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

American Indian Healthcare Matrix (Part I)

By |2017-02-10T09:49:40-07:00May 8th, 2014|General|

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be writing a series on the healthcare matrix for American Indians. I’ll be covering the basics of the Indian Health Service, how Medicaid and Medicare interface with Native Americans, as well as some of the basics of the Affordable Care Act as it relates to American Indians. Let’s [...]

“People First” Law

By |2017-02-10T09:49:40-07:00May 6th, 2014|General|

A few years ago, the legislature made some important changes to the language in our state laws by removing hurtful words related to people with developmental disabilities.  Last year, the legislature removed some really old definitions and terms related to mental illness.  This year a new law was passed and signed (HB 2667) that went through [...]

First Case of MERS in U.S.

By |2017-02-10T09:49:41-07:00May 2nd, 2014|General, Preparedness|

A healthcare worker who recently returned from Saudi Arabia is the first confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the U.S.  The person's in stable condition in isolation in an Indiana hospital. All public health agencies around the world have been carefully watching for new cases of MERS since the disease was [...]

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FDA Study Committee Recommends Disapproval of New Opiate Painkiller

By |2017-02-10T09:49:41-07:00April 29th, 2014|General|

Last week an FDA panel unanimously recommended rejecting a new drug that’s a combination of morphine and oxycodone – two very strong painkillers.  The panel, Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee, said the company didn’t provide data to prove that Moxduo is more effective or safer than using one of the already available drugs. [...]

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Severe Dog Bites Up Sharply in AZ

By |2017-02-10T09:49:44-07:00March 27th, 2014|General|

When I heard about what happened to the 4 year old boy that was attacked by a Pit Bull a couple of weeks ago, I asked our public health statistics team to look at our surveillance data and see whether severe dog maulings are really up- or whether it just seems that way.  It turns [...]

ICM Spring Cleaning Drive Final Push

By |2017-02-10T09:49:45-07:00March 25th, 2014|General|

 If you're a regular blog reader, you've probably seen posts about our water drives in the spring to prepare for the summer heat and the food drive in the fall to help our food banks for the holiday season.  We also do an annual spring cleaning drive that benefits ICM.  This is a great opportunity [...]

Court Provides More Clarity Regarding Marijuana Extracts

By |2017-02-10T09:49:45-07:00March 23rd, 2014|General|

Judge Cooper from Maricopa County Superior Court ruled on Friday that: "The language of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act and its ballot materials make clear that proponents and votes intended the Act to provide access to medicine for debilitating medical conditions without fear of criminal prosecution.  The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act does not limit the form [...]

Send Your Teen to CDC’s Disease Detective Camp this Summer

By |2017-02-10T09:49:45-07:00March 21st, 2014|General|

The CDC just began accepting applications for their annual summer Disease Detective Camp.  The Camp is open to motivated students who’ll be high-school juniors or seniors during the 2014-2015 school year.  Over the course of five days, campers  take on the role of disease detectives.   Campers can expect a variety of experiences including re-created outbreaks, [...]

New Phrase for the Week: Sleep Hygiene

By |2017-02-10T09:49:45-07:00March 19th, 2014|General|

If you’re like my family, there are times when some of you don’t get enough sleep.  In fact about 30% of Americans don’t get the 7 to 8 hours of sleep that we need to stay healthy.  Now that everybody is plugged into an electronic device these days (especially teens) is seems to be getting [...]

Health Profession Summer Program Opportunity for AZ High Schoolers

By |2017-02-10T09:49:46-07:00March 5th, 2014|General|

Have you ever wondered — Why do people get sick? How can we prevent the spread of disease? What do doctors REALLY do?  If so, the U of A College of Medicine in Phoenix has a summer program for you!  Be a part of Med-Start Phoenix, a two-week day program with a fast paced curriculum [...]

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