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A light rail extension on Central Avenue in South Phoenix will have a long-lasting, positive impact on community health in South Phoenix.  That’s not just an opinion, that comes from a scientific and detailed 2015 Health Impact Assessment by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and the Arizona Alliance for Livable Communities.

The South Central Neighborhoods Transit Health Impact Assessment concludes that a thoughtfully planned transportation plan that includes a light rail extension in South Phoenix will result in positive long-term health outcomes for residents, including lowering rates of chronic disease, improving pregnancy outcomes, and reducing violent deaths.

The City of Phoenix’s current transportation plan has been developed over a decade and approved by voters 3 times.  The public has been heavily engaged in this planning effort which has included more than 500 public meetings held to gather input.

Proposition 105 will dismiss this planning and prohibit Phoenix from investing in any kind of rail project – including light rail, commuter rail, or other potential train connections despite the fact that light rail extension have a long-lasting positive public health impact and reinforce the positive aspects of the community.

The Existing Transportation Plan is Good

Four years ago, Phoenix voters passed Proposition 104, a comprehensive transportation plan that included input from public health stakeholders.  The plan incorporated evidence-based provisions to improve many facets of transportation – including things to make transportation easier for folks with disabilities and improving opportunities for physical activity with more walkable and bike-able transportation options.

The voter approved plan extended Phoenix’s existing 4/10ths of a cent transportation sales tax (originally passed in 2000) and increased it by 3/10ths of a cent to:

• Greatly enhancing Dial-a-Ride for persons with disabilities;

• Add 1,150 new bike lanes;

• Add 170 miles of new sidewalks;

• Increase bus frequency by 70%;

• Increase transit hours of operation by 20%;

• Invest $280 million for new roads and bridges;

• Repair 750 miles of asphalt streets; and

• Increase investments in light rail.

Phoenix’s existing Plan is well-balanced to provide various services based on differing community needs, contributing to improved transportation flexibility options and improving social determinants of health related to transportation.

For example, the existing transportation plan includes substantial investment in new transportation options in South Phoenix including a light rail extension.  That’s important because South Phoenix households are four times more likely to not have a car compared to other households throughout the Valley. 

The existing plan also enhances public transit services to South Phoenix and provides families with convenient access to key destinations such as work and school. In fact, over 70% of South Phoenix residents voted in favor of the current transportation plan. 

For all these reasons the Arizona Public Health Association urges Phoenicians to VOTE NO on Proposition 105.  Our health depends on it.

We’ve had a terrific FY-19 as an organization.  Our membership has grown more than 30% in the last two years and we’ve been increasingly becoming a force for positive public health policy development.  We also have a growing list of Organizational Membership supporters- which you can view on our Supporters Page: https://azpha.org/oursupporters 

Here’s a link to our end of FY-19 MEMBERSHIP REPORT and some current membership SUMMARY CHARTS.  As a refresher- here’s a link to our PowerPoint Summary of the 2019 Legislative Session (PDF)

The US has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed country.  Sadly, it’s getting worse each year.  About 800 American women die and 65,000 almost die during pregnancy or childbirth. The number of deaths in AZ jumped from around 10 in 2015 to about 30 in 2016 (the last year for which ADHS has data posted- the numbers are cell-suppressed to protect confidentiality). 

Nationally, back women die from pregnancy-related causes at three to four times the rate of white women, even after controlling for social determinants. Women in rural areas also have higher maternal mortality rates than urban women.  Here’s a story that highlights some of the issues in an easy to read way.

Evidence-based policy making is a key.  Twenty-nine states (including Arizona) have committees that review maternal deaths and make public policy recommendations.  Arizona took a big step forward this last legislative session with the passage of SB 1040 Maternal Mortality Report which will establish an Advisory Committee on Maternal Fatalities and Morbidity.

It requires ADHS and the Committee to hold a public hearing to receive public input regarding the recommended improvements to information collection concerning the incidence and causes of maternal fatalities and severe maternal morbidity and complete a report (including recommendations) by the end of this year.

Arizona Law is Having Chilling Effect

The opioid epidemic is one of the greatest public health crises of our time.  The roots that caused the epidemic are deep and the public health interventions that will be needed to ease the crisis are many.  Those interventions include dramatic changes to prescribing practices, things like the distribution of naloxone, more robust treatment options including Medically Assisted Treatment, and harm reduction and engagement strategies like Syringe Services.

We need all those tools working together in order to mount an effective response.  Last year’s Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act was an important new law that is addressing many of those factors- but not all.  A real outlier is that the Act didn’t make an important change that is needed in Arizona – decriminalizing syringe service programs. As this excellent report by Stephanie Innes in the Republic this week shows, needle exchange efforts in Arizona have been impaired because some of the things that syringe service programs do are considered felonies under state law.

Syringe services programs are community-based prevention efforts that offer a range of interventions. They provide access to and disposal of sterile syringes and injection equipment, linkage to substance use disorder treatment, and naloxone distribution.  People who use syringe service programs gain access to other vital services including vaccination, testing, and linkage to care and treatment for infectious diseases including viral hepatitis and HIV. 

Nearly 30 years of research shows that comprehensive syringe service programs are safe, effective, and reduce overall health costs. They play an important role in reducing the transmission of viral hepatitis, HIV, and other infections and are a major component of the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America initiative. The U.S. Surgeon General determined that syringe service programs don’t increase the illegal use of drugs by injection. Studies also show that they protect the public and first responders by providing safe needle disposal.

Sadly, syringe service programs in Arizona are illegal because syringes are considered drug paraphernalia under Arizona law (a class 6 felony). While arrests, indictments and convictions of workers that operate syringe service programs are rare- the fact that syringe service programs are illegal has a marked chilling effect on the ability of organizations and individuals to operate and fund these important programs. 

After all- it’s pretty hard to get a grant award if you need to disclose to the funder that you intend to commit felonies with the money!

A cohort of public health organizations led by Sonoran Prevention Works have been trying for the last few years to simply decriminalize syringe service programs.  Pretty simple, right?

Sadly, the effort has been unsuccessful. 

In 2018 HB 2389 Syringe access programs; authorization passed the full House of Representatives, was dramatically weakened by a poor amendment in the Senate but ultimately failed to come out of a Conference Committee.  This year, HB 2148 Syringe Services Programs failed to even make it to the House Floor for a vote.

Public health stakeholders will continue to try to get our Legislature to pass a bill that will decriminalize this important evidence-based public health practice.

By the way, the CDC has released materials that health departments can use to provide information on the critical role of SSPs in prevention and treatment, including:

• A summary of information on the safety and effectiveness of SSPs in reducing viral hepatitis and HIV;

• A fact sheet outlining the various ways syringe service programs can prevent transmission of blood-borne infections and link people to care, reduce and treat substance use, and enhance public safety;

• A fact sheet for health departments and community partners that defines syringe service programs and their public health impacts; and

• Frequently asked questions and answers about syringe service programs.

All of these materials are available to you online on the CDC’s Syringe Services Programs website.

Here’s a statement from the CDC on the subject: “It is our hope that by sharing these materials with you, we will engage the full strength of the nation’s public health and community infrastructure to reduce the toll of opioids and infectious diseases in our communities. We have the tools. We have the science. We can work together to improve the health and security of current and future generations.”

Last month the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) listed Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection (PrEP) as a Category A Preventive Health Service.  That’s an important designation because it means that PrEP will now be included (at no cost to consumers) in all Qualified Health Plans during the next contract year. The final recommendation statement can also be found in the June 11 issue of JAMA.

The task force found convincing evidence that PrEP is of substantial benefit in decreasing the risk of HIV infection in persons at high risk of HIV acquisition.  They conclude that PrEP is associated with small harms, including kidney and gastrointestinal adverse effects and that (with high certainty) the benefit of PrEP (with oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate–based therapy) is substantial.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) lowers the chances of getting infected with HIV even if the person otherwise engages in risky sexual behavior.  PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading through the body and is highly effective for preventing HIV if used as prescribed (but it is much less effective when not taken consistently).  Daily PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90%. Among people who inject drugs, it reduces the risk by more than 70%.

This week AHCCCS announced that they’ll be covering PrEP medications as a benefit for their members beginning on October 1, 2019…  a solid public health move that will lower the transmission of HIV in Arizona. The move will likely produce a positive return on investment also, as preventing HIV is much less expensive than treating persons infected with the virus. PrEP (Truvada) will be on their preferred drug list without Prior Authorization starting 10/1/19.