Our laboratory expects to get our first seafood samples from the Gulf next week. The goal is find out whether commercial seafood has been contaminated by the oil spill and if so, to determine whether the levels pose a health risk. Our team will specialize in testing for Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The FDA and NOAA [...]
Arizona enjoys a relatively high breastfeeding rate compared to the rest of the country- with 78% of all newborns being breastfed. But we can always do better, that’s why we’re joining the rest of the world in celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, which promotes the health and well-being of mothers, babies and families throughout the world. [...]
Many of our Stakeholders and the folks that we serve have asked about how Arizona and Federal laws affect the kinds of services that the ADHS provides. The answer is (of course) “it depends.” It depends on what kind of benefit or service you’re talking about. Tom Salow, Lynn Golder and others have put together [...]
Many of our Stakeholders and the folks that we serve have asked about how Arizona and Federal laws affect the kinds of services that the ADHS provides. The answer is (of course) “it depends.” It depends on what kind of benefit or service you’re talking about. Tom Salow, Lynn Golder and others have put together [...]
Our Division of Behavioral Health Services is the point guard for substance abuse prevention & treatment in Arizona (also referred to as the Single State Authority for Substance Abuse Services at the federal level). One of those concerns is the abuse of marijuana- which continues to be in high demand and abused in our state. [...]
I’m happy to announce that Laura Nelson, M.D. will be taking on some additional responsibilities in her expanded role as the ADHS’ Chief Medical Officer. She will continue in her role as the Deputy Director for Behavioral Health Services as well (notice the “Acting” label is gone now). As is the case with many of [...]
We kicked off an initiative this month to increase the percentage of mom’s that choose to breastfeed their newborn. The real key to success turns out to be the first couple of days after the baby is born (actually the first few hours are the most important). Our new program is called Baby Steps to Breastfeeding. [...]
Our state public health laboratory Environmental & Analytical Chemistry unit has been selected as 1 of 8 chemistry laboratories across the country that will be examining commercial seafood for contaminants from the gusher in the Gulf. The goal is find out whether commercial seafood has been contaminated by the oil spill and if so, to [...]
An article in last month’s New England Journal of Medicine provides a good summary of the public’s perception of the H1N1 response in an article called The Public's Response to the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic. It’s a comprehensive review of data from 20 national public opinion polls conducted between April 2009 and January 2010. Early [...]
In March 2004, our Vital Statistics team produced a special report that examined deaths from exposure to heat in Arizona between 1992-2002. The report attracted a wide audience well beyond Arizona’s borders. It provided about deaths from heat exposure and analyzed heat mortality occurring in the State to both residents and non-residents (e.g. migrants crossing the desert). We’ve [...]
