2015 ADVICE Collaborative III: Striving for Excellence
Back in 2013, our Licensing team partnered with our Infectious Disease Services team and the Healthcare Associated Infections Advisory Committee to put together a day-long conference aimed at improving infection control practices. The ADVICE Collaborative brought together licensed dialysis providers, the dialysis network, federal partners and public health professionals to find new ways to promote infection control, build relationships, and identify how public health can assist [...]
Sixth Annual Arizona Infectious Disease Training and Exercise Coming Soon
We're currently busy planning our 6th annual Arizona Infectious Disease Training and Exercise, which will take place from July 21st-23rd this year. This event brings together nearly 400 infection control practitioners, public and community health nurses, health educators, epidemiologists, sanitarians, correctional facility representatives, animal control agencies, preparedness coordinators, laboratorians, border health counterparts, and university faculty and students to learn about the latest infectious [...]
Tabletop Exercise Highlights Crisis Standards of Care Planning
Arizona is one of America's leading states in developing a plan for Crisis Standards of Care. Crisis Standards of Care are those standards that are implemented when a catastrophic event occurs and there are shortages of space, supplies, and staff within the hospital and healthcare community. These protocols can serve as a planning platform from the state and local government [...]
Disease Detectives Investigating Rare Strain of Salmonella
Our epidemiologists in the Office of Infectious Disease Services have been working with local and federal public health partners on an outbreak investigation of a rare strain of Salmonella, called Salmonella Paratyphi B. Most ill people in Maricopa County report eating sushi containing raw minced or ground tuna at restaurants. As of May 20, there are 51 cases nationally and 10 cases in Arizona [...]
Tackling Prescription Drug Abuse with “Awareness. Action. Outcomes!”
Arizona, like every state in the country, is battling an epidemic of people misusing and abusing prescription drugs. We’ve been working with several partners on the Arizona Prescription Drug Misuse & Abuse Initiative since 2012 to reduce the problem in Arizona. The Initiative team recently developed a comprehensive toolkit designed to assist communities to tackle prescription drug abuse at the local level. The Community Toolkit provides easy [...]
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month in Arizona
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 4 million Americans are living with viral hepatitis and more than 20,000 die every year from hepatitis-related infections. Viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer and the most common reason for liver transplantation. Two types of viral hepatitis, B and C, are the cause of a silent [...]