Rachel Garcia

About Rachel Garcia

Rachel Garcia, MPH, MCHES is the Deputy Assistant Director of Preparedness, Chief of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and Trauma, and Principal Investigator for the CDC Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Program at the Arizona Department of Health Services. Rachel is an Arizona native and humble public servant who has served in various public health leadership roles in state and local government for more than 15 years. In her current role, she is responsible for overseeing several programs including the ADHS Bureau of EMS and Trauma System, which coordinates, establishes, and administers Arizona’s statewide system of emergency medical services, trauma care, and registry systems. She previously served as the Deputy Chief of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response and has assisted with multiple Health Emergency Operations Center responses at ADHS. Before joining the ADHS team, she was an Assistant Director of Public Health in Pinal county, where she oversaw Community and Correctional Health programs. She also served in multiple public health research and community outreach positions at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she earned her Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science degrees and completed Susan G. Komen and National Science Foundation fellowships. Rachel is a proud wife and mother of three, who is passionate about education and data-driven public health policies that can improve health for the next generations of Arizonans.

Protect Those Who Protect You – Promoting safety on our roadways 

By |2023-11-15T16:50:21-07:00November 15th, 2023|General|

This is Crash Responder Safety Week and this year’s theme is Protect Those who Protect You! It is everyone’s responsibility to be safe on our roadways and our first responders are dedicated to that mission. Every minute of every day, law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, public works, transportation, towing, and other responders [...]

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New Trauma Dashboards Reveal Top Causes of Trauma Injury and Death in Arizona, Opportunities for Prevention

By |2023-10-31T12:02:43-07:00October 30th, 2023|Preparedness|

Editor's note: Information in this blog about the causes of child injury and death have been updated. Each year, the State Trauma Advisory Board collaborates with the ADHS Bureau of EMS and Trauma System (BEMSTS) to publish a report summarizing injury and trauma mortality in Arizona.  This year, there are two new resources to share [...]

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Our team is committed to connecting Arizonans with knowledge, financial assistance, and medical resources to fight disease

By |2023-08-28T16:40:25-07:00August 28th, 2023|Preparedness|

Dealing with disease can be difficult on the body, mind, and finances. In 2023, there have been 13,087 cases of reportable  infectious disease so far in the state. For Arizonans combating disease, the Arizona Department of Health Services’ Office of Rapid Response Disease Investigation (ORRDI) is here to help, connecting them with assistance so they [...]

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It takes a village to update Arizona’s ambulance rules

By |2023-07-13T13:56:25-07:00July 13th, 2023|Preparedness|

We are currently working on updating Arizona’s ambulance rules to align with House Bill 2609 and new statutory requirements that go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. These new requirements create standard principles for the ambulance industry across the state, including response time standards and tracking and improving patient care.  ADHS began the process of [...]

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Roadway safety is no accident – May is Trauma Awareness Month

By |2023-05-09T14:31:10-07:00May 9th, 2023|Preparedness|

The theme of this year’s National Trauma Awareness Month (observed annually in May) is Roadway Safety is No Accident. The Arizona Department of Health Services’ Bureau of EMS and Trauma System and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) are joining forces to spread the message that  Prevention is Key: Safety is a Choice.  According [...]

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Taking the family to play in the snow? These tips will make sledding safer

By |2023-01-20T08:43:05-07:00January 20th, 2023|Preparedness|

An abundance of snow no doubt has many Arizonans planning trips to the high country. If your family fun will include sledding, please take along some advice to play safely.  The Arizona State Trauma Registry maintained by ADHS Emergency Medical Services and Trauma System recorded 40 sledding injuries between 2019 and 2021. And these are [...]

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Learning hands-only CPR can help you save someone who suffers sudden cardiac arrest

By |2023-01-17T10:39:29-07:00January 17th, 2023|Preparedness|

Americans were stunned when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during a Monday Night Football game with sudden cardiac arrest. The actions taken to save his life illustrate the value of rapid treatment with high quality CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator, or AED. Thankfully, Hamlin has been released from the hospital [...]

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Naloxone Leave Behind program helps first responders save lives

By |2022-12-30T11:03:29-07:00December 30th, 2022|Preparedness|

A program administered by ADHS helps Arizona emergency responders save lives by providing lifesaving naloxone to administer or leave behind when responding to opioid overdoses.  State law permits EMS agencies to leave behind pre-packaged, intranasal naloxone (Narcan®) if an emergency medical care technician determines that it can be used in the future by the at-risk [...]

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Watching 911 calls helps ADHS track health trends

By |2022-11-28T12:08:37-07:00November 28th, 2022|Preparedness|

Last week in Arizona there were nearly 18,000 emergency calls to 911 reported through the Arizona Prehospital Information and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Registry System (AZ-PIERS). That included 1,271 calls about injuries related to falls, 567 for motor vehicle crashes, and 343 for cardiac arrest and strokes.  We keep track of those numbers not out [...]

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Crash Responder Safety Week: Move Over, slow down when you see flashing lights

By |2022-11-16T11:13:50-07:00November 16th, 2022|Preparedness|

You might associate Crash Responder Safety Week more with our colleagues at the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Arizona Department of Transportation. But it's special to ADHS as well because of our role in supporting Arizona's emergency medical services and trauma system.  From 2019 to 2021, there were more than 100,000 traffic-related crashes involving [...]

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