Prevent Childhood Obesity with Small Steps
One in three children in the United States are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The good news is that childhood obesity can be prevented. In recognition of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, the Arizona Department of [...]
Strengthening Binational Partnerships Through Surveillance
Binational surveillance allows public health on both sides of the border to investigate potential exposures and cases of infectious diseases. Our relationship with our border state of Sonora, Mexico has been long standing and we have had shared a surveillance system since 2007. In early August, representatives from the Office of Border Health and the Bureau of Epidemiology and Disease Control [...]
Take the Fruits and Veggies–More Matters Pledge
September brings not only the hope for cooler weather but a chance to eat more fruits and vegetables as we celebrate Fruits and Veggies-More Matters Month. The latest Dietary Guidelines and the nutrition recommendations from ChooseMyPlate are specific in how many fruits and vegetables each of us should eat each day, but most of us fall short. To get the [...]
Home HIV Test Pilot Project Was Successful
The HIV Prevention Program just completed a pilot project that provided free home HIV test kits by mail or in-person pickup. People who had never had an HIV test, or who had not tested in a year or longer, qualified to receive a kit. A simple, 20-minute home test, OraQuick, was chosen as it uses an oral swab, requires no blood, [...]
Poetry Contest for National Food Safety Month
Every year, one in six (47.8 million) people in the United States get sick from the food they eat. Oftentimes, foodborne illnesses are seen as being caused by carelessness or negligence, but even the best of intentions can’t stop a foodborne illness unless the right preventive actions are taken. The Food Safety and Environmental Services team wants to help keep [...]
Information Sharing with Hospitals during Disasters
Recent events such as Hurricane Harvey have illustrated the importance of information sharing during a disaster response. Communication and coordination between first responders, health care facilities, emergency management, public health, and other responders is critical to protecting the health and well-being of disaster victims. After action reports and lessons learned from previous responses almost always point to communications and information [...]