Biden Administration to Reschedule Cannabis Under the Controlled Substances Act
What Are the Implications? In a surprise move, Biden Administration insiders have signaled that a few executive branch agencies will be moving in unison to reschedule marijuana from what’s called a “Schedule I” drug to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. What is the CSA? The Controlled Substances Act is the main federal law that regulates many aspects of controlled substances. Drugs or substances are examined for
CMS Establishes Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pay for a big chunk of the care at skilled nursing facilities via their Medicaid and Medicare programs. As such – they have a keen interest in making sure the care for the people they’re paying for is good. For the last couple of years, they’ve been reevaluating their standards and expectations for facilities that serve folks via Medicare and Medicaid (nearly 1.2 million
Hobbs Implements State Agency Hiring Freeze via a ‘Head Count Cap’
Governor Hobbs has ordered a hiring freeze for new state employees and instructed her department heads to send her a plan this week to cut $1.2 billion in spending out of their current and coming year budgets. That’s a 4% cut for the remainder of this fiscal year and a 2% reduction for next year. The letter reportedly sets out a “headcount cap” for agencies like the Ducey administration did
Public Health Journalism this Week
Hobbs’ budget letter points to cuts, hiring freeze for Arizona government | Daily Independent (yourvalley.net) Legal group says Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban is back in effect (azcentral.com) Syphilis is spreading rapidly in Maricopa County. This could slow it (azcentral.com) Arizona health care: Report finds wide inequities in performance (azcentral.com) Hobbs, Mayes launch website to help Arizona navigate changes to abortion laws (azmirror.com) Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Minimum Staffing Standards for
The AZ Corporation Commission & Public Health (Part II): Clean Energy
At first glance, the Arizona Corporation Commission might seem like it has pretty much nothing to do with public health. But when you scratch the surface just a little, you’ll discover that the Commission does in fact influence public health in important ways. Last week we covered how the Commissioners have been using their authority to regulate electricity monopolies and how those decisions affect the social determinants of health. This week
Valleywise Health’s Dr. Michael White Honored by Becker’s Hospital Review
AzPHA member and Valleywise Health Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Michael White has been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review in its 2024 national list of “180 Hospital and Health Systems Chief Medical Officers to Know.” He was one of 2 Arizona chief medical officers recognized. Dr. White is Chair of the Governing Board of the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance, a partnership that includes Valleywise Health,