February 12, 2020 • Vol. 18, No. 10
POSTAL PATRON CAVE CREEK
www.thefoothillsfocus.com
ECRWSS Carrier Route PreSorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 371 Cave Creek, AZ
Anthem | Black Canyon City | Carefree | Cave Creek | Desert Hills | New River| North Phoenix | Tramonto | Peoria
Rat poison still killing Arizona wildlife and pets BY TRACY DEMETROPOLIS
ARIZONA— When rodents appear in or around a home or business, some people are tempted to put out rat poison or call a professional pestcontrol company to “solve” the problem. But taking those steps may trigger a chain of events that could kill wildlife or family pets and even increase the rodent population. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website, most of the rodenticides used today are anticoagulant compounds that interfere with a rodent’s blood clotting and cause death from excessive bleeding. Deaths typically occur between four days and two
weeks after rodents begin to feed on the bait. With so much time between the ingestion of poison and the rodent’s death, there is plenty of time for the poisoned animal to make its way outdoors to become a meal for a raptor or other type of animal that feeds on rodents. The EPA said there are three main types of rat poison: firstgeneration, second-generation and a third type that does not contain anticoagulants, but it is toxic in other ways. Anne Justice-Allen, wildlife veterinarian for the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Phoenix, said that while secondgeneration rodenticides are more likely to cause secondary
poisoning, there really is no rat poison that is safe for non-target animals such as birds of prey or other wild animals. According to Raptors are the Solution (R.A.T.S.), secondary poisoning of wildlife and other animals does occur. R.A.T.S. educates the public about the ecological role of birds of prey (and other animals) in urban and wild areas and the dangers they face from the widespread use of rat poison. “Weakened from internal bleeding, poisoned rodents are a toxic ticking bomb for any animal who preys on them, the R.A.T.S. website
WILDLIFE
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This red-tailed hawk is one of many animals that can die after ingesting a rodent that has been poisoned with rodenticide.
Photo courtesy of Jack Holloway (Wild at Heart)
Construction set for Abrazo Cave Creek “microhospital”
Top: Site preparation is underway for construction of the Abrazo Cave Creek Hospital, which will be located at Carefree Highway and 53rd Street. Above: An artist’s conceptual rendering of Abrazo Cave Creek Hospital. Photo and rendering courtesy of Abrazo Health
PEORIA:
CAVE CREEK — Abrazo Health announced February 5 it is set to begin construction a new, small-scale community hospital in Cave Creek near the intersection of Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road. The new Abrazo Cave Creek Hospital will focus on emergency and surgical services, with eight rooms for patients needing overnight care. Expected to open in 2021, Abrazo Cave Creek Hospital is a new type of neighborhood hospital, sometimes referred to as a “microhospital,” designed with an emphasis on quality medical care, convenience, efficiency
and short ER wait times, Abrazo Health said in a press release. The single-story, 35,000 -square-foot facility, at the southwest corner of Carefree Highway and 53nd Street, will include a 13-bed emergency department, an operating room and eight inpatient rooms, along with additional services. Abrazo Health currently operates six Valley hospitals including the acclaimed Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital, the press release said. “We all prefer to receive care closer to home, and this type of hospital meets a need for access to medical care beyond what’s available at an urgent
care or freestanding emergency center. The hospital will offer a 24/7 ER and have the ability to perform surgical procedures, with around-the-clock general surgery, hospitalist and emergency physician coverage,” said hospital CEO Ed Staren. The Cave Creek hospital will be Abrazo’s third neighborhood hospital. Abrazo Mesa Hospital opened in October 2019, and Abrazo Surprise Hospital is expected to open later this year. Each is closely integrated with Abrazo’s larger sister hospitals, medical group and community physicians.
CAVE CREEK:
PHOENIX:
OTHER :
City approves funding for autonomous shuttle
Town receives $40k grant for pedestrian traffic study
Hospital offers low-cost heart attack, stroke-risk screenings
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• Bluhm Column
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• Legally Speaking
7
• Arts Column
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