Derksen looks back on the experience of volunteering at an orphanage in rural Mexico between high school and college — and the enduring value of pausing to take stock of one’s life.

Dr. Derksen was awarded AzPHA The Senator Andy Nichols Award at the 2026 Arizona Public Health Association Awards celebration in Tempe on October 29th. The award honors those who have made outstanding contributions to public health throughout their career. The award is primarily for contributions to public health in Arizona.

University of Arizona College of Public Health faculty interviewed for in-depth look at maternal health challenges along the border and rural Arizona.

The healthcare industry accounted for more than half of the state’s overall job gains. The numbers reflect the rising demand for care in Arizona, but meeting that demand requires enough people willing and able to do the work.  

Arizona was awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, $167 million a year for five years for their Rural Health Transformation Program back in January. During the interview, Dr. Derksen said, “The Rural Health Transformation Program is a very good provision... helping improve access, expanding the reach to the hardest-to-reach populations in rural areas — this is a real, unprecedented opportunity, and I hope we take full advantage."

The Health Resources and Services Administration and State of Arizona awarded the center five-year competing continuation funding of $973,640 to support its Arizona State Office of Rural Health. The center also received a non-competing continuation award of $970,003 for year three of a five-year cycle to extend Arizona's Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program and Flex EMS Supplement initiative.

The Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, and State of Arizona awarded the CRH five-year competing continuation funding of $973,640 to support the center's Arizona State Office of Rural Health and its efforts to address these health disparities. Over five years, the funding is nearly $5 million.

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), together with community partners from across the state, announces the launch of KeepMyAHCCCS.com, a new online resource designed to help members, stakeholders, advocates, providers, and community partners understand federal Medicaid work requirements established under H.R.1, Section 71119, which take effect January 1, 2027.

• Arizona’s Medicaid agency, AHCCCS, has launched a new website to help enrollees navigate upcoming federal changes.
• New federal law will require some Medicaid recipients to work, attend school, or volunteer starting Jan. 1.
• About 418,000 Arizonans are in the population affected by the new requirements.
• Health policy experts worry the changes could lead to significant coverage losses due to administrative hurdles.

U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego visits Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center to discuss impacts of H.R. 1 which makes several changes to Medicaid, including new work requirements for some adults and restrictions on how states finance their programs. The Congressional Budget Office has projected the changes will reduce federal Medicaid spending by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade.