Stories - AZPM

Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of the Pima County Health Department, sits for an interview with Arizona 360 on July 8, 2020.

Pima Health Director to lead AZ Dept. of Health Services

Hobbs tapps Dr. Theresa Cullen to run agency.

A staff member at Hushabye Nursery in Phoenix feeds one of the babies on Nov. 8, 2022. Infants brought to the nursery are withdrawing from drugs they were exposed to before birth – opioids, in particular. Across the country, cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome increased 82% from 2010 to 2017. That means that in the U.S., a baby is diagnosed with NAS every 19 minutes.

Phoenix nursery provides model solution for newborns exposed to opioids

As their babies are treated, parents are connected with addiction treatment, child services and, if necessary, help obtaining essentials such as housing – ideally before their children are born.

Arizona taking steps to combat maternal mortality, one doula at a time

Doulas don’t deliver babies, but these nonmedical labor assistants can make a difference in maternal health outcomes.

A father brings his infant child to El Rio Community Health Center for a checkup.

Most popular names for Arizona babies

Most common names for newborns remain nearly the same as they have for close to a decade.

Tucson City Council: dispensaries, fare-free transit, childcare and redistricting

Mayor and council rounded out the year in their final city council meeting of 2022.

A health care worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine on a man at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Tucson. March 2021.

Pima County to host vaccine clinics in Green Valley, starting Wednesday

Clinics will offer influenza and COVID shots, along with free at-home COVID tests.

John Farley, director of fire test operations at the Naval Research Laboratory, tests the effectiveness of aqueous film-forming foam by spraying it on a gasoline fire. The test took place at the laboratory in Chesapeake Beach, Md. Oct. 25, 2019.

ADEQ to test all small water systems for PFAS

An EPA grant will allow the state to test water from 1,200 providers.

A male Elegant Trogon, as featured in Richard Cachor Taylor's 2022 book "Birds of Arizona".

The field guide "Birds of Arizona" was a labor of love for author Richard Cachor Taylor.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How the Pima County Library's Synapse Team is helping mental health community-wide; visit the El Jefe Cat Lounge; and remembering broadcasting legend Larry Schnebly.

Respiratory illnesses continue rise in Pima County

Officials are asking residents to update their vaccinations, wear masks and social distance.

Water levels in Lake Powell, seen here in May 2021, are dipping dangerously low. The federal government has proposed an unprecedented plan to cut back on water supplies for Arizona, Nevada and California. The measure aims to keep water levels high enough to generate hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam.

The Buzz: Looking back on 2022

Newsworthy interviews and topics that we addressed this year.

A sign warning drivers of high pedestrian traffic on West St. Mary's Road in Tucson on a late October afternoon.

Traffic deaths rising in Tucson, pedestrians at highest risk

The number of pedestrian fatalities have almost doubled from 2021.

This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S.

Maricopa County sees large spike in flu, COVID-19, and RSV

Officials are urging that anyone 6 months or older get vaccinated for the flu and for COVID-19, especially with more gatherings during the holiday season.