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, [...]
Bats are one of three rabies reservoirs in AZ – the others being skunks and foxes. Our skunk rabies season often peaks during winter & spring (although last year – it went all year). Our bat season goes late-March through early-October. Most (but not all) of the 28 species of bats in AZ do migrate [...]
Bats are one of three rabies reservoirs in AZ – the others being skunks and foxes. Our skunk rabies season often peaks during winter & spring (although last year – it went all year). Our bat season goes late-March through early-October. Most (but not all) of the 28 species of bats in AZ do migrate [...]
Last week was very busy for our behavioral health team. Staff held several community meetings all across the state and met with the people in charge of the Regional Behavioral Health Authorities regarding on the upcoming service package reductions for folks that don’t qualify for AHCCCS benefits. You can see our ADHS Continues to Seek [...]
This week the Archives of Internal Medicine published the results of a 20-year lifestyle study on 4886 people in the UK between 1985 and 2005. The study compared mortality rates among the group and analyzed longevity’s relationship to behavior. The study compared people that had various bad behaviors- allocating 1 point for: 1) smoking; 2) [...]
The H1N1 pandemic strain virus turns 1 this month. The first indication that there may be a problem was published in an April 24, 2009 Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. The CDC announced the new virus in their usual low-key way, with an MMWR lead that said: “On April 17, 2009, CDC determined that two [...]
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health has discovered a pretty significant outbreak of a bacteria called Clostridium difficile this week. This organism can cause severe diarrheal illness, and is commonly associated with antibiotic use and healthcare facilities. Most people who come into contact with Clostridium difficile do not develop disease. Being on long-term antibiotics [...]
Last Wednesday, April 21, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a new report on high blood pressure entitled Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States. The report was sponsored by the CDC, FDA, and NIH. High blood pressure is one of the nation’s leading causes of death, responsible for roughly one in six [...]
