Newborn screening expands
Newborn Screening month wraps up at the end of September and has served as a time to recognize the great strides we’ve made in screening babies born in Arizona. Arizona joins 36 other states in implementing a new test for critical congenital heart defect in newborns this year. Newborns in Arizona now have access to non-invasive pulse oximetry screening. This [...]
Expanded Integrated Behavioral Health Model set to Launch Oct. 1
People with a serious mental illness have increased mortality that is largely from treatable medical conditions caused by risk factors like smoking, obesity, substance abuse, and not accessing primary and acute medical care. Research demonstrates that outcomes are improved for individuals with a serious mental illness when their whole health care, both physical and behavioral, is delivered in an integrated [...]
Two Projects Earn First Place HEMMY Awards
The Childhood Lead Program team: Brigitte Dufour, Amber Asburry, Melissa Tegarden and Stephen Grieco-Shapiro Every year the Arizona Public Health Association presents the Health Education Media Maker Yearly (HEMMY) Award to recognize achievements in health education. I’m happy to announce that our Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and our Diabetes Program both won first place awards. The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention [...]
Improving Stroke Care and Positioning Our Efforts to Address Alzheimer’s
For the past several years stroke has been recognized as the fourth leading disease-related cause of death in Arizona, making it eligible for tobacco tax funding under Proposition 303. Our Bureau of Tobacco and Chronic Disease (BTCD) has been dedicating a portion of tobacco tax revenues to fund the development of healthcare systems aimed at increasing the stroke survival rate. These efforts [...]
Viral Hepatitis Summit in Phoenix
On September 17 we held the first ever Viral Hepatitis Summit sponsored by Hepatitis Foundation International (HFI). There were 85 healthcare personnel and public health professionals in attendance, including physicians, social workers, nurses and pharmacists from all over Arizona. Some of the topics included adhering to hepatitis B and C testing guidelines, accessing treatment for hepatitis C, and understanding treatment for hepatitis C [...]
Flu vaccine is here, and it’s better than last year’s
Last flu season was a rough one, mainly because the influenza A (H3) strain in the vaccine did not match the circulating A (H3) strain that was making most people sick. This season, CDC believes the strains in the vaccine will be a good match against the currently circulating strains and provide better protection. Although the flu vaccine is usually 50 to [...]