This week is International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW), which started in 1986 under a proclamation from President Reagan. For the 4th year in a row, October 20-26, 2013 is Arizona Infection Prevention Week. Since it started, the week has been used to spread awareness about interventions that promote safe healthcare practices and prevention of healthcare-associated infections [...]
Public health embarked on a smoking revolution over the last few decades, kicking it into high gear to provide programs and policies to help Arizonans change their smoking habits. While by no means has the tobacco battle been won, America is currently undergoing another revolution—a walking revolution. Physical activity is not new territory in public [...]
Every so often- you run into a resource guide that stands above the rest. I discovered one of those awhile back called the Guide to Community Preventive Services – and it’s a free resource to help you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in communities. The easy-to-read resource guide answers questions [...]
Our public health mission is closely linked to the public health mission of many groups, including those at the community, county and university levels. That’s why I frequently attend meetings watching for chances to work together. I also try to connect public health students with people in our shop doing cutting edge work. Working together [...]
Over the last 18 months, our licensing team in collaboration with trade organizations from every sphere of healthcare delivery, partnered with Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), Arizona’s Medicare Quality Improvement Organization, in its statewide initiative designed to reduce by 4000 the number of preventable hospital readmissions. Aptly named the No Place Like Home Campaign, because [...]
Public health surveillance is a cornerstone of public health practice… and the effectiveness of that surveillance system rests on a foundation of patient confidentiality. The public’s consent for allowing their personal medical information to be reported is made with the understanding that the data will be kept confidential. The moment we jeopardize the trust, [...]
A couple of weeks ago, I introduced the concept of “Over Triage”… which is when EMS transports a patient to the highest level of care (like a level I trauma center) when they could have taken them to a level III or IV trauma center closer to their home. The downside of over-triage is that [...]
The California Department of Public Health, the California Endowment, and the Public Health Institute released a document called "Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments" this week… which provides best practices to improve the public's health and safety by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across all sectors and policy areas. The [...]
A study came out in Pediatrics last week that looked at how vaccine exemptions were related to a statewide outbreak of pertussis (also known as whooping cough) in California in 2010. As you might expect, the authors found that there were more whooping cough cases in areas with higher rates of vaccine exemptions. These findings were [...]
We have two Regional Behavioral Health Authorities working to improve and protect mental health along the border. Cenpatico and Community Partnership of Southern Arizona (CPSA) offer specialized programs to help combat substance abuse and prevent suicide as well as to help those with behavioral health issues. One of the CPSA-sponsored prevention activities near the border includes [...]
