We are partnering with county health departments to conduct the Arizona Children’s Health Survey in their communities to learn about our children’s health and better understand the experiences of families in meeting their children’s needs across the state. Results of the survey will help identify what is currently working well in your community related to children’s health, [...]
While Arizona is holding steady with no Zika cases reported (yet), we are still working hard to make sure we’re prepared at the state and local levels to respond to cases of Zika virus infection and take steps to prevent disease spread within our communities. Public health, environmental health, and vector control agencies across the state [...]
If you’ve caught the news lately, you’ve probably seen reports of lead poisoning in other states linked to contaminated drinking water. Lead poisoning is a serious health concern – especially in children. Lead poisoning can damage children’s intelligence, behavior, hearing, or growth, and the only way to detect the condition is through blood testing. Last [...]
In a recent report by the CDC, Arizona was ranked number one in diabetes self-management education, with an increase of 34 percent participation by residents with diabetes from 2012 to 2014. Diabetes self-management education help people with diabetes build the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for self-care. Our goal is to improve clinical outcomes across [...]
March 6 through 12 marks the 18th National Groundwater Awareness Week. Groundwater is the water that soaks into the soil from rain or other precipitation and moves downward to fill cracks and other openings in beds of rocks and sand. Most groundwater flows directly into streams, rivers and lakes from below. Groundwater contamination is of [...]
On March 3rd, the CDC released the National and State Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Progress Report for 2014 National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) data. This annual report provides an update on previous reports, detailing state and national progress towards reducing, and ultimately eliminating, HAIs. The infection types highlighted in the report include Central Line-Associated [...]
When I was younger, my grandmother gave me two books, and I don’t think she realized they ended up shaping my career. After reading Outbreak (by Robin Cook) and Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC (by Joseph McCormick and Susan Fisher-Hoch), I was hooked on working in public health. After learning more about what [...]
Make it a priority this March to know the facts about colorectal cancer. Not enough Arizonans are up-to-date on their screenings, and too many are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer at late stages. According to the American Cancer Society, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about one in 20. In the U.S. and [...]
The news is true… Arizona continues to top the country in reports of influenza-like illness for the fourth week in a row. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that Arizona has more people sick with flu than anywhere else in the country (not all flu cases get reported to public health departments), it does mean that [...]
During the last federal fiscal year 10,490 participants in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program received checks from the Arizona Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, a program that has participation from ten local agencies in seven counties. The WIC moms were able to purchase $120,132 of Arizona Grown fruits and vegetables at approved farmers' markets. [...]
