$3.5 million allocated for high school substance abuse prevention
PHOENIX - The Governor's Office for Youth, Faith and Family will release about $3.5 million in new funding for substance abuse prevention programs for high school youth - a key demographic to target when tackling Arizona's opioid epidemic.
Arizona lawmakers mirror House, split by party on Obamacare repeal
WASHINGTON - Arizona lawmakers followed the rest of the House Friday as it split largely down party lines to approve a budget resolution that marks the first step toward the long-held Republican goal of repealing Obamacare.
Arizona senators follow party-line vote on Obamacare repeal
WASHINGTON - Arizona's senators joined all but one of their fellow Republicans early Thursday to narrowly approve a budget resolution that is the first step in overturning the Affordable Care Act.
Medical boards looking at Ducey’s recommendation of opioid education
PHOENIX - Medical professionals say Gov. Doug Ducey’s letter urging that Arizona doctors receive more education on drug addiction is a step forward in the battle against opioid abuse, but that the curriculum must be detailed and useful.
Nearly 900K people watched “Hooked Rx” documentary
PHOENIX – Based on early television viewership projections, nearly 900,000 viewers tuned in to "Hooked Rx: From Prescription to Addiction," a Cronkite News report on Arizona's prescription opioid epidemic, according to early Nielsen rating numbers. That number is expected to rise.
Gov. Ducey pushes to require drug-addiction training for doctors
PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey sent a letter to the Arizona Medical Board and the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners pushing to require all Arizona physicians to complete continuing education in drug addiction, he said during his State of the State speech Monday.
Wading through the yuck, researchers study wastewater sludge for public health clues
TEMPE – Pristine white lab coats hang on a wheeled rack. Handwritten measurements and equations are crammed on whiteboards. And a long line of freezers are filled with containers of super-concentrated human waste.
Pharmaceuticals end up in water supply, AZ experts suggest better tracking
PHOENIX – The Arizona health community distributed 305 million pain reliever pills last year – enough to provide 24-hour medication for every adult in the state for two weeks straight, according to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission.
AZ health official: $3.6 million federal grant jump starts opioid awareness efforts in six counties
PHOENIX – State officials said federal funding has helped jump start awareness campaigns and drug monitoring efforts to combat the prescription drug epidemic in six of Arizona’s 15 counties.
State excludes veterinarians from prescription drug database requirement
PHOENIX – Veterinarians must register with the Drug Enforcement Administration before they can prescribe narcotics. They must go through extensive training on how to treat animals in pain. And they must keep tight controls on the narcotics they keep in the office.
