Arizona Smoke-Free Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary
Do you remember walking into your favorite restaurant and being asked, “smoking or non-smoking?” Just a decade ago you could still hear that familiar phrase as smoking in a restaurant or bar was legal. Those smoking sections did little to protect non-smokers from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Voters passed the Smoke-Free Arizona Act in 2006 going into effect on [...]
Immunization Exemption Rates Rise in 2016
Arizona law requires that all children attending school or child care must obtain certain vaccines, unless they are exempted by a doctor for medical purposes, or by a parent for personal reasons. Schools are required to collect a copy of immunization records, or signed exemption forms, for each student. Each year, immunization information for all students in 6th grade, Kindergarten, [...]
Arizona State Public Health Laboratory Helping to Protect Health Statewide
April 23 through 29 is National Laboratory Professionals Week, a time for us to take a moment to thank our hard-working laboratory staff. This week we will celebrate the vital contributions laboratory professionals make to protect public health and safety . Our Public Health Laboratory is a leader in Arizona and the United States. For example, our lab played an [...]
Groups Across Arizona Working to Connect People with Healthy Food
Representatives from more than 100 organizations will gather in Phoenix to accelerate the improvement of the state’s food system this Thursday and Friday. The 2017 Arizona Food Summit is part of the ongoing work between the Department of Agriculture and the Arizona Department of Health Services to reduce food insecurity in the state. Connecting Arizonans to healthy food helps them [...]
Safely Dispose of Unused Prescription Drugs this Weekend
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be held Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs. You can find a drop off location in your area online. If you are downtown this weekend, there will be a take back drug site at the Arizona State [...]
Celebrating our Arizona Immunization Heroes
Last week, we hosted our 24th annual Arizona Immunization Conference. About 400 partners from doctor’s offices, healthcare clinics, and state, local, and tribal agencies came together to learn and share best practices and current information about vaccination. These immunization heroes devote their time daily to ensure they are shielding Arizona communities from dangerous vaccine preventable diseases. We were fortunate to [...]