Maricopa County experiences exceptionally high temperatures that contributes to a high number of deaths. To track these deaths, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health created a novel and effective approach for surveillance of heat-associated deaths and has continued to use this system annually. The enhanced heat surveillance season usually begins in May and ends in October.

Provides health status information for cities and towns in Maricopa County recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau. This includes both incorporated and unincorporated cities and towns with a population of at least 1,000 people at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census. It includes data for 76 diseases and health indicators as well as information on the size and age distribution of the population.

For a century, Arizona has pursued prosperity through outward expansion of its urban areas. In metropolitan Phoenix and elsewhere, “growth” has meant developing raw land with new houses, new shopping centers, and new industrial parks--and the metropolitan “frontier” has moved farther outward from downtown every year. This has not been uniformly true, of course. Some cities--Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale especially--have been grappling with the question of revitalizing older urban neighborhoods for many years. But the “outside game” has been the predominant development pattern in the Valley of Sun for many decades. And the Phoenix region has played this game better than one might think, creating many high-quality master-planned communities, protecting lots of open space, using impact fees to build good infrastructure. In other words, Phoenix has used the “outside game” to create a region so attractive it continues to be one of the fastest-growing metropolises in America. But in order for cities to play a good inside game, Arizona must get serious about urban revitalization. And that will require big changes.