Preparedness – Page 69 – AZ Dept. of Health Services News

Items in the Preparedness category will cover everything from Emergency Medical Services to vaccination programs. This division at ADHS tracks contagious disease, coordinates emergency preparedness activity, licenses EMTs and Paramedics, regulates ambulance companies, authorizes special hospital designations like cardiac care center and Level IV trauma center, issues birth and death certificates, and tracks critical health data through various sources including hospital discharge information.

What’s a CON, Anyway?

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:22-07:00December 17th, 2014|Preparedness|

Arizona uses a Certificate of Necessity (CON) system to regulate ground ambulance service in Arizona - and to make sure that every place in the State has adequate emergency medical services, including the frontier parts of Arizona. The CON actually describes the geographic service area, level of service (advanced life support or basic life support), [...]

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U of A Health Network Steps Up

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:23-07:00December 8th, 2014|Preparedness|

The University of Arizona Health Network joined the Maricopa Integrated Health System last week by committing to become an Infectious Disease Treatment Center of Excellence. By recognizing MIHS and UAHN as Infectious Disease Treatment Centers of Excellence, Arizona will be better able to: 1) develop a seamless infectious disease response plan as new infectious diseases emerge; [...]

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Council on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Preliminary Report Released

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:23-07:00December 1st, 2014|Preparedness|

On October 21 Governor Brewer issued Executive Order 2014-08 establishing the Council on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response. The Council was charged with developing and implementing a coordinated comprehensive plan to ensure Arizona's public health infrastructure is prepared for the potential outbreak of infectious diseases, such as the Ebola virus, influenza, enterovirus, tuberculosis, and other [...]

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Time to Comment on Newborn Screening Rules

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:24-07:00November 21st, 2014|Licensing, Preparedness|

Last month I wrote about how we are working on revising our Newborn Screening rules because of a change in state law. The changes include requiring hearing tests on all newborns, adding critical congenital heart defects screening and adding a screening for severe combined immunodeficiency started January 2016. The last test depends on whether we [...]

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Medical Marijuana Year 3 Report Published

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:25-07:00November 13th, 2014|Preparedness|

Our Vital Health Statistics team along with our partners at the UA College of Public Health completed our Medical Marijuana Program’s 3rd Annual Report this week. You’ll find a wide range of information in the report including data about the demographics and kinds and qualifying conditions of our cardholders, geographic distribution and rates as well [...]

Arizona On Track to Recognize 1st Infectious Disease Treatment Center of Excellence

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:26-07:00November 7th, 2014|Preparedness|

We just finished the second meeting of the Governor’s Council on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response. At the 1st meeting (a couple of weeks ago) we outlined key priorities: 1) identifying an “Infectious Disease Treatment Center of Excellence” that would be proficient at treating emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola; 2) developing a parallel emergency medical [...]

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It’s Valley Fever Awareness Week!

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:26-07:00November 7th, 2014|Preparedness|

Did you know Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) is one of the most commonly reported infectious diseases in Arizona? While most people infected with Valley Fever experience mild or no symptoms at all, some suffer from more severe symptoms including pneumonia or the spread of the fungus to other parts of the body, including the brain. Although [...]

This Week’s Ebola Preparedness Work

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:27-07:00November 3rd, 2014|Preparedness|

We held our first Governor’s Council on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response meeting late last week. The Council outlined 2 priorities…identifying a hospital or hospitals in Arizona that would be responsible for treating any Ebola patient, and improving outreach to physicians across the state to ensure that they have the information needed to effectively identify [...]

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The Governor’s Council on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:28-07:00October 22nd, 2014|Preparedness|

This week the Governor signed an Executive Order establishing the Governor’s Council on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response. The Council consists of 20 public health, health-care, and other multi-sectorial partners, with the ADHS Director as the Chair. Our task will be to ensure that Arizona is prepared to rapidly and effectively respond to various infectious [...]

Is Your Healthcare Facility Ready for Ebola?

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:28-07:00October 17th, 2014|Preparedness|

Two Ebola virus disease cases have been identified among healthcare workers in Texas, underscoring the importance of maintaining strict adherence to infection control precautions when working with Ebola patients. We know that the general public in the US isn't at risk - but we also know that healthcare workers have the highest risk. The good news is that the risk of transmission can be dramatically [...]

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