Obesity Declared a Disease
The American Medical Association voted to recognize obesity as a disease this week. This is an important change… because the term “disease” in the managed care world means that that prevention and treatment is more medically necessary, justifying reimbursement for necessary interventions. If obesity isn't a disease then I don't know what is. Obesity has gone from being a public [...]
Budget Squared Away
As you’ve probably seen, the Legislature went into a special session and worked some long hours to pass a FY 2014 budget. While we’re still analyzing everything, here are some key provisions of the budget bill as it was sent to the Governor. Medicaid (AHCCCS) will be restored and expanded. This will be a big bonus for our behavioral health [...]
Doce Pit Fire
The dry conditions in the Prescott National Forest have provided great fuel for the wildfire that started there yesterday. You can monitor conditions on the Forest website. And don't forget to check in with the state's Emergency Information Network. We play a significant role in response where there are wildfires in Arizona – our licensing folks are monitoring the need [...]
Maricopa County Behavioral Health Contract Update
Last week the AZ Department of Administration decided to ask the Arizona Office of Administrative Hearings to conduct an official hearing regarding our October 1 contract award for the Regional Behavioral Health Authority in Maricopa County. You may remember that the ADOA issued a stay last month that stopped the transition process. We received a notice from the ADOA yesterday that [...]
Border Bi-national Public Health
You can think of the border public health advocacy network as a bi-national matrix of public health partners that collaborate to improve conditions along the US-Mexico border. The network includes national organizations like the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission along with state based partnerships like the Arizona-Mexico Commission and the annual Border Governor’s Conference. As part of my job as the Director, I’m a [...]
Arizona Mexico Commission Goes Well
The annual plenary session of the Arizona-Mexico Commission wrapped up last night with some important health events. We signed a Cooperative Agreement with the Secreteria de Salud Publica in Sonora to educate people on both sides of the border about the importance of buckling up children and infants. In the last Child Fatality Review report – there were 70 children [...]