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Connection Newsletter
By AzHHA Communications ● Jan. 23, 2025
Smart Brevity® count: 5 mins...1321 words
This week, read about:
- Week two updates from the legislature and the Governor’s proposed budget.
- The new date for the AzCHER medical response surge exercise.
- The PRECEPT Nurses Act being introduced in Congress.
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Week two updates from the legislature and the Governor’s proposed budget

The second week of the legislative session is officially behind us!
- With Monday being a holiday and many members rumored to be out for the inauguration, it was a short but eventful week.
- Due to the holiday, the House Health and Human Services Committee did not convene as expected. Instead, their first meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee, however, got things rolling on Wednesday morning with two bills on the agenda to start the session. With these late starts, we anticipate longer and busier committee agendas in the coming weeks as deadlines for bill hearings approach.
Meanwhile, bills are dropping rapidly in the Senate as the cutoff date looms just two weeks away.
The Governor’s budget On Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, Governor Katie Hobbs released her proposed budget. AzHHA applauds the Governor for prioritizing healthcare in Arizona, highlighting critical investments supporting patients and healthcare providers.
Her proposals include:
- Reducing the Hospital Assessment Fund transfer from $100 million to $25 million in State Fiscal Year 2026.
- Permanently implementing 12-month continuous postpartum coverage for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) recipients.
- Adding 22 FTEs to AHCCCS to decrease the processing time for provider enrollment.
- Adding 28 new pre-admission assessor FTE positions in Arizona’s Long-Term Care System at AHCCCS.
- Expanding the capacity of nursing education at community colleges by investing an additional $3 million.
- Increasing funding by another $20 million to combat the spread of fentanyl.
- Expanding the eligibility and coverage for family planning services, including 12 months of contraception supplies.
What’s next: We look forward to working with the Governor's office and the legislature in the coming months as they create a budget that will benefit all Arizonans.
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New date: 2025 AzCHER medical response surge exercise
The 2025 Arizona Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response (AzCHER) medical response surge exercise will now take place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
Who should attend:
- Acute care hospitals
- Long-term care facilities
- Public health stakeholders
- County and tribal emergency management professionals
The bottom line: Participation will enhance your organization’s preparedness level, identify and address gaps and build stronger partnerships.
Next steps: Registration is open until Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. If you are interested, please reach out to your AzCHER regional manager or Jamie Beauvais.
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PRECEPT Nurses Act introduced to address national nursing shortage

On Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Providing Real-World Education and Clinical Experience by Precepting Tomorrow’s (PRECEPT) Nurses Act.
Why it matters: This bipartisan legislation addresses the national nursing shortage by incentivizing experienced nurses to serve as clinical preceptors to nursing students and new hires.
- This legislation establishes a seven-year pilot program offering a $2,000 tax credit to nurses who precept nursing students, advanced practice nurse candidates or new nurses within six months of hire in health professional shortage areas.
AzHHA’s President and CEO Ann-Marie Alameddin was quoted in the release:
“We appreciate how Senator Kelly continues to champion Arizona hospitals with this legislation. Preceptors play a crucial role in helping new nurses transition from an academic setting to day-to-day patient care. This support is vital for nurse retention, especially following the loss of experienced preceptors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Investing in their development is essential to the healthcare ecosystem.
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Report: Q4 2024 contract labor market rate analysis
AzHHA’s affiliated partner and endorsed vendor in the healthcare contract labor space, Adaptive Workforce Solutions, has published a market rate analysis for the period of October through December 2024, with insights into bill rates and workforce trends.
Why it matters: This information equips hospitals with the information they need to make informed and strategic staffing decisions.
What's inside: Readers will find bill rate analyses - both national and regional, as well as policy and litigation news related to the general workforce.
To connect with a company representative, email [email protected].
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Call for presentations: Shape the future at AzPHA’s 2025 conference
Are you ready to help redefine public health for the future? The Arizona Public Health Association (AzPHA) invites you to submit your ideas for presentations for its upcoming annual conference on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Why it matters: The 2025 conference focuses on modernizing public health infrastructure to meet emerging challenges and opportunities. AzPHA encourages submissions that explore topics in the following tracks:
- Using AI to enhance public health practice and patient population outcomes
- Data infrastructure and informatics
- Public health workforce
- Engaging public health professionals
What’s next: Submit your proposal by Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. If you have any questions, please email Will Humble or Lauriane Bellot Hanson.
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Emergency Prescription Assistance Program activated for Southern California fires
What’s new: On Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response implemented the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) for those impacted by the Southern California wildfires who may be uninsured.
- EPAP has been activated through March 15, 2025 in California.
Why it matters: The program provides for an efficient way for community pharmacies to process claims for prescription medications, vaccines, limited medical supplies (including diabetic supplies) and durable medical equipment (such as canes, wheelchairs, walkers and crutches) for individuals from disaster areas declared by the President.
What’s next: Please share the below resources with anyone you know who is impacted, including evacuees from the affected area:
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Tuesday, Jan. 28 - Hospital assessments and HEALTHII payments 101 AzHHA will host this annual event for members interested in learning about the two hospital assessments and the quarterly HEALTHII payments. Learn why the assessments were created, which types of hospitals are exempt from the assessments, how the amounts have changed over time, why hospitals receive quarterly HEALTHII payments, HEALTHII reconciliations and HEALTHII quality metrics. AzHHA members who have not received an invitation but are interested in attending may contact Amy Upston, director of financial policy and reimbursement, at [email protected].
Friday, Jan. 31 - 2025 Winter State of the State This event includes The Hertel Report’s bi-annual healthcare market update. Topics include Medicare Advantage, the ACA Marketplace, Medicaid (AHCCCS), accountable care organizations and the industry’s shift to value-based payments. AzHHA members receive $15 off their registration with code “azhha2025.” Register now.
Feb. 5-6 - Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response Virtual Conference This two half-day virtual conference will bring together individuals who have a medical direction role during disasters to discuss the spectrum of medical leadership responsibilities and some of the specific challenges of the role. Medical education credits will be available through ACEP for attendees. Learn more and register.
Wednesday, Feb. 12 - Introduction to POLST Join physician orders for life-sustaining treatment paradigm (POLST) for their one-hour virtual workshops equipping healthcare professionals with knowledge and resources to begin using POLST in Arizona. Register here.
April 15-16 - 2025 Arizona Immunization Conference This one-of-a-kind event provides education and resources so you can better understand the challenges around vaccine confidence and leave the conference encouraged by the success stories from around the state. Join over 500 attendees at the 2025 conference. Learn more and register.
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