In March 2004, our Vital Statistics team produced a special report that examined deaths from exposure to heat in Arizona between 1992-2002. The report attracted a wide audience well beyond Arizona’s borders. It provided about deaths from heat exposure and analyzed heat mortality occurring in the State to both residents and non-residents (e.g. migrants crossing the desert). We’ve [...]
The President signed a Memorandum in February establishing the Task Force on Childhood Obesity and charged them with developing an interagency action plan to solve the problem of obesity in the US. The Task Force included the Secretaries of the Health, Agriculture, Interior, Education, Office of Management and Budget, Assistant to the President and Chief of [...]
Next Tuesday is the Special Election for Proposition 100. It’s a 3-year, 1 cent sales tax that would benefit education, public safety and health services. According to Section 149 of the budget bill that was passed last session, “If proposition 100 is not approved by the voters at the May 18, 2010 special election, notwithstanding any [...]
We’ve come a long way since the days of institutionalization and separation from community, the stigma and bias associated with mental illness, but we're not where we need to be yet. Reducing the stigma and bias against those facing mental health challenges is a tall order, but it can be done. Efforts to increase public [...]
The Legislature passed (and the Governor signed) a new law this past session that expands the number of reportable fields for abortion procedures that occur in Arizona. There are about 17 reportable fields and new reporting requirements for complications that occur as a result of the procedure. All of the data is confidential and there are no personally [...]
Back in 1999, a law was passed and signed (ARS § 36-449.01 36-449.02 36-449.03) that required ADHS to license and inspect abortion providers if they provide 5 or more first-trimester abortions in a month or if they provide any 2nd or 3rd trimester abortions as an abortion clinic. Hospitals were exempted. The Tucson Women’s Clinic sued the ADHS director [...]
Dr. Ben Bobrow, our EMS Medical Director is at it again, with yet another publication that positively measured the value and effectiveness of another public health intervention. Ben and his team published this month in Stroke and demonstrated that telemedicine is incredibly valuable for saving lives in rural and remote communities, by giving rural and [...]
Our behavioral health team has completed work on the new behavioral health service package for our folks that are receiving services but don't qualify for AHCCCS benefits. We've posted a Guidelines Fact Sheet or you can view ADHS guidance to contractors regarding services to Non-Title XIX members with serious mental illness, services to individuals experiencing a [...]
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer in Arizona, with 2,213 cases in 2006 (according to our Cancer Data Query System) But only about half the folks in Arizona take advantage of a simple screening test that can save their life. Last week, The Lancet published the first clinical trial that clearly demonstrates [...]
The ADHS Arizona Cancer Registry is a population-based surveillance system that collects, manages and analyzes information on the incidence, survival and mortality of persons having been diagnosed with cancer. We began collecting cancer case information in 1981. The Registry has data available describing cancer in Arizona using a variety of descriptors, including site of origin, age, [...]
