General – Page 24 – AZ Dept. of Health Services Director's Blog

New Respiratory Viral Panel

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00 June 25th, 2014|General|

Throughout the year, we talk a lot about flu, but there are several other respiratory viruses like parainfluenza, RSV, adenoviruses, and coronaviruses that can also cause respiratory infections. Our State Laboratory has been able to detect most of these viruses through a battery of test methods, but now we have a way to consolidate testing for [...]

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Ventanillas de Salud Snags the 2014 AMC Fannin Award

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00 June 24th, 2014|Behavioral Health, General, Preparedness, Prevention|

The annual plenary session of the Arizona-Mexico Commission wrapped up Friday night. The Ventanilla de Salud (Health Windows) program won the Arizona Mexico Commission’s Paul Fannin award. This is a top recognition for the Commission- with the award going to “… an organization that has demonstrated acts of goodwill and support toward the development of the Arizona-Sonora relationship.” [...]

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Bacteriology Revolution Coming

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00 June 23rd, 2014|General|

When a case of tuberculosis (TB) is suspected, it’s important to rapidly identify it to treat the person and prevent the spread of disease in Arizona. Our State Laboratory is critical in the identification of TB and other bacterial pathogens. The faster these diseases can be detected, the faster public health folks can take action. The [...]

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Ventanillas de Salud Snags the AMC Fannin Award

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00 June 21st, 2014|General|

The annual plenary session of the Arizona-Mexico Commission wrapped up last night with some important health events. The Ventanilla de Salud (Health Windows) program won the Arizona Mexico Commission’s Paul Fannin award for our public health collaborations last Friday night. This is a top award for the Commission- with the award going to “… an organization that has demonstrated acts of goodwill and support toward the [...]

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Our Southern Neighbor’s Healthcare System

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00 June 20th, 2014|General|

About 10 years ago Mexico’s healthcare system experienced a radical transformation. With the creation of the “System of Social Protection in Health” Mexico set in motion a process to provide universal access to healthcare for the entire country. Prior to implementing the System of Social Protection in Health, access to care was largely restricted to [...]

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New ADHS Annual Reports

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00 June 19th, 2014|General|

Sprinkled throughout state statute, ADHS has several required reports that we issue on a regular basis. These reports are important and help create and maintain a level of transparency and accountability in everything we do. We recently published the annual Smoke Free report, and the Food Analysis Safety Report, and our 2013 Agency Annual Report, highlighting [...]

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Turning the Tide on Dialysis Infections

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00 June 17th, 2014|General|

Our 2nd annual ADVICE Collaborative II (called Turning the Tide on Infections) was held on May 17. Over 168 attendees representing the dialysis provider community, ADHS licensing, ADHS infectious disease services and Healthcare Associated Infections Advisory Committee End Stage Renal Disease Subcommittee continued their learning, sharing and networking to improve infection control performance in dialysis centers. Tamara Hoxworth [...]

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New (Higher) Fish Consumption Recommendations for Pregnant Women

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:36-07:00 June 16th, 2014|General|

Last week the FDA & EPA announced new draft fish consumption recommendations for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. The new recommendations recommend at least 2 servings of low-mercury seafood every week. The recommendations are a big shift for the FDA & EPA- whose previous seafood advisory in 2004 set only an upper limit on the [...]

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New Evidence-based Child Safety Toolkit for Parents

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:37-07:00 June 12th, 2014|General, Prevention|

CDC's Division of Violence Prevention just released a new toolkit that gives parents ways to interact more positively with their children. It’s called "Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers" and it’s a free evidence-based resource that is based on the best available evidence and designed for parents with children aged 2 to 4. The resource also [...]

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New Medical Marijuana Regulations on the Way

By Will Humble| 2017-02-10T09:49:37-07:00 June 11th, 2014|General|

Last summer a Superior Court judge decided that a portion of our medical marijuana regulations are unreasonable because our rules don’t have a process for dispensary registration certificate holders to renew their dispensary registration certificate if they didn’t earn their approval to operate within 1 year. That ruling requires us to change our medical marijuana regulations, and [...]

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ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES

Health and Wellness for All Arizonans

ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES

Health and Wellness for All Arizonans

ARIZONA DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH SERVICES