here in 2007.
LOREN TOWNSLEY/THE REPUBLIC
The Arizona Republic - 01/24/2019
emptions for diapers, baby
ucts. DAVID WALLACE/THE REPUBLIC
proposed
pons
ers pay $3.43 in combined
city sales tax on a package of
ers brand diapers in Phoenix,
e combined tax rate is 8.6 per-
would help aid
ation
oxley, executive director of the
ank of Southern Arizona, said
inating sales taxes on such
ould allow his agency to help
ple.
rganization provides diapers
incontinence supplies, as well
rual-hygiene products to fam-
can’t afford them.
in three American mothers
o afford diapers,” Moxley said.
it hard to acquire childcare, as
uire a day’s supply of diapers
en in their care.”
d dirty diapers also can lead to
like rashes and infections that
ire doctor visits and further
e parents’ employment.
y providing diapers helps to
t of those problems,” he said.
for the average person who has
apers on a regular basis, not
pay sales tax would give them
wo each month of extra diapers
he cost savings.”
l states, including New York
Jersey, already prohibit sales
diapers and feminine-hygiene
and similar bills have been
around the country.
states have continued to tax
because of budget concerns,
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Copyright © 2019 The Arizona Republic 01/24/2019
January 24, 2019 9:09 am (GMT +7:00)
2017.
Copy Reduced to 95% from original to fit letter page
New residency
programs may help
doctor shortage
Jen Fifield
Special to the ABG
USA TODAY NETWORK
Two new medical residency pro-
grams in the Phoenix area may help
cure the state’s growing doctor short-
age.
Abrazo Community Health Net-
work is launching two new medical
residencies this year,
one for internal medi-
cine and another for
general surgery.
Abrazo, a network of
five hospitals in the Val-
ley, already runs a fam-
William ily medicine residency
Ellert program at the Abrazo
Central Campus in
Phoenix. The new programs will be
based at the Abrazo Arrowhead Cam-
pus in Glendale, but residents will ro-
tate among several campuses.
The expansion will attract more
physicians to the state, and hopefully
help solve the doctor shortage, said
William Ellert, Abrazo’s chief medical
officer.
It will also increase the amount of
teaching and research occurring in the
Abrazo network, Ellert said, which
should raise the network’s standard of
care and help it attract more talented
physicians.
Doctor shortage in Arizona
Recent graduates are already apply-
ing for the new residency programs,
which will begin in July.
There will be 45 positions in inter-
nal medicine and 15 positions for gen-
eral surgery.
Those spots add to the overall num-
ber of residency positions available in
Arizona, which is lacking compared
with most other states, on a per-per-
son basis.
Research shows that physicians
who take up residency in a state are
likely to stay there after completing
their program, which may help with
the extreme doctor shortage in Arizo-
na.
There are 235.8 physicians in Arizo-
na per 100,000 people, which ranks
Page : BG04
Robert Bina (with banner) leads a
procession of students from the
University of Arizona College of
Medicine through downtown on May
8, 2013, in Phoenix.
DAVID KADLUBOWSKI/THE REPUBLIC
the state 31st in rate of doctors avail-
able,2016 data from the Association of
American Medical Colleges show.
Community model
There are about 100 medical resi-
dency and fellowship programs in the
Valley that are certified by the Accredi-
tation Council for Graduate Medical
Education, according to the Associa-
tion of American Medical Colleges.
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
and Science and University of Arizona
College of Medicine sponsor more
than half of the programs.
Abrazo’s new programs are not
sponsored by a university, although
Abrazo has partnerships with multiple
universities.
This way, Abrazo can set the pro-
gram’s tone and direction, Ellert said.
Although Abrazo now is even more
of a teaching hospital, it is still very
much a community hospital, he said,
and the program will be focused on a
“community, family, patient-centric
oriented approach to care.”
The program will receive some fed-
eral funding, Ellert said.
Reach reporter Jen Fifield at
jen.fifield@azcentral.com or 602-444-
8763. Follow her on Twitter
@JenAFifield.
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