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In this article, the author describes the Sports, Habilitation, and Recreation Program (SHARP), a program of the Foundation for Blind Children in Phoenix, Arizona. The SHARP program aims to help children, who have visual impairments, achieve goals, develop independence, and make friends. One of the unique features of the SHARP program is that it encourages siblings to participate. Volunteers play a significant role in the SHARP program. Two volunteers, Julie Dale and her daughter, Taylor, belong to the National Charities League, which provides opportunities for mothers and daughters to volunteer together. Taylor finds the program to be inspirational to her because "the kids have such a positive outlook on life and their disabilities." Positive responses from the students who have participated in the program are presented.

The Foundation for Blind Children, established in 1952, is a private, nonprofit, United Way agency. The foundation's mission is to provide education, counseling, communication and technology services to children and adults who are blind or visually impaired. By helping them to master their environment, it helps families lead lives of independence and dignity. It is the only agency of its kind in the state of Arizona and the largest blind children's organization in the United States. In this article, the author describes the roles played by the early interventionists at the Foundation for Blind Children in providing support for the families dealing with disabilities. The early interventionists at the Foundation for Blind Children are not only good at hearing what parents have to say but can very often empathize with their concerns. In fact, a number of teachers there have children of their own with special needs. Given time and support, most parents learn to come to terms with their child's disability.

Objective. We conducted an analysis of rates, geographic distribution, and time to treatment of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and early syphilis (ES) among Arizona American Indians (Als) to address racial disparities affecting this group. Methods. We used the Arizona Department of Health Services' sexually transmitted disease (STD) surveillance database to identify STD cases and calculate rates among Als in Arizona from 2003 to 2007. We mapped Al ES cases reported during that time frame by reported resident ZIP code, calculated days elapsed from specimen collection to initial treatment, and compared rates and time to treatment for Als with those of non-Hispanic white (NHW) individuals. Results. Annual Arizona Al STD rates for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and ES from 2003 to 2007 ranged from 2.7 to 7.8 times those of NHW people. During the same time period, the annual rates for all three STDs among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years were also higher among Als and ranged from 2.0 to 14.8 times those of NHW individuals. The majority of cases for ES reported ZIP codes located in the northeastern and southern central portions of the state. The median time to treatment in Al populations was significantly longer than in NHW populations for chlamydia and gonorrhea, but not for ES. Conclusions. High rates of STDs have been identified among Als in certain regions of Arizona. Additionally, there are significant delays in treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia. STD prevention and education programs that prioritize this health disparity and promote expeditious screening, diagnosis, and treatment are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the outbreak of syphilis among members of a Southwest Indian Nation in Arizona during 2007-2009. It summarizes the enhanced outbreak response that was conducted through the collaboration of the tribal and Pima County health departments, the Indian Health Service (IHS), the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of 106 cases of syphilis was recorded during the period.

Clean urban water, distributed and collected through centralized regional infrastructure, is a driving force in development of the rapidly growing metropolitan regions of the arid Southwest. This study examines the internal magnitude and location of water infrastructure in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, from 1953 to 2003. Regional building-permit data were the basis for identifying six cycles of boom-and-bust real estate activity. Using Water Services Department GIS files, we find that the grid of 1-mile arterial streets provided a systematic framework for incremental water infrastructure expansion. Over this 50-year period, the water system consolidated existing settlements with private water sources and aggressively provided revenue-generating services to an expanding customer base. By 1994-2003, however, new urban fringe development existed only at the northern and southwestern boundaries of this extensive central city. Water infrastructure activities now increasingly included replacement for intensified service, renovation, maintenance, and repair. Detailed analyses of this and other urban water systems provide an additional source of broad insights into processes of both external fringe development and internal land intensification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the drop in reported congenital syphilis cases from 28 in 2005 to 16 in 2006, the Arizona infant registries were cross matched with reported syphilis test among women in th estat STD database. Six previously unreported cases were identified; four live births and two still births. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which determines the epidemiology of syphilis among Hispanic women in Maricopa County, Arizona. It outlines the method of the study which examines the characteristics of pregnant and non pregnant women with congenital syphilis (CS) and their male partners. The study indicates the importance of educating the Hispanic women about the innovative CS prevention strategies and they should be included in reproductive health and prenatal care services in the area.

The article presents a study on the opportunities for the Prevention of Congenital Syphilis in Maricopa County, Arizona. This paper focuses on background of the rates of contracting syphilis among women and the decline of congenital syphilis in the early 1990s. A national emphasis on the cases of syphilis however did not diminish the overrepresentation in minority populations. State health records are reviewed for the prevalence of congenital syphilis diagnosed in Maricopa County across the following variables, maternal age, race, infant date of birth.

This study aims to describe the epidemiology of unintentional injury deaths among American Indian residents of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation between 2006 and 2012. Unintentional injury death data were obtained from the Arizona Department of Health Services and death rates were calculated per 100 000 people per year and age adjusted using data obtained from Indian Health Service and the age distribution of the 2010 US Census. Rate ratios were calculated using the comparison data obtained through CDC's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. The overall unintentional injury mortality rate among American Indians residing on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation between 2006 and 2012 was 107.0 per 100 000. When stratified by age, White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT) mortality rates for all unintentional injuries exceed the US all races rate except for ages 10-14 for which there were no deaths due to unintentional injury during this period. The leading causes of unintentional injury deaths were MVCs and poisonings. Unintentional injuries are a significant public health problem in the American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Tribal-specific analyses are critical to inform targeted prevention and priority setting., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)