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Summer Challenges
The "Summer Surge" at the Office of the Medical Examiner is over after 30+ days but important work continues there and across county departments to deal with dangerous triple-digit temperatures.
At one point, OME was operating at 161% of capacity, requiring the team to work long hours and extra shifts as well as implement several mitigation strategies to handle the increased number of decedents, many of which were heat-related deaths. Remember: this is work that is required by law and important to provide answers for loved ones of the deceased as well as other stakeholders working on critical public health and safety matters.
Fortunately, a break in the record heat, a little bit of rain, and a whole lot of hard work have gotten OME staff through the worst of it.
We thank them for all they have done and will continue to do.
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NACo Awards: A Sneak Peak
On Wednesday, August 30th, we will be honoring award-winning county teams at our annual Maricopa County NACo Awards Ceremony. Our organization won 58 NACo Achievement Awards in 2023, a record as far as we can tell. We profiled a few of the winning programs in the videos below. Take a look!
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Public Health: South Phoenix Fatherhood Program
 Public Health's South Phoenix Fatherhood Program helps decrease infant mortality rates by providing fathers with parenting classes to help them build secure attachments to their children and support their growing families. In the video, you'll meet one of the fathers benefitting.
Library District: Y.E.S. Camp
 The Library District teamed up with the University of Arizona to offer Youth Engagement Camp to high school students in the rural town of Aguila. Students learned skills that could help them pursue careers in the public health field.
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Measuring Our Impact
YOU have made a BIG difference in people's lives post-pandemic. And this new report details exactly how.
In a post-COVID world, many residents struggled to meet basic needs. Homelessness increased. Thousands of new residents moved to Maricopa County, drawn to our culture, climate, and cost of living, but the limitations of our current infrastructure became more apparent, from the job market to the housing market to the health care systems that got us through one COVID-19 spike after another. These economic and quality of life issues are where we invested most of our American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. In 2022 and 2023 we saw a tangible return on those investments with affordable housing projects breaking ground, health care clinics opening, and new programs and services for people experiencing homelessness making a measurable difference.
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Human Services Award
Human Services is providing business opportunities to immigrants in our community and was just recognized for its partnership with the Somali American United Council of Arizona's Women's Empowerment Program.
Parks & Rec Awards
 Our Parks & Recreation Department was honored with two awards from the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials: including Volunteer of the Year and Conservation Award (Spur Cross Ranch)! Congratulations!
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Parking Garage Closure
 Some county employees will have to change where they fuel up. The station in the Jefferson Street and 4th Avenue parking garage is now permanently closed. A new downtown fuel site will open next month.
Admin. Building Construction
 The exterior of the Administration Building is getting a face-lift. As a result, County employees will soon notice fenced barriers around the North and West entrances to the 301 W. Jefferson Administration Building.
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 IN THE NEWS
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Feds May Raise Rates Again Due to Inflation Risk
via CBS News.
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Twitter
How thirsty are Arizonans for rain? We had a little fun with this post using a picture- and a pop star- that was trending on social media.
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Facebook
 There are so many resources available at county libraries that we started listing them out. Think you know them all?
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 CAPTION CONTEST
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Congratulations, Jason!
Jason Berry from the Office of Communications had this quip for a rather, well, prickly cat: "I'm not a lover, I'm a biter!"
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Now For This Issue's Photo
Cats find some pretty interesting places to hang out. Caroline Lewicki with the Library District sent us this cute photo of her cat. Got a caption for it?
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