teach and practice what we preach. It’s nice when someone outside acknowledges when someone goes above and beyond which is [...]
Chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes cause 70% of deaths in the US these days… absorbing 75% of the $2.5T spent on annual medical care costs. When it comes to employee healthcare expenses- the indirect costs of poor health like absenteeism, disability, and reduced work output can be several times higher than direct medical [...]
Several prevention-related health services will be covered without cost sharing in new health plans as of a couple of weeks ago as a result of the Affordable Care Act. The changes are designed to help lower costs and outcomes for a variety of preventative women’s services. Previously, some insurance companies didn't cover some of the [...]
Our chronic disease prevention team and the county health departments, community partners, and Pima Prevention Partnership, officially launched STAND last week. It’s a coalition of local youth groups that have banded together in a common cause against tobacco use. It’s the culmination of a three-year effort to engage more youth in the actual planning and [...]
Another AZ monsoon season has come and gone. The seasonal winds blow more than dust in the air, they stir up questions and concerns about Valley Fever. Those who have been in Arizona for a while may know that Valley Fever is a lung infection caused by a fungus that’s common in our desert soil (below [...]
A couple of years ago a bill was passed that required our agency to do a comprehensive statistical report about abortion in Arizona. We published our second annual report this week… which includes data compiled from elective abortion procedures reports, complications from abortions reports and petitions filed authorizing abortions to minors. Facilities that provide the [...]
We often get questions from people at meetings and our stakeholders about citizenship or residency requirements for programs that ADHS runs. It really depends on the program and with dozens of programs, there’s no one answer. We posted a frequently asked question sheet on our website, but we wanted to make it even easier for people [...]
The ADOA published a very interesting annual report about the state government’s workforce this week. It includes over 30 charts and tables of information regarding the status of the State’s workforce. Some of the highlights in this year’s report include: 1) the number of active employees; 2) vacant positions; 3) average salaries of covered employees; and [...]
About 1/3 of American adults have high blood pressure and more than half of them don’t have it under control. The majority of people with high blood pressure are being treated with medicine and have seen a doctor at least twice in the past year… but their pressure still isn't under control, according to a new [...]
If you did, you can thank the Affordable Care Act. When you buy health insurance- the percentage of your premium dollars that your insurance company spends on providing you with health care (as opposed to what it spends on administrative, overhead, and marketing) is called a “Medical Loss Ratio”. The Affordable Care Act limits how [...]
