​The TRAIN Team would like to introduce the newest affiliate member of our community, Arizona-TRAIN (AZ-TRAIN)! Arizona is the 22nd state aboard TRAIN and the 25th affiliate. AZ-TRAIN will be headed by a unique partnership between the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH), the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), and the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS). 
 

• MEZCOPH is known for its community-based research and focus on eliminating health disparities, particularly among populations of the Southwest. MEZCOPH provides both undergraduate and graduate education in population-based health disciplines designed to prepare students for professional and academic public-health careers.¹
• As part of MEZCOPH, the Arizona Public Health Training Center (AZPHTC) is one of 38 Public Health Training Centers (PHTCs) nationwide funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). AZPHTC works to respond to critical health system needs as well as:
• Assess the training needs of workers and their organizations in relation to the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals;
• Design and provide in-person and distance-accessible training resources to enhance workers' knowledge, skills and abilities to provide essential public health services; and
• Evaluate the impact of training on the workforce's ability to provide essential public health services.²
• AHCCCS is Arizona's Medicaid program and oversees contracted health plans in the delivery of health care to individuals and families who qualify for Medicaid and other medical assistance programs.³
• AZDHS promotes and protects the health of Arizona residents.  AZDHS operates programs in behavioral health, disease prevention and control, health promotion, community public health, environmental health, maternal and child health, emergency preparedness, and the regulation of childcare and assisted living centers, nursing homes, hospitals, other health care providers and emergency services.⁴
  

AZ-TRAIN, as a collaborative partnership between MEZCOPH, AZDHS, and AHCCCS, will be essential in providing in-person and web-based training to public health professionals in Arizona. Furthermore, through TRAIN’s collaborative network, AZ-TRAIN will have access to over 26,000 courses/trainings from more than 4,000 course providers from affiliate states and organizations in the TRAIN network. By linking both state and national affiliates, participant organizations are able to partner with one another in order to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in delivering and managing workforce development efforts.