Arizona Department of Health Services, Director’s Blog

Download the New AZ Infectious Disease Resource Mobile App Today

05_iPhone_5.5_inch3-cropEver wonder about the likely transmission pathway of Zika Virus, or maybe about the symptoms of Brucellosis? Now you can easily look up this information and more in our new mobile app, the AZ Infectious Disease Resource (IDAZ). The official launch of the app coincides with our annual […]

By | July 26th, 2016|Preparedness|Comments Off on Download the New AZ Infectious Disease Resource Mobile App Today

EMS Bureau Provides Transparency and Technical Assistance for Ambulance Services

Several emergency vehicles lined up, some with lights flashing.Arizona uses a Certificate of Necessity process to license ambulance services. This process can be challenging for new applicants because it uses terminology and accounting practices that the person responsible for completing the application may not be familiar with.

To help overcome that problem, […]

By | July 25th, 2016|General, Preparedness|Comments Off on EMS Bureau Provides Transparency and Technical Assistance for Ambulance Services

Transforming Arizona Government: Preventing Disease Spread

zika-woman-CDCOur agency continues to measure what matters in an effort to improve our services to Arizonans and review these measurements on a routine basis to ensure we’re on track in achieving our mission. One critical component of the work we do here is providing education, recommendations, and guidance to the public, […]

By | July 22nd, 2016|Preparedness|Comments Off on Transforming Arizona Government: Preventing Disease Spread

Disease Detectives at Work: St. Louis encephalitis investigation

academic-healthrsLast summer Arizona had an outbreak of St. Louis encephalitis virus, which is similar to West Nile virus. Both are spread most commonly by the bite of an infected mosquito, but other possible routes of infection include organ transplants, blood transfusions, or needle sticks in laboratories. Public health […]

By | July 21st, 2016|Preparedness|Comments Off on Disease Detectives at Work: St. Louis encephalitis investigation

Annual Health Survey helps Public Health Agencies Focus Priorities

iStock_000012107870XSmallData is an instrumental component of public health that helps us monitor population health, plan and evaluate interventions, and track priorities. One of our most valuable sources of public health data is the annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is a telephone survey that collects data from Arizona adults 18 and older.

The BRFSS survey […]

By | July 20th, 2016|Preparedness|Comments Off on Annual Health Survey helps Public Health Agencies Focus Priorities

Making Progress on Improving the Public Health System

iStock_000045039496_XXXLargersThe purpose of the Arizona Health Improvement Plan (AzHIP) is to move the dial on important health outcomes and it is an important component of Public Health Accreditation. A lot has been going on behind the scenes to move us forward in the accreditation process. Below is an update of […]

By | July 19th, 2016|General|1 Comment