Health Trends in Graham County, Arizona

Davis Kempton

                I was able to contact Darla Hansen, who is the Director of Nurses in the Health Department in Graham County. We discussed some of the trends she has seen lately in the Community. Keep in mind, Graham County is a small farming community. I chose this community because I am from there, and I want to end up there.

1.       West Nile Virus is an issue that the health officials are dealing with in Graham County. Arizona led the United States in number of cases of west Nile last year and Graham County had 9 of those cases. The Gila River provides ideal breeding grounds for mosquitos that carry the disease, so officials have warned residents to avoid places with high population of mosquitos. They have also warned to eliminate any source of water that might provide breeding grounds for mosquitos.

2.       There has also been an increase in the number of skin cancer incidences.  The graham county department of Health along with the Arizona department of health services have continually warned residents to be wise when spending time outdoors in the sun. Using high SPF sunscreen and wearing wide-brimmed hats are some of the things residents are advised to do prevent sun damage.

3.       Another thing that Darla mentioned was the increase in the number of Staph infections. She didn’t think that was something unique to Graham County, but it was worth mentioning. There are several different causes for staph infections, and she says she has seen them all.

4.       One of the sadder trends that Darla mentioned was the increased number of respiratory illnesses in young children. She speculates that it has to do with the increasing population and also the opening of the Safford copper mine. Asthma and bronchitis patients have increased dramatically and the majority of those patients are under the age of 5.

5.       The last thing that Darla mentioned was a decrease in the number of chronic respiratory diseases. She attributes this to the declining number of smokers. The county has heavily promoted anti-tobacco programs in schools and has seen a decline in the number of smokers as a result.

I enjoyed this assignment. I t helped me learn a little bit more about my county and the things that are happening there.