Behavioral Health Services for 14 Counties Go Out to Bid
Now that we have a new integrated behavioral health care model in Maricopa County, we’ve set our sights on implementing a similar integrated care model in the rest of the state. Our Procurement Team issued the Greater Arizona Behavioral Health RFP last week - which sets the course for integrating behavioral health and physical health for folks with a serious mental [...]
WIC Going More Electronic
Arizona's Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) is moving from paper checks to an electronic system thanks to a $5M grant we received from USDA this week. WIC electronic benefit transfer (or EBT) will provide enhanced service and benefits to participants, clinic staff, and WIC vendors (grocery stores authorized to accept Arizona WIC benefits). Stores in Arizona that provide WIC services sell about $150 million in healthy [...]
Opening the Doors to People with Special Needs: Solutions to Prepare Your Practice
Our Office of Children with Special Healthcare Needs has been working with UnitedHealthcare Community Plans and the AHCCCS to support an important free Conference on July 25 to improve the care delivery system in Arizona for children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities and their families. The goal of the free Conference is to provide tools to [...]
Ladders: Useful But Potentially Hazardous
I've fallen off ladders at my house twice in the last month which has inspired me to do a post about falls and injuries. The #1 reason people show up in Arizona emergency rooms is from slipping, tripping or stumbling on something. Falls are the #2 cause of accidental death in Arizona…with 870 deaths recorded last year (overdoses from prescription [...]
Staying Healthy & Reducing Cost- Preventive Health Services
In recent years, a prevention model of health has woven its way into the fabric of traditional models of care. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act the role preventive services has expanded significantly in the US health care delivery system. Preventive health care services prevent diseases and illnesses from happening in the first place rather than treating them [...]
Director’s Decision: Cannabis & Palliative Care for PTSD
Last December I denied a petition to add Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to the list of debilitating medical conditions that qualify people for an Arizona Medical Marijuana Registration Card. I denied the petition because, at the time, I believed there was a lack of scientific evidence to document whether Cannabis is helpful or not to treat or provide palliative care [...]