Greater AZ RFP Awards
Today, we announced who will handle behavioral health care in Arizona except for Maricopa County starting in July. Northern Arizona Behavioral Health Authority, Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona, and Community Partnership of Southern Arizona won the contracts. We're excited about the content in these new contracts. They are taking consumer choice and voice to a new level by including specific [...]
Arnold v. Sarn Stipulation Agreement
I haven't written much about the Arnold v. Sarn lawsuit because its so complicated and difficult to explain. Basically, it's a lawsuit filed against ADHS in 1981 (adding the Governor as a defendant in 2000) that has held the Department accountable to certain court orders about community-based behavioral health services for adults with serious mental illness in Maricopa County. This week there was [...]
SNAP Reform
I met with the staff of most of the members of Arizona’s congressional delegation Wednesday in Washington DC at an event called Hill Day sponsored by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. I used the opportunity to talk to them about nutritional policy issues like boosting the nutritional strength of the foods that are served under the free and reduced lunch programs- and to urge them [...]
Mental Health & Tobacco
Folks that face challenges with mental & behavioral health tend to smoke at a higher rate than others. That makes this group a high priority for interventions to reduce their smoking rates. Throughout 2010, we’ll be focusing on various intervention strategies for important health topics along these lines- and March is the final month of this year’s first Quarterly Health [...]
Mental Health & Tobacco
Folks that face challenges with mental & behavioral health tend to smoke at a higher rate than others. That makes this group a high priority for interventions to reduce their smoking rates. Throughout 2010, we’ll be focusing on various intervention strategies for important health topics along these lines- and March is the final month of this year’s first Quarterly Health [...]
Healthier US Schools Challenge Program
The federal Healthier US Schools Challenge Program establishes rigorous standards for schools’ food quality, participation in meal programs, physical activity, and nutrition education – key components that make for healthy and active kids – and provides recognition for schools that meet these standards. In the next school year, the USDA’s goal is to double the number of schools that [...]