The Coronavirus
There’s never a dull day in public health! Things are changing all the time– from new interventions to help folks stay or be more healthy to the discovery of a new virus. Recently, folks on the other side of the world documented a new Coronavirus that can be transmitted person to person. It was first discovered last September when doctors [...]
Up with Down Syndrome
One in every 600 or so babies born in AZ has Down Syndrome, including my kid Luke- (pictured here with his Grandma & Grandpa- Tom and Norma). We'll be celebrating World Down Syndrome Day on Thursday March 21st to help raise awareness of what Down Syndrome is, what it means to have Down Syndrome, and how people with Down Syndrome [...]
Data Shows Progress… but Obesity is Still Rising
Here’s some good news about the battle against the obesity epidemic: national data shows the average intake of calories has decreased for boys and girls over the last 12 years. While the news is encouraging, our work to promote nutrition and physical activity to reduce obesity remains important. Reducing obesity is a Winnable Battle both nationally and in Arizona. There are lots [...]
Campaign to Get Health Care Workers Immunized
Believe it or not only 27% of health care workers are up to date with their whooping cough booster… yet health care personnel can be infected with it by their patients, and then pass it on to other patients, family, and the community. The Arizona Partnership Against Pertussis, a coalition of seventeen health care organizations spearheaded by the March of [...]
Fighting Hunger – a Young Point of View
The best kind of good works are those that are done without prompting. Today, I met with a young lady whose mom works at ADHS. Earlier this month, Edie turned 8 and decided that instead of gifts she wanted to collect food for the food bank. But not just any kind of food – she decided to collect food for [...]
Norovirus Blooms with the Desert
Spring in Arizona is exciting for many reasons. We look forward to warmer weather, beautiful desert blooms, and cactus league baseball. Spring also signals the transition to our norovirus season… which infects about 21 million Americans including hundreds of thousands of Arizonans. Norovirus inflames the stomach and intestines and causes 24-48 hours of very unpleasant vomiting and diarrhea. It’s very contagious and spreads from [...]