AZPHA Coffee & Conversations Arizona’s 2026 Legislative Session & Ballot Propositions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly—A Public Health Perspective Arizona’s 2026 legislative session produced some meaningful public-health wins, several important gubernatorial vetoes and a state budget that will directly affect Medicaid and food-assistance programs. Now, voters will face 11 statewide ballot propositions this fall—including measures affecting mail voting, school vouchers, public-employee unions, traffic-safety cameras and school funding. Join
Nominations Open for the 2026 AZPHA Public Health Awards!
Nominate Here! 2026 AzPHA Public Health Awards We’re proud to announce that our 2026 award program will be held: Thursday, October 29, 2026 5:30 – 8:30pm Social Hall Tempe 715 S McClintock Dr, Tempe, AZ 85288 Each year AzPHA recognizes public health professionals, health professionals and community members across Arizona who are performing extraordinary services to our community at our annual awards event. Many of our awards go back decades. This year’s awards will
Frustrated by the Judicial Branch, Kennedy & the President Take Another Swipe at Childhood Vaccines
Kennedy presented the President with another Executive Order this week aimed at watering down the childhood vaccine schedule. You might have read some stories about how a big of a deal it is… but it’s not the threat some think it is. The real threat is Kennedy’s ongoing effort to pack the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices with his anti-vaccine friends. More on that in a bit. See the EO
AHCCCS / ADHS Release Additional Rural Health Transformation Grant Applications – Continued Radio Silence from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
Last month AHCCCS released their first bolus of Rural Health Transformation grant and funding opportunities. You can read more about those in last month’s post: AZ’s First Rural Health Transformation Grants Target Overdose Prevention, Telehealth & Data Management. Last week AHCCCS added a couple more. Adopt Shared Services Consortiums This grant supports shared-service arrangements among rural healthcare organizations intended to cut operating costs, reduce duplication and build collective capacity. Expansion
Arizona’s Medicaid Waiver Up for Renewal: Your Opportunity to Comment is Now
Earlier this year I put together an AHCCCS 101 series explaining how Arizona’s Medicaid program works, who makes the decisions and what all those waivers and contractors mean. Here’s a real-life example of the foundation of Arizona’s Medicaid system – our “1115 Waiver”. Any state Medicaid program that uses a demonstration waiver (most do) has to turn in their approach to how they’ll implement Medicaid in their state every 5 years and
Arizona’s 2026 Legislative Session & Ballot Propositions: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly—A Public Health Perspective
AZPHA Coffee & Conversations Arizona’s 2026 Legislative Session & Ballot Propositions: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly—A Public Health Perspective Arizona’s 2026 legislative session produced some meaningful public-health wins, several important gubernatorial vetoes and a state budget that will directly affect Medicaid and food-assistance programs. Now, voters will face 11 statewide ballot propositions this fall—including measures affecting mail voting, school vouchers, public-employee unions, traffic-safety cameras and school funding. Join