Last summer we applied for funding from the CDC under the Climate-Ready Initiative to develop the Extreme Weather and Public Health materials. The program is focusing on heat related illnesses and ways to increase knowledge of healthy responses to excessive heat situations. The program worked with Kate Hoy and Dallas Teat to produce a training [...]
When it comes to microbes- the whooping cough (pertussis) is a contrarian. Unlike most other pathogens- it does better in the summer than the winter. While most other infectious diseases are on the wane right now- whooping cough is whooping it up. We’ve been seeing an increase in whooping cough cases in Arizona this summer- [...]
By now you know all about our goal of improving integration of care for individuals with a serious mental illness. In looking more closely at this population, we noticed that about 50% of folks with a serious mental illness who are enrolled with Medicaid (AHCCCS) are also enrolled in Medicare… meaning that they’re “dual eligible.” [...]
Back-to-school time means that a new bolus of high-schoolers that got their license over the summer are hitting the streets for the first time during the school year. All the data suggests that the first year of driving is an especially important time for safe driving skill development. Fortunately, our State has a “Graduated Drivers [...]
The new Arizona State Hospital forensic unit construction is on track and progressing nicely. We're in the home stretch now- and the contractors are putting the finishing touches on the project. The new facility will be a huge help and will be much more conducive to helping our patients on their recovery path. It'll also really improve the working [...]
We’ve had a few inquiries about the number, kinds, and the contents of the (six) lawsuits that have been filed regarding medical marijuana in Arizona. We created a new Lawsuits webpage for folks that want to read the active suits.
A recent lawsuit (Planned Parenthood of Arizona v. Humble et.al.) was resolved this week. The lawsuit had challenged a new law (signed last legislative session) that (among other changes) requires us to license facilities that perform medication abortions. We already license and inspect facilities that do surgical abortions- the new law requires that facilities that [...]
We’re proud to join in the celebration of National Health Center Week by highlighting Health Centers throughout our State and the vital services they provide. Community Health Centers are community-based, patient directed organizations that provide services to medically underserved areas. These valuable safety net providers offer full-time comprehensive primary and preventative care to patients regardless of their [...]
Most of us are aware that the Well Woman HealthCheck increases screening for breast and cervical cancer. As part of our federal funding agreement for the program the CDC audits 100% of the services provided. Services are audited for appropriateness and timeliness- even the age of women receiving mammograms is audited for meeting guidelines. We submit [...]
One of the criteria on our official medical marijuana Physician Certification Form includes an attestation by a physician that they’ve reviewed their patient’s profile on the Arizona Board of Pharmacy’s Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program database before signing the certification. We included this requirement to ensure that physicians are acting in their patient’s best interest- [...]
