Maricopa County Designated as a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area
The US Health Resources and Services Administration designated Maricopa County as a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. This federal designation lets mental health facilities and providers participate in the National Health Service Corps Program, which recruits fully-trained health professionals to provide interdisciplinary primary health care services to underserved populations, assists clinicians in repayment of qualifying educational loans that are still owed, [...]
ADHS & the State Budget
As you have probably already heard, Legislature has passed and the Governor has signed a series of budget bills. One thing I know everyone will be glad to hear is that the remaining scheduled mandatory furlough days for this fiscal year and next are canceled. However, individual agencies have the option of using furloughs if necessary (I don't think it will be [...]
MM Tribal Consultation
Michael Allison has set up a Tribal Consultation meeting regarding Medical Marijuana to get input and advice from our tribal partners on the new medical marijuana law. There are a whole host of questions to consider, everything from whether any tribes intend to adopt the new law and whether they would ever be interested in the ADHS licensing a dispensary on [...]
Safety’s No Accident
For some reason human nature drives us to fear unknown, strange, and seemingly unpredictable hazards more than the commonplace hazards that we face day to day, even though the everyday hazards are a far more important public health risk. Accidents and injuries are a good example. Accidents and injuries are hands-down the number 1 killer of people under 44 years [...]
Health Homes Planning Grant Approved
Last week I wrote about how we and AHCCCS applied for a Health Homes Planning Grant from the US Dept. of Health & Human Services to improve the health status of folks with serious mental illnesses by improving case management, care coordination, health promotion, transitional care, individual and family support, referral to necessary services, and the use of health information technology. HHS [...]
Open Letter to Arizona Physicians on Medical Marijuana
Laura Nelson, M.D.. Chief Medical Officer, Arizona Department of Health Services Will Humble, Director, Arizona Department of Health ServicesThank you for your interest in the effective implementation of the AZ Medical Marijuana Act. We realize that many Arizona physicians may not yet feel comfortable with or fully informed about medicinal marijuana. It is likely that some of your patients will [...]