We've had to make lots of difficult decisions in response to the ongoing funding shortfalls in our behavioral health system (as well as everywhere in state government). Many decisions (while painful in the short term) have been necessary to maintain long term system stability as Arizona continues to emerge from this unprecedented fiscal crisis. While [...]
Here in the Sonoran Desert monsoon season = scorpion season. There are more than 56 species of scorpions in Arizona- but only one- the bark scorpion is of any public health significance. The problem is that it’s the most common scorpion found in Arizona homes. Since you live in the bark scorpion's territory, you probably have them around [...]
A new report is out that provides a state-by-state comparison of a wide range of behavioral health issues. Every state has to deal with some significant challenges with mental illness and substance abuse. For example, among people 12 and older, Alaska’s current illicit drug use rate more than double that in Iowa (13% versus 5%), [...]
New testing equipment at the state lab is going to help us with flu tracking this fall and dramatically speed up testing for Tuberculosis. The instrument called the Gene Xpert looks for DNA mutations – we can tell if a TB case is resistant to certain antibiotics. For instance, on specific mutation is a marker for rifampin [...]
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post expressing concerns about the legality of so-called cannabis clubs that have been popping up recently. It appeared to me that the clubs are distributing marijuana to customers in a way that’s inconsistent with the provisions of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act- and the persons involved could be [...]
Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube… all these social media outlets are changing the way people communicate… with their friends, co workers, and even about breaking news. In the power outage in the Valley last month, SRP provided speedy updates for their customers about when the power would be back on and where they could pick up ice [...]
Breastfeeding is one of the foundations of public health – it protects the health of the mother and the baby. A special week like this helps people remember the benefits and encourages folks to support mothers who want to breastfeed. CDC Vital Signs Report this week talks about reducing the change of having an overweight [...]
Last month I told you about a rare cluster of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) along the US-Mexico border near Yuma, AZ. Since then, we’ve identified 8 more cases for a total of 24 (7 in AZ, 17 in Sonora). GBS is a rare condition that results in paralysis of the legs, but can sometimes affect the arms and [...]
This is the time of year that public health folks start watching the flu reports from the southern hemisphere. We’re watching for a couple of things – the circulating strains and how it’s spreading. The Australian Government Department of Health is reporting 6 times as many cases as they had at this time last season. [...]
We’ve probably all heard the saying “life happens”, right? Sometimes our lives get really complicated with work, bills, family demands and other stress that makes our ability to cope day to day challenging. This kind of increased stress over time can take a toll on our minds and bodies, so we head off to the [...]
