Law Implements Real-Time, Stop-Sale Technology

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) today applauded Arizona Governor Jan Brewer for signing into law House Bill 2263—anti-meth legislation authored by Representative Heather Carter (R-LD7). Arizona now becomes the 23rd state to adopt real-time, stop-sale technology known as the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx).

The proven system—in a process similar to a credit card transaction—allows retailers to automatically block unlawful pseudoephedrine (PSE) purchases in real-time and at the point of sale. Data collected by NPLEx also provides law enforcement officials with valuable data that helps them build stronger cases and make more arrests. NPLEx is an effective, targeted solution to domestic meth production that protects law-abiding citizens’ access to safe and effective cold and allergy medicines containing PSE.

“With the adoption of HB 2263, Arizona lawmakers have taken a significant step in the battle against methamphetamine production and abuse,” said Scott M. Melville, president and chief executive officer of CHPA. “It’s no coincidence that 23 states around the country have chosen real-time, stop-sale technology to combat meth crime. Based on what we’ve learned from law enforcement experts and pharmacists who use the system every day, it’s clear that the technology is working extremely well across the country. In 2011 alone, the system blocked over 2 million grams from potentially being misused by meth cooks.

“Not only does NPLEx help police officers track down meth manufacturers and distributors, it also ensures that responsible consumers have access to the nonprescription cold and allergy medicines they depend on. Representative Carter and the entire legislature worked hard to find the right solution to a difficult problem facing their state. Thanks to these efforts, law enforcement officials and retailers will now have the upper hand against meth criminals.”

SOURCE The Consumer Healthcare Products Association

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1bJmX)

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I am proud to support our local Mayo Clinic and all of the great research, education and physician experience that it brings to our state.

“Today’s March employment report shows that our State added jobs across all eleven major economic sectors in March, and is the latest evidence that the Arizona Comeback is upon us. The addition of 18,900 non-farm jobs is Arizona’s strongest March employment tally since 2006. Perhaps best of all, the construction industry – which took such a beating in the wake of the housing collapse – added 3,800 new jobs. That’s more than double the average March job gain for construction.
Arriving on the heels of February’s addition of 28,000 new jobs, it is clearer than ever that Arizona’s
economy is on the right track. I pledge to continue pursuing the pro-growth policies – lean regulations, competitive
taxes and a ready workforce – that helped make this turnaround possible. Arizona’s best days are yet to come.”’

A brief explanation of the need to simplify the system due to No Child Left Behind

Discussing teacher evaluations

Talking about my bill to reform teacher certification

While coping with the death of her father, Amy Rodenburg also had to deal with the frustrating task of finding someone to sign his death certificate.

Although he died in a hospital teeming with doctors, the family’s funeral preparations were hamstrung for lack of that crucial signature.

“There was a lot of finger pointing,” the Scottsdale resident recalled. “We couldn’t get the story straight.”

A bill approved Thursday by the state Senate is meant to clear up some of the murkiness that frustrated Rodenburg and her family. With a 24-6 vote, the bill will go to Gov. Jan Brewer for her consideration.

House Bill 2370 expands the definition of which medical professionals can sign death certificates, and exempts them from civil liability and professional discipline if they act in good faith.

“When you’re grieving, the last thing you want to do is navigate through the medical system to get a death certificate signed,” said Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek. She sponsored the bill, inspired by Rodenburg’s plight.

If it becomes law, the bill could provide some relief for medical-examiner offices across the state. In Maricopa County, the office is inundated — up to 20 times a day — by requests to sign off on death certificates that otherwise could be signed by health professionals, said Dr. Mark Fischione, the county’s chief medical examiner.

“A lot of the certifiers believe if they weren’t there at the time their patient dies, they don’t have to sign, or they won’t sign,” Fischione told a Senate committee recently.

Matt Heinz said he felt that way when he started working at Tucson Medical Center. Heinz, a Democratic state representative from Tucson, is the only practicing doctor in the Legislature.

“Initially I was real squeamish,” he said of doctors who would ask him to sign the death certificate of a patient he had treated in the emergency room but who had died on another doctor’s watch.

But he grew more comfortable with certifying a death as he observed the practice of more-experienced colleagues, and as he realized families’ funeral plans often were left in limbo while doctors sorted out who should sign.

In addition to doctors, the bill expands the definition of “medical professional” to include nurse practitioners, midwives, naturopathic doctors and physician assistants. If health-care providers don’t sign, the duty falls to medical examiners by default.

For Michele Castaneda-Martinez, that can add up to piles of paperwork. As program manager for the county’s Office of Vital Registration, she said she and her staff have chased after doctors for signatures and at times have prevailed on family members to intervene.

“This holds up the process,” Castaneda-Martinez said, since bodies can’t be transported without a signed death certificate.

Pima County Medical Examiner Dr. Gregory Hess said the bill could go a long way toward educating medical professionals. But he’s not sure if it will erase the wariness he encounters with some doctors, as they have varying comfort levels on what they will sign.

“At least it would be something people could point to and say ‘This is who can and cannot sign,’ ” he said.

For Rodenburg, that clarification could have helped. She was on the verge of having an obstetrician sign her father’s certificate when she finally got the partner of her father’s regular physician to do the duty, allowing funeral arrangements to proceed.

Read the original article here.

by Jonathan Butcher – Special to The Independent

NFL fans in every part of the country except New England and New York have taken their giant foam finger and team pennants and gone home. With hopes set on next season, now is the time for free agency, when team analysts and position coaches scour the country for players. Teams work feverishly to identify areas of need and fill them with the best players available.
What if schools could do the same thing?

For years, Arizona has had only a few ways that individuals could enter the teaching profession. Despite attempts to create “alternative” methods, we’ve found ourselves with procedures that look awfully like the standard teacher certification program we already have in place.

HB 2161, authored by Rep. Heather Carter, would change that. The bill provides a path for college professors or even qualified professionals to enter the K-12 teaching workforce via a “special certificate.”

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education identified several subjects in which Arizona has a teaching shortage, including middle school math and science, as well as high school economics and general science. HB 2161 addresses these areas specifically.
The path a teacher takes to certification is not an indicator of how their students will perform in the classroom. A study from the Brookings Institution found that “there is no statistically significant difference in achievement for students assigned to certified and uncertified teachers.”

The task for lawmakers, then, is to make it possible for capable, talented professionals to become teachers and fill key positions. Rep. Carter’s bill is a significant step toward strengthening Arizona’s teaching force.

Since elected, I have been working diligently to streamline local and state government, create an economic environment that allows for business growth and job creation and promote education throughout Arizona.

Please keep an eye out for more town halls throughout the district in the coming months. I look forward to seeing you and discussing issues affecting Arizona. Thank you again for your continued support, and as always, contact me with any questions!