Public Health tracks the number of healthcare workers – physicians, dentists and psychiatrists – to make sure we have enough to take care of the community. In Arizona we’ve been challenged to recruit and keep those professionals – and we have numerous Health Professional Shortage Areas. Just to eliminate the current shortages, we’d need an [...]
Last year we welcomed about 87,000 newborns to Arizona. Our Newborn Screening Program (in our State Lab) ensures that each are tested for 28 inherited disorders and hearing problems. The goal is to help kids avoid illness, developmental delays and even death. Teamwork, communication and coordination are critical in making this program effective. A quick [...]
Do you know a young adult that might be interested in a career in the exciting field of public health? If you do, they may be in luck. The Public Health Associate Program administered by CDC is designed to identify future public health leaders with undergraduate degrees and a passion for public health. Throughout the [...]
As I mentioned in a blog post a few weeks ago, more AZ parents are choosing not to vaccinate their kids- and using “personal exemptions” when they enroll their kids in school. If the trend continues, we could jeopardize our immunization rates enough so that we'd see long gone diseases like measles and mumps return in [...]
Yesterday afternoon's weekly flu report shows that influenza is still circulating widely in AZ... with a steep increase in the last couple of weeks. The strain that’s circulating is mostly Type A - H3N2 which can be more severe than the 2009 H1N1, especially for seniors. There are plenty of B strains going around too. But you can still find [...]
Those of you that actually read these posts know that we run Arizona’s benchmark public health laboratory. But many of you might not know that we also license and inspect clinical and environmental labs in AZ and even some in other parts of the country through our Clinical and Environmental Laboratory Licensing and Compliance programs. [...]
Last January we accepted petitions from the public to add PTSD 1; PTSD 2; Depression; Migraines; and Generalized Anxiety Disorder to the list of conditions that qualify patients to receive a Medical Marijuana Registration Card. Because my guiding principle for making the decision was to use science and research to make the decision, we contracted with the U of [...]
We’re continuing to make significant progress in our licensing regulatory reform efforts. Our overall goal is to simplify and streamline our regulations so they align with our strategic plan and map to improve public health outcomes. The new regulations will more acutely focus on health and safety criteria- and will put more emphasis on outcomes. [...]
Mental Health First Aid reached the national stage this week in the Presidents message. This week’s Now is the Time document developed by the Fed’s advocates expanding Mental Health First Aid Training for teachers and adults who work with kids. The proposal also includes funding to help identified children and teens find treatment if they [...]
Food marketing to children and teens is a major public health concern. Earlier this year, the Walt Disney Company announced it will no longer accept advertisements for junk food on its child-directed television, radio, and online sites. Disney also updated its nutrition standards for foods that can be advertised to children. The food and beverage [...]
