General

Here you will find topics ranging from current events that affect public health in Arizona to overall information about the Arizona Department of Health Services

Our Southern Neighbor’s Healthcare System

By |2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00June 20th, 2014|General|

About 10 years ago Mexico’s healthcare system experienced a radical transformation. With the creation of the “System of Social Protection in Health” Mexico set in motion a process to provide universal access to healthcare for the entire country.  Prior to implementing the System of Social Protection in Health, access to care was largely restricted to [...]

New ADHS Annual Reports

By |2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00June 19th, 2014|General|

Sprinkled throughout state statute, ADHS has several required reports that we issue on a regular basis. These reports are important and help create and maintain a level of transparency and accountability in everything we do. We recently published the annual Smoke Free report, and the Food Analysis Safety Report, and our 2013 Agency Annual Report, highlighting [...]

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Turning the Tide on Dialysis Infections

By |2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00June 17th, 2014|General|

Our 2nd annual ADVICE Collaborative II (called Turning the Tide on Infections) was held on May 17. Over 168 attendees representing the dialysis provider community, ADHS licensing, ADHS infectious disease services and Healthcare Associated Infections Advisory Committee End Stage Renal Disease Subcommittee continued their learning, sharing and networking to improve infection control performance in dialysis centers. Tamara Hoxworth [...]

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New (Higher) Fish Consumption Recommendations for Pregnant Women

By |2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00June 16th, 2014|General|

Last week the FDA & EPA announced new draft fish consumption recommendations for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. The new recommendations recommend at least 2 servings of low-mercury seafood every week. The recommendations are a big shift for the FDA & EPA- whose previous seafood advisory in 2004 set only an upper limit on the [...]

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New Evidence-based Child Safety Toolkit for Parents

By |2017-02-10T09:49:37-07:00June 12th, 2014|General, Prevention|

CDC's Division of Violence Prevention just released a new toolkit that gives parents ways to interact more positively with their children.  It’s called "Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers" and it’s a free evidence-based resource that is based on the best available evidence and designed for parents with children aged 2 to 4.  The resource also [...]

New Medical Marijuana Regulations on the Way

By |2017-02-10T09:49:37-07:00June 11th, 2014|General|

Last summer a Superior Court judge decided that a portion of our medical marijuana regulations are unreasonable because our rules don’t have a process for dispensary registration certificate holders to renew their dispensary registration certificate if they didn’t earn their approval to operate within 1 year.  That ruling requires us to change our medical marijuana regulations, and [...]

Chikungunya Coming Soon?

By |2017-02-10T09:49:37-07:00June 10th, 2014|General, Preparedness|

First there was West Nile virus and then dengue on our doorstep. Now it’s Chikungunya (pronunciation: \chik-en-gun-ye click to hear pronunciation)- which is a new disease threat in the Western hemisphere.  Like dengue, this virus is spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitos, causing fever and severe joint pain 3-7 days after a mosquito bite. There’s no cure- just supportive [...]

Dengue and the World Cup

By |2017-02-10T09:49:37-07:00June 9th, 2014|General, Preparedness|

GOOOOAAAAAL!!! With the World Cup just around the corner, soccer fans are dusting off their jerseys and getting ready to cheer on their favorite team. For super-fans lucky enough to travel to Brazil to see the matches first hand, fans of opposing teams aren’t the biggest threat… a mosquito-borne disease is. Dengue, spread by the [...]

Administrative Law Judge Recommends Reversing PTSD Decision

By |2014-06-06T08:51:02-07:00June 6th, 2014|General|

Last December I denied a petition to add Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to the list of debilitating medical conditions that qualify people for an Arizona Medical Marijuana Registration Card.  I denied the petition because there was a lack of scientific evidence to document whether Cannabis is helpful or not to treat or provide palliative care for [...]

American Indian Healthcare Matrix (Part V): Wrap-up

By |2017-02-10T09:49:37-07:00June 4th, 2014|General|

In this 5-part series on American Indian Healthcare we’ve covered the basics the Indian Health Service and ”638’s” administered by tribes and tribal organizations.   Here we learned about unique opportunities Native Americans have when seeking health care services.  Members of 566 federally recognized American Indian Tribes and their descendants are eligible for services provided by [...]

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