Welcome to The Grand Canyon State, Arizona page!
Arizona is a member of the AAP District VIII Section on Perinatal Pediatrics. The state council representative is Jennifer Weber (jrcweber@gmail.com)
The state APP representative and council member is Kimberlee Allred RN, NNP-BC (kallred@phoenixchildrens.com)
Neonatology in Arizona
The Phoenix Metropolitan Area, known locally as “the Valley”, is the 10th largest metropolitan area in the nation and includes Phoenix, Arizona, the 5th most populous city in the United States and one of the fastest growing major metropolitan areas in the last two decades. The Phoenix Metropolitan Area includes Maricopa and Pinal Counties and houses 17 of the 27 NICUs in the state and 7 of the 9 level III+ units (the other two level III+ units are in Tucson).
As of Fall 2021, there are 27 (soon to be 28) neonatal units in the state, mostly clustered in the Phoenix Metro area with a smaller number in Tucson, Flagstaff and other outlying areas. There are multiple hospital systems employing several neonatology groups. Below is a list of the different groups with the number of hospitals each group covers.
Envision governs two groups in the state:
- Desert Neonatal Associates – 6 hospitals spread around Phoenix and surrounding areas; one level III hospital, remaining level II
- Envision Physician Services – 1 level II hospital in Tucson
Mednax governs two groups in the state:
- Arizona Neonatology Associates, LLC – Hospitals are located in central Phoenix and surrounding metro area. ANA also has units in Flagstaff, Prescott, and Show Low
- Neonatal Specialists – 1 hospital Tucson Medical Center which is level III with 40+ beds
Phoenix Children’s Medical Group:
4 hospitals in Phoenix Metro with the addition of a 60 bed level III NICU anticipated to open fall of 2022
Phoenix Children’s Hospital is one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country providing care in more than 75 pediatric specialties. It is Arizona’s only children’s hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital and has received top rankings in all 10 pediatric specialties four times, an achievement made by less than 25 hospitals in the nation
University of Arizona: 1 level IV academic hospital in Tucson
Newborn Intensive Care Group, PC: 1 hospital Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital Tucson, level II
Pediatrician managed units: 2 level II hospitals in Tuba City and Mesa
Life in Arizona
When most think of Arizona, they think of cacti and the Grand Canyon. Arizona is known for its desert climates with very hot summers and mild winters, but Arizona also features mountain ranges and large, deep canyons in the north with more moderate summer temperatures and significant winter snowfalls.
Arizona is known for one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon, and has several national parks, forests, and monuments. National parks include Grand Canyon, Saguaro, and Petrified Forest.
Fun Facts About Arizona
- Arizona is one of two states (Hawaii) that does not observe daylight savings time, with the exception of the northern Navajo Nation which does.
- Arizona is the 48th state and the last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912.
- The world’s most expensive photo depicts Arizona’s Antelope Canyon, near Page on the Navajo Reservation. Peter Lik sold his print titled “Phantom” for $6.5 million in November 2014.
- During monsoon season, from June to September, large dust storms overwhelm Arizona. The storms grow more severe when the preceding spring and winter seasons are dry, which allows dirt to loosen and be lifted more easily during these storms. When dust storms hit certain criteria, they’re considered “haboobs.” Haboob is an Arabic word that means big, blasting winds. These dust storms have a characteristic large wall of dust at the leading edge of the thunderstorm. They can be a wall that is about a mile high and 50 miles wide and descend on downtown Phoenix, sweeping the valley east to west. These storms were labeled haboobs because they are similar to the dust storms that happen in the Middle East.
- Humphreys Peak in the San Francisco Peaks is the highest summit of Arizona reaching 12,637 feet of elevation. The San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range just north of Flagstaff and Humphreys contains the Arizona Snowbowl ski area.
