General – Page 35 – AZ Dept. of Health Services News

Two More Medical Marijuana Lawsuits This Week

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 29th, 2014|General|

A few weeks ago I issued a Director’s Decision authorizing the use of marijuana for medical marijuana patients undergoing conventional treatment for PTSD. Beginning January 1 physician certifications will be valid for palliative care of PTSD symptoms as long as certifying physicians attest that the patient is currently undergoing some kind of conventional treatment for PTSD [...]

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Preventive Services Widget for Clinicians

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 28th, 2014|General|

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recently announced the release of the “ePSS widget” - which provides primary care clinicians and health care teams with timely decision support regarding appropriate screening, counseling, and preventive services for their patients. The tool is based on the current, evidence-based recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force [...]

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Public Health & the Panama Canal

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 25th, 2014|General|

The Panama Canal celebrates its 100th anniversary this week. Hailed as both a Wonder of the Modern World and a Monument of the Millennium, the Panama Canal has public health, engineering, and laborers to thank for its completion. You may remember from history class that the construction of the Canal took decades longer than anticipated. [...]

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Healthy Aging Brief

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 21st, 2014|General|

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials recently investigated ways in which public health can support healthy aging. The results are now available in an issue brief that outlines key recommendations to help state health agencies support healthy aging, identify collaborative opportunities, and integrate public health and healthy aging.

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The 5th “Vital Sign” & the Painkiller Epidemic (Part IV of V)

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 20th, 2014|General|

In Parts I, II, and III of this series we established the acute and growing effects that the opiate painkiller epidemic is having in America, and how it has been driven (in part) by aggressive pain management strategies that were implemented since Pain was identified as the 5th Vital Sign. Since then, public health and [...]

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Association v. Causation

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 18th, 2014|General|

One of the key objectives of public health is to assess the cause of disease or bad outcomes so we can design interventions. In order to do that, we need to be able to tell the difference between when something is actually “causing” an outcome and when the exposure or condition is simply “associated” or [...]

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The 5th “Vital Sign” & the Painkiller Epidemic (Part III of V)

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 14th, 2014|General|

In Part I and Part II of this series we’ve introduced the idea that contemporary pain management strategies have resulted in an epidemic of painkiller misuse and abuse that’s killing large numbers of people. In fact, misuse and abuse of opiate prescription painkillers takes out more people every year than car crashes. The run-up to the [...]

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Stories to Make You Smile

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 13th, 2014|General|

In 2012 the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (the DDPC works out of the 4th floor of our 1740 building) partnered with the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC) to develop new self-employment opportunities. The Home Baked and Confectionary Goods law was used as the foundation for the project due to potential ease of [...]

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Suicide & Depression: A Critical Arizona Winnable Battle

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 12th, 2014|General|

Depression strikes more people than you might think. Some 300,000 people in Arizona live with major depression. It may take years from when symptoms first emerge and to when people finally get help. Less than one-third of adults with a diagnosed mental illness receive treatment. Often, it’s the friends and family of a person living [...]

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Employment First Initiative

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 12th, 2014|Behavioral Health, General|

Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council is sponsoring a series of six Employment First Community Forums to develop a comprehensive strategic plan designed to promote employment for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. A broad coalition of self-advocates, family members, service providers, educators, state agencies, advocates and employers are sharing ideas and strategies to raise public [...]

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