New Tobacco Warning Labels on the Way
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (also known as H.R. 1256) went into effect last summer. The law basically gives the FDA the power to regulate some aspects of the tobacco industry. A signature element of the law imposes new warnings and labels on tobacco packaging and their advertisements, with the goal of discouraging kids from smoking. A few [...]
Public Health Preparedness – an AZ Strength
Public health threats are always present. They include natural disasters; biological, chemical, and radiological incidents; and explosions. The impact of these threats can range from local outbreaks to incidents with national or global ramifications. Last year’s influenza pandemic underscored the importance of communities being prepared for potential threats. Being prepared to prevent, respond to, and rapidly recover from public health [...]
2011 Department Priorities Spotlight- Behavioral Health
Last week, I outlined goals and priorities for the Licensing Division in the coming year. This week I’ll hit on the Division of Behavioral Health… One of our primary objectives will be to better integrate behavioral health, physical health, and wellness at the "retail" level (i.e. at the point of care). By strengthening integration and collaboration with community health centers [...]
Prescription Drugs – a Double Edged Sword
When taken as directed for legitimate medical purposes (and prescribed appropriately) prescription drugs can be safe and effective at treating illnesses and conditions. However, the increasing rates of prescription drug abuse are a growing and now urgent problem, especially among young people. Powerful prescription drugs are often available and easily accessible in many, if not most, homes and many parents [...]
All Systems Go for Friday
Our preparation for the implementation of the AZ Medical Marijuana Act is on track. We've made a great deal of progress on all fronts over the last couple of weeks. The informal draft of the Administrative Code that we'll release next Friday is really starting to gel. We've got the key elements hammered out and our Rules team will be doing [...]
Successful Disaster Drill
The Phoenix National Disaster Medical System conducted a successful Full-Scale Exercise on Thursday. We sponsored the exercise (with our federal cooperative agreement funds) along with the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System. The NDMS is a federally coordinated system that supplements the Nation’s medical response capability when local resources are overwhelmed during disasters. The exercise tested several important areas of [...]