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 [...]
Tuberculosis and mankind share a dramatic and intertwined history. TB has caused millions of deaths every year for centuries, been found in Egyptian mummies, has placed patients into sanatoriums, and has even has a folklore link relating it with vampires, The drama continues into this decade: in 2012, there were 8.8 million new cases of [...]
Last December I wrote about an investigation done by a reporter from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about newborn screening program turn-around times across the country. When I saw where Arizona stood relative to the other states in the article, we set a new goal of making sure that our Lab gets 95% of all newborn [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
Every year the World Health Organization holds a meeting with worldwide experts to make recommendations for the next season’s Northern Hemisphere flu vaccine. It seems strange to plan for next season when we’re still in the midst of the current flu season, but the vaccine-making process still takes about 6 months. Influenza season generally ramps [...]
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 [...]
During a major crisis, such as an influenza pandemic, we might need to take extraordinary steps to ensure that healthcare workers have the medicines and supplies on hand to treat patients. State, local, and federal agencies all participate in the Strategic National Stockpile program to help ensure that these critical resources are available during disaster situations. [...]
I've often written about the importance of a mature trauma system and how it's important to the rural/tribal areas of Arizona for better access to care for injured patients. Since my last blog on trauma, we've welcomed Banner Del Webb Medical Center, Payson Regional Medical Center, Mt. Graham Medical Center, and Yavapai Regional Medical Center as Level [...]
Last September the Arizona State Hospital (ASH) was inspected (surveyed) for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The survey team can review over 20 different areas and three were identified that we needed to address: Governing Body, Patient Rights, and Nursing Services. In December, we developed and implemented a Plan of Correction which [...]
