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AZPHA held our annual awards event last Thursday at the University Club of Phoenix. It was a delightful evening with terrific weather and engaged awardees & attendees. We recognized four outstanding folks for their contribution to public health – each in their own distinct way.

Dr. Theresa Cullen was recognized with our Senator Andy Nichols Honor Award for her outstanding contributions to public health throughout her career including during her tenure at Pima County.

Dr. Cullen personifies the exceptional public health leader worthy of this award, demonstrating outstanding commitment to advancing health equity in Pima County, Arizona, nationally, and globally.

Her distinguished career has spanned three decades as a family physician, clinical director and national health IT expert and advocate, working with Tribal Nations, the Indian Health Service and the Veteran’s Administration in the US Public Health Service.

Dr. Cullen’s advocacy has improved health systems, access to services and influenced equitable policies. Dr. Cullen’s tireless commitment to protect and promote the health of our communities, especially those most at risk for severe outcomes, was evident through the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in Pima County in 2021, compared to being the leading cause of death for the State.

Under her leadership, PCHD pursued and recently achieved reaccreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board. Her establishment of an office focused on health equity, policy and community engagement and her recent hiring of a tribal liaison reporting directly to her is a testament to her commitment to systems change and advancing equity.

Dr. Cullen, like many public health leaders across the country, weathered many personal attacks through the pandemic and during her short-lived nomination to be become Director of ADHS. During the toughest of times, she serves with fortitude, tireless energy, and grace.

I believe she is the ideal candidate to receive the 2023 Senator Andy Nichols Honor Award.

Lindsey Perry was recognized for the terrific work her team at the Arizona Auditor General’s Office has done in recent years holding state agencies accountable – including uncovering ADHS’ misconduct ignoring nursing home complaints during the Ducey Administration (corrective actions is now underway under the new administration).

State government is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of Arizonans in so many ways. Ensuring state agencies are effective at their various missions protecting the public is dependent on agencies doing their job, which requires agencies to be held accountable for meeting their mission. Ideally, that accountability comes from governor’s office oversight of agencies. Sadly, some administrations make agency oversight a low priority.

Luckily, Arizona has a lead Auditor General (Lindsey Perry, CPA, CFE) who has built a robust team of professionals who do hold agencies accountable. The accountability Ms. Perry’s team brings to the table is critical to ensuring the health and safety of Arizonans.

In 2019, Auditor Perry’s team published a report disclosing that the ADHS’ Licensing Division had not been properly investigating complaints at AZ Nursing homes.

That report’s findings alerted the legislature, the media and stakeholders to address the agency’s shortcomings – who then pressed the agency to correct the problem. The Auditor’s 30 month follow up report found the agency reclassified nearly all high-risk complaints at nursing homes as low risk as a means of deceiving the public into thinking the problems had been corrected.

That watershed report led to legislative hearings and additional funding for the agency. It was also a major factor in compelling licensing division leadership changes at the agency. Those changes are now leading to positive reform and better protection for seniors.

Haley Coles received our Rising Public Health Star award for her amazing work with Sonoran Prevention Works with harm reduction and saving lives. From one of her nominations:

Haley Coles burst on the Arizona public health scene a few years ago with compelling advocacy to change Arizona laws (e.g., Good Samaritan Law, legalizing needle exchange programs and fentanyl test strips). In terms of public health programming, she’s been the driving force behind Sonoran Prevention Works – who has established themselves as a leader in public health operational work in harm reduction and Narcan distribution. Her organization has saved countless lives in Arizona amid the opioid/fentanyl crisis.

Senator Theresa Hatathlie was recognized with our Policymaker of the Year award for her heroic efforts “… shining the light on the harms being done to vulnerable people, persisting in her advocacy which is leading to real changes for the better” – Senator Mitzi Epstein. From one of her nominations:

Senator Hatathlie is the first public official to highlight the tragic human tracking in Arizona – holding early Senate hearings and bills highlighting this public health disaster. She was the first official to publicly disclose this human trafficking and Medicaid fraud disaster in which to people were picked up in white vans and driven to the Phoenix area from places as far away as the sprawling Navajo Nation. In some cases, the people allegedly didn’t even know the location of the homes where they were staying. We later learned in announcements by Governor Hobbs & Attorney General Mayes that hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud were also involved.

Senator Hatathlie was also a major player in the development of Operation Rainbow Bridge, an effort to find and get needed services to hundreds of tribal members that were victims of the trafficking, that affected as many as 7,000 Native Americans recruited to illegitimate sober living homes in recent years.