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.

Are Medical Marijuana Cards a Vital Record?

By | September 24th, 2010|Licensing, Preparedness|

Maybe. I’ve read the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act several times with an eye toward how we’d execute it’s requirements in case it passes.  One of the key decisions is figuring our which of our areas is in the best position to get the job done.  I think the best place is Vital Records- at least for [...]

AZ Smokes CDC's Preparedness Report Card

By | September 24th, 2010|Preparedness|

Arizona got a great public health preparedness report card from the CDC this week, getting a solid A by scoring 30/32.  The report (Public Health Preparedness: Strengthening the Nation’s Emergency Response State by State) examines each state’s readiness using 32 criteria designed to drive states toward demonstrating results, measuring their program improvements and increasing accountability. [...]

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AZ Smokes CDC’s Preparedness Report Card

By | September 24th, 2010|Preparedness|

Arizona got a great public health preparedness report card from the CDC this week, getting a solid A by scoring 30/32.  The report (Public Health Preparedness: Strengthening the Nation’s Emergency Response State by State) examines each state’s readiness using 32 criteria designed to drive states toward demonstrating results, measuring their program improvements and increasing accountability. [...]

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ADHS Scores Electronic Medical Records Grant

By | September 23rd, 2010|Preparedness|

ADHS just scored a $1.3M grant for “enhancing the interoperability of electronic health records and immunization information systems”. This grant allows us to accelerate work with public and private health care provider offices and Electronic Health Record vendors to develop interfaces for the automated vaccination data to the Arizona State Immunization Information System (ASIIS).  These [...]

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ADHS Aces the 2010 Strategic National Stockpile Test

By | September 21st, 2010|Preparedness|

The Strategic National Stockpile is a national repository of antibiotics, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, life-support medications, IV administration, airway maintenance supplies, and medical/surgical items which are stored in a few locations around the country. The stockpile is designed to supplement public health agencies in case there’s a national emergency anywhere and at anytime within the U.S. [...]

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Spotlight: Newborn Screening

By | September 21st, 2010|Newborn Screening, Preparedness, Prevention|

Last year Arizona welcomed about 98,000 newborns to our world.  Our Newborn Screening Program (in the State Laboratory) ensures that each newborn is tested for 28 inherited disorders and hearing problems.   The goal is to help kids avoid illness, developmental delays and even death.  Teamwork, communication and coordination are to critical in making this program [...]

AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) News

By | September 16th, 2010|Preparedness|

Our AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) uses about $10M of federal funds to provide medicine to treat HIV and prevent related infections to low-income folks with HIV who have limited or no coverage from private insurance, AHCCCS or Medicare.  Applicants for the program need to show that their annual income is less than 300% of [...]

ADHS Wins National Award for Cardiac Receiving Center Program

By | September 7th, 2010|Preparedness, Prevention|

Our Bureau of EMS received 1st Place in this year’s 2010 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials “Vision Award” for our creative (and really inexpensive)  Arizona Cardiac Receiving Center Program. The annual ASTHO Vision Awards recognize outstanding state health department programs and initiatives that use a creative approach to address public health needs or [...]

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Acting Shmackting

By | September 2nd, 2010|Behavioral Health, General, Preparedness|

I’m glad to announce that Rodgers Wilson, MD is our permanent Behavioral Health Medical Director. Dr. Wilson oversees the clinical/prevention and quality management/medical management areas of our behavioral health system.  He has spearheaded Quarterly Health Initiatives that address common physical health needs among individuals with behavioral health illnesses and is currently developing collaborative training programs [...]

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ADHS Scores New Heat Illness Prevention Grant

By | September 1st, 2010|Preparedness, Prevention|

The scorching summer of 2005 motivated us to get our act together and do a better job preventing heat related illnesses in Arizona.  That summer, we completed a needs assessment and developed a Heat Emergency Response Plan and Heat Brochure that identifies interventions using triggers from the National Weather Service.  These days, we identify risk [...]