National Public Health Week: Giving Everyone a Choice of Healthy Food Will Improve Overall Health
The food we eat affects many aspects of our lives. There's a direct link between poor nutrition and many of the leading causes of death in America such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Healthy eating is important at every age. Most of us don't eat enough fruits, vegetables or whole grains, but we do often exceed the recommended [...]
Statewide Partnerships Lead Efforts to Eliminate TB
Last week, 25 public health tuberculosis (TB) nurses, epidemiologists and program managers from across the state came together to talk Arizona TB. This group represented 13 counties and three tribal nations, and spent the day talking about what they’ve done, what they do, and what they’re working toward. The control of tuberculosis can never go on autopilot . Only through [...]
National Public Health Week: Creating the Healthiest Nation by 2030
This week, April 4 through 10, we’re celebrating National Public Health Week (NPHW) 2016, a week that helps us recognize the work all of us do to keep our communities and our families healthy. During the first full week of April each year, the American Public Health Association (APHA) brings communities across the United States together for NPHW as a [...]
Working Together to Prevent Heat-Related Illness
Living in Arizona, extreme heat is a situation we are all too familiar with each summer. High temperatures from May through September contribute to more than 118 deaths and more than 2,000 emergency room visits annually here in our state. Right now, it’s not that hot, but we know the scorching Arizona heat is right around the corner. It is never too [...]
How did you Brighten the Family Table for National Nutrition Month?
As National Nutrition Month® draws to a close for this year, take a minute and name the ways you found to brighten your table with colorful fruits and vegetables over the past few weeks. Did you visit a farmers' market with your family? Many of our WIC participants and seniors in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program have done just that as we kicked off the new season for [...]
Public Health Lab Authorized by CDC to Test for Zika Virus
Our Public Health Laboratory has been authorized by the CDC to begin testing for the Zika virus. We received a Zika virus testing validation panel from the Laboratory Response Network at CDC late last week, passed the proficiency testing panel and were authorized to test for Zika virus this past Monday. Using this test we can run up to 100 clinical samples per day for [...]