The Governor signed HB 2036 today- which amends state law regarding abortions. We'll be responsible for implementing many of the law's provisions. Our Rules and Medical Licensing teams will be responsible for writing new regulations for the operating procedures at abortion clinics, our Medical Licensing team will be ensuring compliance with the new rules, and our IT and [...]
Being born too soon is the number one killer of infants in Arizona and in the nation (birth defects is a close second). Death rates from prematurity are declining but babies born too soon (before 37 weeks) often face medical, developmental and social challenges as they get older. More than 8,000 babies in Arizona were born too soon [...]
Trauma Informed Care provides another perspective when working with individuals in the behavioral health system. Think of it this way, our life experiences have helped shape each of us into the person we are today, why would it be any different for our patients/residents. When a person experiences trauma it can have any number of effects [...]
The tumblers have clicked, and the race to apply for a dispensary is on. Our revised rules for regulating Medical Marijuana were filed and became official today- and we’ll be accepting applications for Medical Marijuana Dispensary Registration Certificates from May 14 through May 25. The unofficial rules incorporate the changes that were required by a [...]
One of the things I’ve always been jazzed about is coming up with simple and easy policy interventions to drive public health change. The Governor signed a bill that’s a good example. SB1059 addresses liability concerns of schools when opening outdoor facilities to the public outside of the school day. This is a critical first [...]
Teen pregnancy is a key public health indicator because of the profound negative health outcomes related to a lack of education and economic opportunity. For example, only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma versus approximately 90% of their peers. The disadvantages caused by a teen pregnancy can last a lifetime- and even spill over to [...]
Our Division of Behavioral Health Services recently submitted its combined mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services State Plan for FY 12-13 to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Plan that we submitted doubles as the State Plan that’s required by ARS 36-550.01. The Plan provides an overview of Arizona’s [...]
Another article came out this week in the journal Pediatrics that points toward the importance of preconception health including maintaining a healthy weight before and during pregnancy. The authors explored the relationship between metabolic disorders like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity and outcomes such as autism and other developmental delays. They found an association between metabolic [...]
Our Physical Activity and Nutrition and Child Care Licensing programs were selected for a national award from Let’s Move!- Child Care for our outstanding work to promote young children’s health and prevent childhood obesity through the Empower program and our training videos. Our work will be showcased at the May 9 Let’s Move! Child Care [...]
This week marks the 50th anniversary of National Poison Prevention Week. For the first time ever- poisoning surpassed car crashes as the number one cause of injury deaths in AZ and more than 2,000 kids had to go to emergency rooms last year from unintentional poisoning. Kids under 5 had the highest rates of non-fatal emergency department visits from poisoning. For more [...]
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