Prevention – Page 41 – AZ Dept. of Health Services News

Topics here will include issues that fall into the Prevention Division of the agency, which include – as the name implies – programs that help prevent disease in our state. You will find information about chronic diseases (cancer, heart health, breathing disorders) as well as tobacco use prevention. This area also includes education about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Women, Infant and Children programs; both USDA programs that help provide nutrition to lower income residents.

September is Suicide Prevention Month

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:30-07:00September 9th, 2014|Prevention|

In 2012, more than 1,000 Arizonans took their own lives, including more than 200 folks who had served in the military. Suicide influences populations differently. Nationally, the group committing suicide in the greatest numbers is elderly men. In Arizona, we also have a high rate among American Indians. Additionally, those with a serious mental illness [...]

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Bed Bugs: A Most Unwelcome Nuisance

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:30-07:00August 29th, 2014|Prevention|

Just the idea of bed bugs makes folks squirm...which is understandable, but here in Arizona we have scarier bugs like Rhipicephalus sanguineus or Culex quinquefasciatus that actually transmit diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and West Nile virus. Bed bugs don’t transmit disease but they can cause skin reactions and psychosocial stress (e.g., anxiety and [...]

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

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 27th, 2014|Prevention|

In Parts I, II, III, and IV 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 [...]

Smokeless Tobacco Causes Cancer Too

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 22nd, 2014|Prevention|

Smokeless tobacco has made recent headlines with former MLB players citing their habitual use for their cancer diagnosis, including Tony Gwynn, who recently died after battling salivary gland cancer, and this week, Curt Schilling, who publicly announced his diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma (cancer of the mouth). Both attributed their cancer to their 30+ years of chewing. The percentage of adults [...]

Updated Infection Control Prevention Guidelines

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 19th, 2014|Prevention|

The Society for Hospital Epidemiology of America and the Infectious Diseases Society of America partnered with several healthcare organizations to publish evidence-based and best practice recommendations for preventing healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals. Referred to as the “SHEA Compendium”, these recommendations have served as a cornerstone of infection control and prevention since their publication [...]

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Life Coach Tips for College Freshmen

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:31-07:00August 15th, 2014|Prevention|

Going to college is fun and exciting. As is the case with all life transitions, getting some helpful hints in advance can smooth out the adjustment time and help create a better and healthier outcome. Make it a point to review the following “life coach tips” with your young adult (like I’ve been doing with my [...]

Get a Healthy Jump on the School Year

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 8th, 2014|Prevention|

Believe it or not, it’s already back to school time. Whether kids are heading off to school for the first time, or going back for their senior year of high school, it’s important for parents, grandparents and students to do everything they can to insure the school year is safe and healthy. One of the [...]

Summer Rabies Update: Rabies & Skunks

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 5th, 2014|Prevention|

2014 has already proven to be a very active year for rabies in Arizona. So far this year, there have been 70 animals reported positive for rabies. Last year at this time there were 40 animals reported positive. We’re seeing an especially high number of rabid skunks this year. 39 skunks have been reported so [...]

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Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:34-07:00July 23rd, 2014|Prevention|

The monsoon season marks the tick season here in Arizona, and one of most important tick-borne disease threats in the state is Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The symptoms usually start with a fever of two or more days and can lead to a nasty “spotted” rash (although the rash is not always present in the cases [...]

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AZ Losing Traction on Vaccine Front

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:34-07:00July 21st, 2014|Prevention|

Arizona law requires kids to get certain vaccines in order to attend school unless a doctor signs a medical exemption form or a parent signs a religious or personal belief exemption form. There’s been an increasing number of parents who are signing personal belief exemption forms- putting herd immunity at risk. Every year we examine [...]

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