That Stubborn Whooping Cough
Whooping Cough is making headlines again – with more than 18,000 cases in the U.S. and 600 cases so far this year in AZ. You might wonder why we continue to have lots of whooping cough cases in the US and AZ when the other vaccine preventable diseases are real rare (e.g. measles, mumps etc.). Creating a vaccine for whooping [...]
Abortion Law
Last year HB 2036, which relates to abortions in AZ, was passed and signed. There are a host of changes that the new law makes- and many of the provisions kick in at different times. The first things that we’re responsible for (beginning August 2nd) include providing an informed consent form for unemancipated minors that are seeking an abortion. The Parental Consent [...]
Health Disparities
Lots of risk factors contribute to health disparities… and many of the risk factors are called "social determinants of health." A couple of months ago we (with our community partners), launched the Social Determinants of Health educational series to boost professional development and program planning so Arizona’s public health team can better address health equity and improve health status for [...]
Food Day
On October 24, 2012—and on the days and weeks before and after—thousands of Americans will gather in schools, college campuses, farmers markets, city halls, and state capitals to talk about what's right and wrong with our diets and whole food system and how to fix them. Food Day unites people from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community [...]
Dr. Nelson- Our Friend & Amiga
One of our priorities over the last 3.5 years has been to ensure that we develop and train our workforce so that we maintain business continuity and have the ability to transition effectively to new leadership when the time comes (part of Strategic Map element E1). We’ll be putting our prep work to the test in the coming weeks- as [...]
ADHS’ Disease Detectives
Awhile back, our epidemiology and licensing team of disease detectives including Jason Lempp, Cara Christ, Vinita Oberoi, Jessica Rigler, Ken Komatsu, Kathy McCanna, Connie Belden, Ken Komatsu, and Shoana Anderson learned of a severe case of a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) through our 24-hour disease reporting system. Our team quickly contacted the county public health department which immediately began an investigation into the cause. Their [...]