Arizona and other states are once again free to verify that Medicaid enrollees are still qualified and cancel coverage if they’re not, and as many as 15 million Americans, including 7 million children, could lose the health coverage they relied on through the pandemic. Read more»

After nearly $1.5 billion in sales in 2022, Arizona’s cannabis market continues to be robust in the first months of 2023, driven by a growing recreational market, with the medical marijuana market remaining in a freefall. Read more»

An attempt by Arizona Republicans to rebuke Gov. Katie Hobbs for vetoing a bill aimed at expanding the sale of homemade foods failed after most legislative Democrats sided with her, slamming the move to override her veto as just another effort to undermine her. Read more»

Even as COVID-19 levels decline, the Arizona health department continues to deliver tests, vaccinations and other medical services to underserved, low-income communities across the state. Read more»

Gov. Katie Hobbs issued an executive order Wednesday banning the use of the social media app TikTok on all state owned devices, as universities - including Arizona’s three major universities - and even some countries make similar moves. Read more»

State legislators are pushing a bill to build a state dementia plan and put up to $500,000 toward new jobs focused on Alzheimer’s disease, a common type of dementia that is rising especially fast in Arizona. Read more»

Multiple state agencies, including the Arizona Department of Homeland Security and state’s Medicaid provider, may have had their passwords and login credentials exposed in a breach of the popular password management software LastPass. Read more»

La cantidad de niños que confunden la marihuana comestible con dulces va en aumento, y casi el 60 % de los 394 incidentes pediátricos con cannabis el año pasado requirieron una visita al hospital. Read more»

The number of children who mistake edible marijuana for candy is on the rise, with panicked parents calling Arizona poison control centers for help- and experts say nearly 60% of 394 pediatric cannabis incidents last year required a hospital visit. Read more»

Total Arizona marijuana sales in 2022 mirrored the total from 2021, the first year of the legal adult use market, but the paths that each year reached $1.4 billion in sales were strikingly different. Read more»

State legislators unanimously advanced a proposal to create an independent board to oversee the Arizona State Hospital, which cares for some of the state’s most vulnerable people, and is currently subject to oversight by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Read more»

The Arizona House Health and Human Services Committee voted in favor of a bill that would establish a level 1 felony punishment for selling a narcotic drug that results in the death of the user - but some Democrats say the bill is unconstitutional and broad. Read more»

Perinatal psychiatrists at the University of Arizona, are teaming up to to launch a statewide hotline next spring for providers who serve the perinatal population in an effort to assist pregnant and postpartum women with maternal mental and behavioral health conditions. Read more»

Across the country, cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome increased a startling 82% from 2010 to 2017 - while Arizona cases increased 41% from 2017 to 2021 - and a Phoenix nursery is working to end the cycles that lead to multigenerational patterns of addiction. Read more»

As the holidays loom, three respiratory illnesses are hitting the state and public health officials say now is the very best time for Arizonans to get vaccinated in order to be best protected come time for family gatherings.  Read more»