Another Medical Marijuana Lawsuit
We got sued again this week regarding our Medical Marijuana Program. This time we’re getting sued because the Plaintiffs think that our 1-year deadline for getting a dispensary up and running is too restrictive. Basically, the Plaintiffs allege that the legal issues that have arisen in response to the White Mountain Health Center, Inc. (a prospective dispensary) case have made [...]
Families are the First First-Responders
Our country’s disaster preparedness system is really a matrix that starts with families and goes all the way to a coordinated federal response. In between are local first-responders, county public health and emergency management, and state public health and emergency management. But really- the real first first-responders are moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas and even kids. That’s why family preparedness is [...]
Bats, Foxes, and Bobcats
Every year we get reports of wild animals with bizarre behaviors like approaching people rather than running away, charging vehicles, latching on to arms of joggers and refusing to let go, even walking into a bar. In many cases, these animals are found to be rabid. Bats are usually our most frequent reservoirs for rabies in AZ… but we also see rabies [...]
Successful Public Health Symposium
A special thanks to our team that worked the US Public Health Service’s Scientific and Training Symposium this week. Several of our staff hosted informative booths during the Symposium. A special thanks to Clarisse Tsang who hosted a break out session related to newborns and Hepatitis B. It was a special treat to have 3 Surgeon’s General at the Symposium- which [...]
Maricopa County Behavioral Health Contract “Stayed”
Earlier this week the Arizona Department of Administration issued a “Stay Order” for transition related activities connected with the transfer of our Maricopa County Behavioral Health Authority from Magellan to Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care. This isn’t uncommon during protests, and the Stay wasn’t issued on the merits of the award protest. It’s more of a procedural decision that allows ADOA to [...]
Midwife Services Demonstration: Behind the Curtain
This week there were about 120 home-birth enthusiasts demonstrating in front of our building for about 3 hours. The crowd was expressing their unhappiness about our draft regulations for Licensed Midwives. You might have also seen the Arizona Republic article on the demonstration. As I’ve written before, we started the process of revising the rules for Licensed Midwives about a year [...]