General

/General

Here you will find topics ranging from current events that affect public health in Arizona to overall information about the Arizona Department of Health Services

Whooping it Up

By | August 30th, 2011|General|

When it comes to microbes- the whooping cough (pertussis) is a contrarian.  Unlike most other pathogens- it does better in the summer than the winter.  While most other infectious diseases are on the wane right now- whooping cough is whooping it up.  We’ve been seeing an increase in whooping cough cases in Arizona this summer- [...]

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It’s Back to School for Teen Drivers

By | August 29th, 2011|General|

Back-to-school time means that a new bolus of high-schoolers that got their license over the summer are hitting the streets for the first time during the school year.  All the data suggests that the first year of driving is an especially important time for safe driving skill development.  Fortunately, our State has a “Graduated Drivers [...]

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Arizona State Hospital New Forensic Unit On Track

By | August 26th, 2011|General|

The new Arizona State Hospital forensic unit construction is on track and progressing nicely.  We're in the home stretch now- and the contractors are putting the finishing touches on the project.  The new facility will be a huge help and will be much more conducive to helping our patients on their recovery path.  It'll also really improve the working [...]

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Medical Marijuana Lawsuits

By | August 25th, 2011|General|

We’ve had a few inquiries about the number, kinds, and the contents of the (six) lawsuits that have been filed regarding medical marijuana in Arizona.  We created a new Lawsuits webpage for folks that want to read the active suits.

PPAZ v. Humble et.al. Suit Resolved

By | August 24th, 2011|General|

A recent lawsuit (Planned Parenthood of Arizona  v. Humble et.al.) was resolved this week.  The lawsuit had challenged a new law (signed last legislative session) that (among other changes) requires us to license facilities that perform medication abortions.  We already license and inspect facilities that do surgical abortions- the new law requires that facilities that [...]

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Health Centers- a Key Hub for Primary Care

By | August 23rd, 2011|General|

We’re proud to join in the celebration of National Health Center Week by highlighting Health Centers throughout our State and the vital services they provide. Community Health Centers are community-based, patient directed organizations that provide services to medically underserved areas.  These valuable safety net providers offer full-time comprehensive primary and preventative care to patients regardless of their [...]

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AZ Well Woman HealthCheck Program Get’s High Marks

By | August 22nd, 2011|General|

Most of us are aware that the Well Woman HealthCheck increases screening for breast and cervical cancer.  As part of our federal funding agreement for the program the CDC audits 100% of the services provided.  Services are audited for appropriateness and timeliness- even the age of women receiving mammograms is audited for meeting guidelines.  We submit [...]

AZ Physicians Referred to Licensing Boards due to Questionable Medical Marijuana Certifications

By | August 19th, 2011|General|

One of the criteria on our official medical marijuana Physician Certification Form includes an attestation by a physician that they’ve reviewed their patient’s profile on the Arizona Board of Pharmacy’s Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program database before signing the certification.  We included this requirement to ensure that physicians are acting in their patient’s best interest- [...]

Active & Safe Routes to School

By | August 19th, 2011|General|

School is back in session- which means it’s time to figure out your family logistics for getting to and from school. Fortunately, we have a new tool to help families make the healthy choice and consider an “active” solution.  We just launched our new online assessment tool called the Active School Neighborhood Checklist to help families make safe [...]

Recovery Works!

By | August 18th, 2011|General|

The August issue of Recovery WORKS! is now available in our website.  Check it out…there are several new features including a recurring column called “Peer-Run Organizations Profiles” that will briefly highlight the tremendous work by our peer-runs; and the new “State Chatter” box which will share a variety of news from peers, family members, and [...]

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