Friday afternoon we’re holding a public comment session about whether or not to add four new debilitating conditions to the medical marijuana program. The comments should center on scientific studies done on how marijuana affects Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Migraines, Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. We're looking for peer-reviewed, published studies that show the benefit or the [...]
The CDC, along with HBO, The Institutes of Medicine and several private partners created a series of documentaries, called Weight of the Nation which aired last week, but you can still watch them all online. We wrote a feature about our own Matt Gainey- who made tremendous strides to change his health. Matt is just one [...]
Most people think that when the weather warms up, we can stop worrying about the flu. But it’s still here. Recently, a young Gila County child died from influenza. It's the only pediatric death from flu in Arizona this year, last year 5 children under 18 died. Adult flu deaths are not tracked by the [...]
We’ll wrap up our first week of accepting medical marijuana dispensary Registration Certificate applications today. We’ve received about 40 applications so far this week- and our team has been doing an excellent job of reviewing the applications for “Administrative Completeness” this week- so much so that we don’t even have a backlog (yet). Any applications that [...]
The Governor and I and the plaintiffs in the 1981 Arnold v. Sarn lawsuit signed a landmark agreement today which will last 2 years (pending the court’s approval). Today’s agreement outlines objectives for supported care and services for folks with a serious mental illness. Over the next couple of years we’ll work together with the [...]
A quick and effective response is critical when you have a brain injury. That’s why our Excellence in Pre-hospital Injury Care Project is so critical. It’s a unique NIH funded collaboration between the ADHS and the U of A College of Medicine’s Emergency Medicine Research Center. More than 150 EMS agencies in AZ are now participating- which aims [...]
Arizona is way over the limit - almost 2/3rds of us are overweight or obese. A report released last week shows that the cost to all of us is $190 billion every year. There's a great opportunity happening right now with a national push to fight the obesity problem. The CDC, along with HBO, The Institutes of [...]
Do you think you can help us in “Promoting Health and Wellness for all Arizonans”. That’s the motto here at ADHS and we are looking for a new leader to join our Behavioral Health team. We’re looking for an Assistant Director who is insightful and can see the forest and trees at the same time. [...]
Today marks the start of the 2-week window for applying for a medical marijuana dispensary Registration Certificate in Arizona. Prospective applicants can check out our Registration Certificate Application Checklist, Instructions, and the official Application on our Medical Marijuana Dispensary webpage. In the first two hours, seven people had dropped off applications. We’ll start reviewing applications as they come in- and we’ll stop taking applications [...]
Join thousands of public health professionals around the globe next Tuesday by using your iPhone or BlackBerry or whatever and chronicling public health. May 15 is “A Day” and it’s a global event designed to create and share inspiring perspectives on daily life through photography. Public health folks and organizations can submit photos that capture a day [...]
Here you will find topics ranging from current events that affect public health in Arizona to overall information about the Arizona Department of Health Services