Investigative Journalism & Independent Auditing Spark Improvements in Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing & Dementia Care
Over the past several years AZ’s system for ensuring people who live in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities are treated properly has faced intense scrutiny—for good reason. An (award-winning) investigative series by The Arizona Republic, titled The Bitter End, by Caitlin McGlade and Sahana Jayaraman – uncovered unacceptable conditions in care homes in Arizona. Their reporting exposed a pattern of resident harm, neglect, and systemic regulatory failures during the Ducey/Christ/Herrington era
Will Kennedy’s Elimination of CDC’s Smoking & Health Program Make America Healthy? No.
In yet another damaging move, Kennedy eliminated CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health last week — threatening decades of progress in tobacco prevention and control even as tobacco smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death in the US. The Office of Smoking and Health provides vital funding & technical assistance to every state in the country, supporting quitlines, public education campaigns, data collection, and policy development. These efforts
Arizona Still Has Work to Do On Tobacco Control
This week, the American Lung Association released its latest “Up in Smoke” report, a national look at how states are doing when it comes to reducing tobacco use and protecting people from secondhand smoke. Arizona’s grades are mixed. While we’ve made progress in some areas, we still have serious gaps to address. The report grades states in five areas: funding for tobacco prevention, smokefree air laws, access to cessation services,
Public Health Law Center | A Free Resource for Local Public Health
Public Health Law Center | A Free Resource for Local Public Health The Public Health Law Center provides free legal technical assistance to public health managers within state, local, Tribal and territorial health departments. They also provide support related to working with your Attorney General’s office. They also answer questions related to the litigation process and provide case analysis. They have several assistant AGs and former litigators on staff. Reach out to Tom Pryor or Manel Kappagoda with questions
CDC Reports Decline in Drug Overdose Deaths in the US & AZ
Guest piece via AzPHA member Allan Williams, Ph.D. The March 16 AZPHA Policy Update (“A Turning Point in the Opioid Crisis”) reviewed a February 25 CDC report indicating a 24% decline in US drug overdose deaths over the 12-month period ending in September 2024 compared to the previous 12-month period. That finding has now been updated in a May 14 CDC report with data available through December 2024. The CDC’s Provisional Drug Overdose
Save Money & Energy Via Arizona’s New Efficiency Program
Arizonans under 150% of area median income are now eligible to take part in a program to improve the energy efficiency and save money on utility bills! The initiative is called EFFICIENCY ARIZONA and it’s offered by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Resiliency through the DEO Home Energy Rebates programs. Efficiency Arizona | Save Money. Save Energy. Arizona was allocated $153M from the Inflation Reduction Act to assist over 20,000