May 1st brought an official close to the 2016 SunWise poster contest, as the winner, Kassandra Loya, was presented before a crowd of more than 25,000 cheering fans at the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies game. The partnership of the Arizona Department of Health Services’ SunWise program with the Arizona Diamondbacks has been instrumental in [...]
Today is the start of National Nurses Week, which is a perfect time for all of us to recognize the tremendous impact nurses have on the overall health of our communities. Nurses are the cornerstone of public health that are often on the front lines of protecting health by providing immunizations and working alongside [...]
As part of our agency transformation effort, we’ve been working hard on identifying and measuring what matters in our agency so we can move towards improvement in every area. We have one of broadest missions of any agency. Just tracking all the various programs and ways we work towards our mission is an incredible task. [...]
Adolescence is a critical developmental period that can have a significant impact on a person’s life course therefore, it is essential that those working with young people are better able to understand and connect with them. This is even more important when working with youth who have experienced any form of trauma. Our Bureau of [...]
Every day we are exposed to a variety of chemicals in the environment through breathing, eating, and drinking. Some chemicals can even be absorbed through the skin. Similar to lab tests performed at your doctor’s office, biomonitoring is a specific type of test to measure chemicals in a person’s bodily fluids or tissues . Learning [...]
This week the Arizona Nutrition Network is launching a new public awareness campaign called “Put a Little Play Into Your Day” to increase physical activity throughout Arizona. The effort is an important step in addressing obesity, one of Arizona’s leading health priorities identified in the Arizona Health Improvement Plan. We know that physical [...]
During the development of the Arizona State Health Improvement Plan (AzHIP), workgroups identified strategies that would cut across several of the leading health issues, impacting one or more of them. These cross-cutting strategies target worksite wellness, school health, and the Built Environment. Last week, we hosted a webinar with leadership partners from the Arizona Department [...]
Did you know that chlamydia is the most commonly reported notifiable disease in the United States and in Arizona? Did you know that gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported notifiable disease in the United States and in Arizona? In 2014, a total of 1,441,789 cases of chlamydia and 350,062 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the CDC. Of [...]
Last week the Arizona Medical Marijuana Program turned five. Voters passed Proposition 203 in the fall of 2010, making Arizona the fourteenth state to legalize medical marijuana. Within 120 days of Proposition 203 passing, we developed the Medical Marijuana Program and issued the first medical marijuana card to a qualifying patient on April 14, 2011. As of today, there [...]
April 24 through 30 is National Laboratory Professionals Week, a time for us to take a moment to thank our hard-working laboratory staff. This week we will celebrate the vital contributions laboratory professionals make to protect public health and safety. Our Public Health Lab is a leader in Arizona and the United States. In March [...]
