Preparedness

/Preparedness

Items in the Preparedness category will cover everything from Emergency Medical Services to vaccination programs. This division at ADHS tracks contagious disease, coordinates emergency preparedness activity, licenses EMTs and Paramedics, regulates ambulance companies, authorizes special hospital designations like cardiac care center and Level IV trauma center, issues birth and death certificates, and tracks critical health data through various sources including hospital discharge information.

Swim Safe Arizona

By | July 15th, 2015|Preparedness, Prevention|

We are now well into the hot summer months and, with frequent excessive heat warnings, Arizonans are cooling off by splashing into pools and water parks around the state.  Swimming has many health benefits , but it’s important to practice safe swimming in order to avoid injury or illness. Recreational water illnesses (RWIs)  are caused [...]

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Keep Food Safe at Holiday Celebrations this Summer

By | July 2nd, 2015|Preparedness, Prevention|

Summertime is the season for pool parties, barbecues, picnics and other outdoor family fun. These events are a great opportunity to get together with friends and family and share a meal.  However, our hot outdoor temperatures can result in the rapid growth of dangerous bacteria on food, which could lead to foodborne illness.  Did you [...]

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State Public Health Lab Selected as Level I Lab by USDA

By | June 29th, 2015|Preparedness|

Our Arizona State Public Health Laboratory has been selected as a Level 1 Laboratory in the USDA's Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) Cooperative Agreement Program. FERN currently comprises federal, state, and local government regulatory laboratories with varying capacities to perform threat agent testing. The FERN Program enhances the nation's ability to detect microbiological, radiological and chemical threat agents [...]

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Changes in Screening and Monitoring of Travelers Returning from Liberia

By | June 26th, 2015|Preparedness|

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia on May 9, 2015, when 42 days (two incubation periods) passed since the last Ebola patient was buried. However, the WHO recommended that Liberia maintain heightened surveillance for another 90 days (until August 7, 2015). This led to changes, that began [...]

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Very Low Risk of MERS Virus in Arizona

By | June 23rd, 2015|Preparedness|

A new virus known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.  More than 1,000 cases of the disease and more than 400 deaths have been reported by the World Health Organization.  Cases have been reported from 25 different countries, all linked to nine countries within the Arabian Peninsula.  The U.S. [...]

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National Hepatitis Testing Day was a Success in AZ!

By | June 17th, 2015|Preparedness, Prevention|

May was Hepatitis Awareness Month and our staff worked with several partners to promote awareness about hepatitis and hold testing events during the week of National Hepatitis Testing Day.  The work paid off with our partners hosting 13 sites in Arizona, only one state in the country hosted more. More than 200 people were tested for hepatitis C in Maricopa, Pima, [...]

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Tabletop Exercise Highlights Crisis Standards of Care Planning

By | May 27th, 2015|Preparedness|

Arizona is one of America's leading states in developing a plan for Crisis Standards of Care.  Crisis Standards of Care are those standards that are implemented when a catastrophic event occurs and there are shortages of space, supplies, and staff within the hospital and healthcare community.  These protocols can serve as a planning platform from [...]

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Surviving Triple Digits in Arizona

By | May 1st, 2015|Preparedness, Prevention|

In Arizona it doesn’t have to be summer for the temperatures to soar.  With the first 100 degree day in Phoenix today, we know the scorching heat is right around the corner.  High outdoor temperatures aren’t just an inconvenience; they’re dangerous. Heat is the number one killer weather-related cause of death in Arizona and across [...]

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Vaccine Exemptions – Turning the Tide?

By | April 24th, 2015|Preparedness, Prevention|

Vaccines are scientifically proven to be the best way to prevent the spread of many communicable diseases.  Yet, through the last decade, Arizona along with the rest of the country has seen an increase in the number of families choosing not to vaccinate their children.  A recent outbreak that started at Disneyland created a firestorm of interest in vaccinations, [...]

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Community Paramedicine Survey Results Coming Soon

By | April 23rd, 2015|Preparedness|

The Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Trauma System  recently surveyed nearly 200 EMS agencies across the state to determine (1) whether they had or intended to begin a community paramedicine program, (2) if so, which medical conditions they intend to focus on and (3) what type of services they intend to provide. The data [...]

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