Public Health Journalism this Week
Homelessness increases in Arizona; affordable housing remains out of reach for many Indigenous families sue Arizona over human cost of sober living fraud A look back at 2024: Even with passage of Prop. 139 in 2024, more legal battles are expected | Arizona Capitol Times Hobbs wants end to abortion questionnaire, needs new law | Arizona Capitol Times
Leading Causes of Death in AZ in 2024 – Heat Deaths up 350% in Last 5 Years; COVID Continues its Drop in 2024
As you recall, our resident AZPHA epidemiologist Allan Williams PhD did a deep dive into the leading causes of death in Arizona during the pandemic and discovered we were the only state where COVID-19 was the leading cause of death during the first couple years of the pandemic. AzPHA Data Brief: Arizona is the ONLY State in the U.S. In Which COVID-19 Is the Leading Cause of Death During the
Public Health Journalism this Week
Arizona faces $2.8 billion class action lawsuit over alleged negligence in AHCCCS fraud scheme – Navajo Times Indigenous families sue Arizona over human cost of sober living fraud Medicaid funding cuts could put thousands of Arizonans in peril Katie Hobbs: Arizona abortion reports are ‘government surveillance’ Lack of coordination hinders state response to maternal mortality Agencies set to expire in 2025 will likely get ‘shorter leashes’ | Arizona Capitol Times
The High Stakes of Medicaid Cuts: What Arizona Stands to Lose (and a simple solution)
Some in congress and the incoming administration have suggested they’ll be making major changes to Medicaid this congressional session – especially those elements that were associated with the affordable care act like the expansion population – in particular how the expansion population was funded (persons between 100% and 138% of poverty). While Arizona did expand Medicaid to that population the legislature made the expansion contingent on the federal government paying
Alternatives to Law Enforcement Responses to Mental Health & Substance Abuse Improves Outcomes & Reduces Crime
There is growing consensus that traditional law enforcement in addressing mental health crises is not leading to good outcomes and needs to be overhauled. Police officers often serve as first responders to mental health and substance abuse crises even though they’re often poorly trained or professionally and emotionally unequipped to manage such incidents. The inefficient response by law enforcement staff has high costs and often results in poor outcomes. Alternatives
Why is the U.S. Healthcare Delivery System so Confusing, Fragmented, & Expensive Compared to European Democracies?
America’s fragmented healthcare insurance system is rooted in its unique historical and political development, which diverged significantly from European democracies just after WWII. After the war, most European nations began adopting centralized, government-funded healthcare systems driven by industrialization, labor movements, and the need to manage public health crises. In contrast, the U.S. relied on a decentralized, market-driven approach, shaped by an emphasis on individualism and distrust of government. The absence