Across America, one baby in every 33 is born with a birth defect. In Arizona, that translates to about 2,400 children each year born with any of a number of diagnoses, including Down syndrome, heart defects, cleft lip and cleft palate, and spina bifida. Many causes of birth defects, such as changes in genes and [...]
Maternal health is a key priority at ADHS. During the week when we mark Maternal Health Awareness Day, I'm highlighting two recent initiatives aimed at improving the health of pregnant women, postpartum women, and newborns. One is a recent report summarizing data on maternal mortality related to mental health conditions and substance use disorder. It [...]
Last year, more than 100 babies were born with syphilis in Arizona, including nine who were stillborn. Syphilis is completely preventable through timely testing and treatment. Testing should take place three times during pregnancy – at the first prenatal care visit, early in the third trimester (around 28-32 weeks), and at delivery. In Arizona, there [...]
With the holiday season upon us, you may be planning to travel to visit family and friends or to see different climates. Whatever the reason, it is important to take steps to stay safe while traveling. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website to view any travel notices and to check areas of [...]
It’s been almost 50 years since the 1st Surgeon General’s report on the health dangers of smoking and we’re still fighting the battle. About 43 million Americans smoke despite decades of warnings. Science continues to uncover dangerous aspects of tobacco use. A new report highlights the threat to unborn children. The study published in Obstetrics [...]
We’re smack dab in the middle of monsoon now, which means it’s time to think about Valley Fever. It’s a lung infection caused by a fungus that lives in the soil in the desert (below 4,000 feet). People get it by breathing in dust that contains fungal spores. Valley Fever causes cough, fever, headache, feeling [...]
Congratulations! You just found out you’re going to have a baby. It can be an exciting time for a family, but there’s also so much to learn. Thankfully there are free resources to help, including on your phone from Text4baby. When you sign up for Text4baby you’ll get 3 text messages a week timed to your due [...]
Minority populations often have poorer health outcomes than non-minority populations… but our new Power Me A2Z is doing something to change that. Power Me A2Z empowers women to take steps to promote good health for their families and their future children. It offers women a free 90-day supply of vitamins with folic acid and tools to help [...]
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a growing problem in the US and Arizona. There were 41,880 cases and 14 infant deaths from pertussis in the US last year… which is the largest number of cases since the vaccine became available in the 50s. In Arizona there were 988 cases in 2012 and there’s a pretty substantial outbreak going on right [...]
We’re happy to unveil the new Arizona WIC Program website, which has been redesigned with a fresh new look that is more user friendly. Last year the WIC webpage had more than 76,000 unique visitors with nearly 350,000 page views- making it one of our most popular sites. The redesigned site includes a Find a [...]
