The federal government is taking action to challenge restrictions on birth control and abortion this week with a new rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Also, the Biden administration is reportedly weighing a declaration of a public health emergency...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Wednesday that it would extend the public health emergency (PHE) and associated waivers and flexibilities for another 90 days.
The next big deadline for the pandemic will be in 30 days, as the Biden administration pledged to give the industry 60-days notice before...
COVID-19 cases across the state are down this week, but are expected to rise following the winter holidays. The Supreme Court ruled that a Trump-era border restriction enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic will remain in effect while the court settles the issue.
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the controversial Title 42 to remain in...
Hobbs chose Carmen Heredia to lead the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Angie Rodgers to lead the Department of Economic Security, Matthew Stewart will oversee the Department of Child Safety, Theresa Cullen, MD will head the Department of Health Services and Joan Serviss was appointed to the Department of...Arizona News
The agency reported "drastic increases" in deaths associated with abuse and drowning. Overall, homicide, suicide, and motor vehicle crashes were the only causes of death with significant decreases (9%, 9%, and 21% respectively).
In 2021, 863 children died in Arizona, an increase from 838 deaths in 2020. The Arizona Child Fatality...Arizona News
Children's hospitals across the country and in Arizona are seeing a sharp rise in cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that affects the nose, throat and lungs.
RSV cases can affect all people, but symptoms are especially acute in children. Cases of RSV dropped two years ago during the pandemic shutdown, but cases came back...
The Omicron-specific bivalent booster shots have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the nation pivots to encourage annual vaccinations, Arizona gears up to rollout the new booster shots to seniors before the expected winter surge of COVID-19 sets...
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in Arizona, and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) will take the opportunity afforded by National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September to coordinate with state agencies and other organizations to highlight the roles that everyone plays in preventing...
COVID-19 cases in Arizona appear to be falling for the first week in over a month, and new detection tactics are being assessed to determine spread without relying on individuals self-reporting positive at-home tests.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) COVID-19 data dashboard marked 13,501 new cases over the past week...
With more than 7,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox across the country, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced a public health emergency (PHE) for the monkeypox epidemic. The PHE declaration may help to streamline vaccination efforts, but stockpiles of vaccine are low and a drug that could...
Nine counties in Arizona, including Maricopa County, are now reporting high COVID-19 community levels as the Omicron BA.5 subvariant becomes the dominant strain currently sweeping the U.S.
This week there were 20,198 new cases of COVID-19 in Arizona and 57 new deaths since the week prior. This information comes from the Arizona...
Three Arizona counties are reporting high community transmission levels of COVID-19 this week and despite the Food and Drug Administration's authorization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommendation that children between 6-months and 5-years-old receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Arizona parents have been slow to...
On Friday, June 24, the White House released the Biden administration's "Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis," which outlines a plan to confront the U.S. maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, boost health coverage and provide behavioral health services for expecting and new mothers.
Under President Biden and Vice...
Following the devastating report from the Arizona Auditor General in May, Arizona lawmakers held ADHS interim director Don Herrington's feet to the fire for nearly three hours last Thursday, searching for answers to the damning questions raised by the report.
The Arizona Department of Health Services is accused of not following...
Children between six months and five years old are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines offered by Pfizer and Moderna. In Arizona, that's nearly 400,000 additional eligibilities.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), the vaccine was made available on Monday, June 20. To find locations where a child under 5...Arizona News
On Tuesday, June 7, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) formally announced that the first probable case of monkeypox was found in Arizona.
According to the ADHS press release, the first test returned a presumptive positive result and the department is awaiting further testing from the Centers for Disease Control and...Arizona News
The current dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. has spread faster than all of its Omicron predecessors and may potentially cause more serious illness due to a property that it shares with both the Omicron and Delta strains that other subvariants have not held in common. Also, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and...
Last week, the independent Arizona Auditor General's Office released a report that showed the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has inappropriately reclassified nearly all high-priority complaints and self-reports to "lower priority."
The Auditor's report is a 30-month follow up to a report from September 2019 that...
In recent weeks, a shortage of powder infant formula caused by pandemic supply chain issues was exacerbated by a recall at a major U.S. production plant. The shortage has sent families and pediatricians across the country into crisis, even as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and pharmaceutical manufacturer Abbott Nutrition promise...
Last week was Black Maternal Health Week in the U.S., and with it came a number of announcements on support services through both public and private programs to improve health outcomes for pregnant or postpartum women of color and their children across the country and in Arizona.
In a short blog post for the Arizona Department of...