Valley Fever Awareness Week: Reduce your risk, get tested if you have symptoms
With cases of respiratory illness rising in Arizona, it's easy to overlook the possibility that Valley fever might be the reason for a cough, fever, or exhaustion. Caused by a fungus that can be carried by blowing dust, Valley fever is one of the most commonly reported infectious diseases in our state. Anyone who lives or travels here is at [...]
Great American Smokeout: Ending dependence takes time, planning, and patience
"Milestones," an award-winning public service announcement from the Arizona Smokers Helpline (ASHLine), begins with one man's decision to end dependence on commercial tobacco. It then follows the health benefits that multiply in the years after that last cigarette. This year's Great American Smokeout focuses on what gets someone to day one of life without commercial tobacco, taking that all-important first [...]
Crash Responder Safety Week: Move Over, slow down when you see flashing lights
You might associate Crash Responder Safety Week more with our colleagues at the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Arizona Department of Transportation. But it's special to ADHS as well because of our role in supporting Arizona's emergency medical services and trauma system. From 2019 to 2021, there were more than 100,000 traffic-related crashes involving injury or death in Arizona. [...]
Arizona cord blood used in life-saving treatments, research
Today, Nov. 15, is World Cord Blood Day, which calls attention to how stem cells that remain in the placenta and umbilical cord after a child is born help doctors treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases. There have been more than 40,000 cord blood stem cell transplants since a French doctor first used the procedure in 1988. The collection process [...]
Collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data promotes public health in Arizona
Public health data helps ADHS tell the public where disease is occurring and who is most affected. An example is high COVID-19 death rates among seniors compared to other age ranges in Arizona. This helps people make informed personal decisions on how best to conduct their activities. That’s why I'm pleased to highlight Susan Robinson, ADHS' Chief Business Intelligence Officer. [...]
Community Health Workers: Uniquely positioned to make communities healthier
No one knows a community better than the people who live there. Someone who has spent a lifetime in Tuba City, Seligman, or Yuma knows the people who live there, what makes the community unique, and what health care solutions are needed. That's the idea behind the Community Health Worker movement, which has roots in Arizona stretching more than 50 [...]