Will Humble Prevention

New Book: Healthy Aging Through The Social Determinants of Health

Healthy Aging Through The Social Determinants of Health

AzPHA Member  M. Aaron Guest, PhD, MPH, MSW; Elaine T. Jurkowski, PhD, MSW

People are growing older and experiencing a much longer life span than that of prior generations. Many people over the age of 60 are healthier today and living in place within their home-based communities with noninstitutionalized care. In addition, only about 5% of the older adult population is living in institutional care.

Despite this reality, the focus on older adults in much of the previous research has focused on institutional care. It is only within the last decade that we have begun to see publications related to healthy aging and community-based opportunities through the lens of public health. To date, there has been precious little attention to how we discuss and frame aging through a public health lens.

To this end, the Aging and Public Health Section of the American Public Health Association has worked to provide a seminal piece of work, this book on healthy aging, to help practitioners and public health professionals better prepare for their work with the older adult populations.

Section I of this book provides an overview of how the social determinant of health care and access to health care play a role in the course of healthy aging.

Section II on neighborhood and the built environment addresses the impact that neighborhood and different types of built environments have on the health and social outcomes of older adults.

Section III addresses the critical role that social support plays within the process of healthy aging. Social support, caregiving, and the role of these supports are important factors within the healthy aging process.

Section IV addresses education, access to education, and the impact of education on health outcomes and health literacy.

Lastly, Section V deals with economic and policy issues that play a role in the healthy aging process. Factors such as pensions, economic resources, and policies that shape these outcomes are discussed in this section.

You can order this important book through APHA
Print: Healthy Aging Through the Social Determinants of Health
E-book: Healthy Aging Through The Social Determinants of Health ($62)
Will Humble Professional Development

NAU Center for Service and Volunteerism Awarded $2.1M

NAU Center for Service and Volunteerism Awarded $2.1M to Build Public Health AmeriCorps. The money will support 50 AmeriCorps members to meet public health needs of local communities and help rebuild the nation’s public health sector. The project will help meet public health needs of local communities by providing surge capacity and support while also creating pathways to public health-related careers.

NAU’s College of Health and Human Services’ Public Health Program will provide paid internship opportunities for 50 students in their final semester of undergraduate coursework to increase public health capacity across the region, while helping to prepare the next generation of public health professionals.

For more information about AmeriCorps, CSV or Public Health AmeriCorps, please contact the NAU Center for Service and Volunteerism: AmeriCorps@nau.edu or 928-523-6395

Will Humble Health Equity

Maricopa County Invests $21M in American Rescue Plan Act Funds in Key Community Health Centers

Maricopa County awarded $21.4M in American Rescue Plan Act funds to 5 community health centers for capital improvements and renovations that aim to improve access to services for low-income residents. The work will be done in coordination with the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers.

The money is from the American Rescue Plan Act… and this is a really good way to use these one-time funds because these projects will improve infrastructure at key community health centers – paying long term dividends with improved access to care and outcomes.

Here are the projects that were funded:

  • Wesley Community & Health Centers will receive $7.5 million to support the development of a new “Central City” location to replace their original clinic at 1300 S. 10th Street near downtown Phoenix. The new location will allow the Wesley clinic to see an additional 3,500 to 7,000 patients each year.
  • Terros Health will receive $5.5 million for renovations at the Community Health Center at 4909 E. McDowell Road, in Phoenix. The renovation will include additional patient care rooms and waiting room enhancements that will help facilitate integrated care and expand access to primary care, opioid use treatment, HIV testing and prevention, and youth services for the 9,000 patients served as this location.
  • Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health (NOAH) will receive $4.1 million in funding to support the development of a large, new comprehensive Community Health Center at 8705 E. McDowell Road. The new location will serve as the new Cholla Health Center and allow for the consolidation of three existing sites by providing the space and operational efficiencies needed to continue to provide quality health care to over 16,000 individuals with low incomes in Scottsdale, east Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa.
  • NATIVE HEALTH will receive $3.68 million to renovate a vacant business suite at their Southern Business Center at 777 W. Southern Avenue in Mesa. The renovation will facilitate the expansion of dental, optometry, podiatry, pharmacy, and telehealth services and generate an additional 4,200 patient visits over the first two years.
  • Valleywise Health will receive $656,000 for facility improvements at their Community Health Center at 950 E. Van Buren Street in Avondale. The facility upgrades will be implemented using evidence-based design and support a safe, effective, and efficient setting for the 5,000 patients served at this location.

These projects will help prepare Maricopa County to meet current and future public health crises, as well as daily health care needs. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved spending priorities in ARPA funds that can be tracked on a public dashboard. 

Will Humble State Legislature

May 2 Legislative Roundup

As expected, Governor Ducey signed two harmful COVID-19-related bills last week. HB2616 and HB2498 restrict the ability of governmental entities to require mitigation measures, the first one on school masks and the second on vaccines. These are just two of several pieces of legislation related to COVID-19 this year. We expect additional bills to pass and be rubber stamped by Ducey in the coming days/weeks.

For example, the House gave their final approval to SB1009 last week. That bill will restrict future governors to 120 days of public health emergency authority (amending ARS 26-303). After that, the state legislature would need to reauthorize additional extensions (in 30-day increments). The bill also restricts future ADHS directors to the same authority timeframe (the ARS 36-787 authority).

Most governors protect the executive authority of their successors while they’re in office. Ducey has shown no such proclivity, and he will sign it this coming week. He already signed a bill very similar to SB1009 in last year’s budget (fortunately the AZ Supreme Court threw out that provision on procedural grounds). 

There was a snippet of good news last week. SB1162 opioid prescriptions; intractable pain; exceptions was signed, providing some exceptions from some of the restrictions in the 2018 Opioid Epidemic Act for persons in chronic/intractable pain was passed and signed into law: Chronic pain exception added to Arizona opioid law.

Still no sign of progress in the very important SB1716 which would move operation of the Arizona State Hospital out of the ADHS. The Superintendent would report to a 5 member governing board. This one is important because of the tremendous mission conflict with the current set up in which ADHS both runs and ‘regulates’ ASH (the fox watching the henhouse). It needs to be heard in House Rules and then go to the floor. Rules is meeting on Monday afternoon but sadly SB1716 isn’t on the agenda. 

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Bill Overview: Select Bills AzPHA is Supporting

Maternal/Child Health

SB1272 AHCCCS; postpartum care; eligibility; Passed Senate 26-2; Still needs House Rules and Floor Vote & Built into the Budget

Access to Care

HB2144 health insurance coverage; biomarker testing Passed House; Passed Senate Amended, Sent back to House

Special Needs

HB2157 supplemental appropriations; community-based services SIGNED

HB2113 developmental disabilities; Down syndrome SIGNED

HB2111 appropriation; healthy families program – Passed house 40-17; Waiting for Senate Rules Committee

Social Determinants

HB2060 supplemental nutrition assistance program; Passed House 44-15; Passed Senate Health 7-1. Still Needs Senate Rules & Senate Floor

HB2484 forcible entry; detainer; filing fee Passed House 59-0; SIGNED

Environmental

HB2255 fireworks use, limitations, prohibition Passed House. Ready for Senate Floor

State Hospital/Behavioral Health

SB1716 state hospital; governing board; governance Passed Senate 27-0; Still needs House Rules & Floor

SB1444 state hospital; administration; oversight Passed Senate; Passed House Health; Rules then Floor

SB1641 health care institutions; civil penalties Passed Senate 28-0. Failed in House Appropriations. DEAD

SB1162  opioid prescriptions; intractable pain; exceptions SIGNED

SB1210 mentally ill; transportation; evaluation; treatment; Passed Senate. Passed House (amended) and sent back to Senate

Bill Overview: Select Bills AzPHA Is Opposing

Vaccines/Disease Control

HB2086 ADHS; school immunizations; exclusions Passed House 31-28; Ready for Senate Floor vote

SB1009 state of emergency; executive powers Passed Senate 16-13; Passed House 31-27. Sent to Governor for an Inevitable Rubber Stamp

HB2453 mask requirement; prohibition Passed House 31-28. Ready for Senate Floor Vote

HB2616 mask mandates; minors; parental consent SIGNED 

HB2161 parental rights; schools; educational records On Governor’s Desk Waiting for Rubber Stamp

HB2498 COVID-19; vaccination requirements; prohibition. SIGNED

Social Determinants

SB1164 – abortion; gestational age; limit SIGNED

Government

SB1175– noncustodial federal monies; appropriation Passed Senate 16-13; Ready for House Floor 

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