General – Page 36 – AZ Dept. of Health Services News

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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Successful Infectious Disease Prevention Conference

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 1st, 2014|General|

Last week we wrapped up our 5th annual Arizona Infectious Disease Training and Exercise. This event kicked off with a full day pandemic influenza tabletop exercise followed by two days of training on a variety of infectious disease topics. The 400 registrants – public health folks, infection preventionists, healthcare providers, academic partners, and others – learned [...]

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Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00July 31st, 2014|General|

You’ve probably read about how we are working on the Arizona Health Improvement Plan to help us all live a better, healthier and longer life. But one of the most important things we can do as today’s leaders is to inspire tomorrow’s leaders. I had the opportunity to meet Cody Vasquez this week – he’s [...]

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Dramatic Results from AZ’s Cardiac Arrest Receiving Center Initiative

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:34-07:00July 30th, 2014|General|

A few years ago our Bureau of EMS & Trauma System enticed dozens of AZ hospitals to become a Cardiac Receiving Centers. The initiative helps hospitals provide treatments scientifically proven to improve a patient’s survival rate (like using therapeutic hypothermia to improve the chances of survival). The program also includes protocols for the pre-hospital teams [...]

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

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:34-07:00July 29th, 2014|General|

In our lifetimes, each one of us is likely to experience pain. The pain experience could be acute and resolve itself in short order (like a bee sting). Pain can also be a chronic experience lasting a long time with varying levels of intensity (like rheumatoid arthritis). Pain is also subjective and what one person considers [...]

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New Abortion Clinic Regulations Filed

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:34-07:00July 25th, 2014|General|

Last Spring the Legislature passed and the Governor signed a new law that provided our agency with the same inspection authority at abortion clinics that we have at all the other healthcare institutions we license. The previous authority required us to give abortion clinics a 10 day notice before we conduct a routine inspection. We also used to have to [...]

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Adjusting Our Vital Records Business Model

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:34-07:00July 25th, 2014|General|

Our Vital Records team has a wide range of business functions. We’re responsible for maintaining and issuing certified copies of vital records, including birth and death certificates, registration of adoptions, and corrections and amendments to these vital records. Much of our work also includes helping the county vital records offices with their mission of verifying [...]

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Outstanding Success by Newborn Screening Team

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:34-07:00July 24th, 2014|General|

Last month I bragged about how our newborn screening team beat the deadline I gave them to improve our system – a system that ensure blood spots taken from newborns are quickly screened for life-threatening diseases. Now that the actual deadline is past, it’s good to see the team and our licensed hospitals exceeded what [...]

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Opening the Doors to People with Special Needs: Solutions to Prepare Your Practice

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:34-07:00July 22nd, 2014|General|

Our Office of Children with Special Healthcare Needs has been working with UnitedHealthcare Community Plans and AHCCCS to support an important free conference on Friday, July 25, to improve the care delivery system in Arizona for children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities and their families. The goal of the free conference is to [...]

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