Life Coach in Tucson, AZ

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As temperatures rise across Arizona most will find ways to stay inside. However, not everyone has that option.

"Out here you have to adjust," Roy Velasquez, who lives on the streets of Tucson said. "You have to chase the shade and stay hydrated. We drink tons of water. We are constantly drinking water."

Velasquez and his wife will often head to the Circle K to fill up his water cup. He uses one Styrofoam cup around his plastic cup to keep it cold.

"We keep them full we fill them up probably five, six times a day," Velasquez said. "Nothing works better than water."

They typically move around parks, but that is not always easy as the sun moves.

"You got to adjust to it," Velasquez added. "It's hard."

They said that sometimes they will take advantage of the county's cooling centers; however not all are open right away. Many only open when temperatures reach 110 degrees.

For a list of all the cooling centers around the county, visit the pima.gov Cooling Centers website..

"My wife and I are good, so we just want to make the best of things," Velasquez said. "She does something; we both go. I got to do something; we both go. We don't leave each others sides."

There are also several steps you can take when you are outside to stay safe, including staying cool, staying hydrated, planning ahead and checking the daily forecast. For a full list of advice on staying safe outdoors in the Arizona heat visit the pima.gov Beat the Heat website.

——-Greg Bradbury is a reporter for KGUN 9. Greg is a graduate of Syracuse University where he studied Broadcast Journalism and Spanish. Greg joined KGUN 9 in February 2021 as a Multimedia Journalist after working at the ABC National Desk as a Digital News Associate. Share your story ideas and important issues with Greg by emailing greg.bradbury@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Memorandum of Understanding opens door for research and innovation in health and medical sciences.

Tucson, AZ—On June 11, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was exchanged between the University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, Arizona, and The University of Western Australia Medical School, Perth, Western Australia. The MOU formalizes a framework for developing academic and cultural interchanges in teaching, research, and other activities in health sciences.

“It is quite an honor and pleasure for me to be a part of this innovative collaboration that will be of great benefit to so many,” said Dr. Steven Goldschmid, associate vice president, International Medical Degree Program, UArizona Health Sciences. “The global Doctor of Medicine program will be the premiere medical education entity that trains physicians capable of improving the health and wellbeing of humankind throughout the world, producing expert clinicians, leaders, and innovators to serve minority and under-served communities and address the global shortage of physicians.”

A delegation of representatives from government in Western Australia and from The University of Western Australia (UWA(link is external)) arrived on Friday, June 11, for the ceremony and to tour key facilities and projects at the University of Arizona. The event was held in the Health Sciences Innovation Building(link is external) and hosted by UArizona’s Office for Research, Innovation and Impact (RII(link is external)).

Representatives from Western Australia included Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Emergency Services; Innovation and ICT; Medical Research; Volunteering. In his speech to the group, Minister Dawson reflected on some of the similarities between the two universities. Both UArizona, in 1885, and UWA, in 1911, became the first public universities in their respective states, and both universities are situated on land and territories of Indigenous peoples and have a deep commitment to those communities.

“It is very exciting to be here today, and to see this partnership growing between our two universities,” said Minister Dawson. “While we live in one of the most isolated cities in the world, that is certainly not the way we think. We want our students to go far afield, to experience the best, and hopefully come home to help us have a thriving ecosystem in which education, health, and medical research can thrive. This MOU will allow us both to send our best and brightest in the areas of health, medicine, and law, to learn and exchange ideas with one another. From the perspective of the government of Western Australia, we appreciate this collaboration.”

Other officials from the government of Western Australia included: Professor Peter Klinken AC, Chief Scientist of Western Australia; Rebecca Brown, Director General of the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation; Linda Dawson, Deputy Director General, Industry, Science and Innovation, Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation; Angela Kelly, Deputy Director General, Health; and Professor Grant Waterer, Chief Medical Officer of East Metropolitan Health Service, who is also a Professor of Medicine at UWA.

Representing The University of Western Australia, in addition to Professor Waterer, was Professor Kevin Pfleger, Director of Biomedical and Health Innovation at UWA and the MTPConnect WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub. Also representing this Hub was Dr. Tracey Wilkinson, MTPConnect’s Director Stakeholder Engagement Western Australia.

At a luncheon held earlier in the day, Professor Pfleger gave a presentation to Arizona attendees that included: Dr. John O’Neil, vice president, Research Development, RII; Dr. Carol C. Gregorio, professor and head of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and assistant vice provost for Global Health Sciences(link is external); Dr. Murat Kacira, professor, Biosystems Engineering & director of the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (UA-CEAC(link is external)); Daniel Moseke, manager, Research Development Operations, RII; Dr. George Fantry, senior associate dean, Student Affairs and Admissions in the College of Medicine – Tucson; Dr. Hillary Vance, assistant vice president, Southeast & South Asian Affairs, Arizona Global; Dr. Steven Goldschmid, and several others interested in learning about potential collaborations.

Professor Pfleger described many of the projects and partnerships in Biodesign and biomedical innovation that he oversees, and that may be areas on interest within the framework of this new MOU. “This new MOU is primarily focused on transnational medical education and joint research activities, and as a consequence of our discussions, I am also keen to extend Biodesign collaborations to our friends in Arizona.”

“This partnership is part of our overarching Health Sciences mission to reshape the future of global health care education,” said Dr. Gregario. “Our two universities are aligned in our commitment to addressing global challenges, and together there is so much we can do to advance medical education, research and practice in innovative and dynamic ways."

Following the ceremony, Dave Biffar, director of Healthcare Simulation Operations for the UArizona Health Sciences Arizona Simulation Technology and Education Center, gave the delegation a tour of the ASTEC(link is external) facilities, where students were learning and practicing techniques and procedures critical to their work.

In the afternoon the group was taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of Biosphere 2(link is external), led by the facility’s Deputy Director and Chief Operations Officer, John Adams. They were joined by Dr. Joaquin Ruiz, vice president of Global Environmental Futures, RII, & director of Biosphere 2, who shared the history of the facility and spoke in detail about ongoing research, and Dr. Roberto Furfaro, professor of Systems & Industrial Engineering, and director of the Space Situational Awareness Arizona (SSA-Arizona(link is external)) Initiative, who showed the group the facility’s telescopes.

“I greatly enjoyed meeting the Australian delegation, describing our research at Biosphere2 and starting a conversation regarding resiliency efforts in areas impacted by global climate change,” said Dr. Ruiz. “Although this visit focused on an innovative medical program, I believe that we will soon also embark on programs regarding food, energy and water. I am thrilled to partner with powerful entities that ensure we make a difference.”

The two universities already have research collaborations in the areas of astronomy, space science and physics.

“The University of Western Australia and The University of Arizona share innovative approaches to medical education and research across a variety of disciplines, as evident by this robust relationship in the health sciences,” said John O’Neil, vice president of Research Development for RII. “We are exploring our collective research development activities in spaces sciences, engineering, and controlled agricultural environments, and we look to establish complementary and collaborative research activities as we move forward. It was a pleasure to join with John Adams and Joaquin Ruiz in showing our UWA colleagues and Minister Stephen Dawson of the State of Western Australia some of the exciting research happening at Biosphere 2 while they were here.”

In April 2021, the University of Arizona and The University of Western Australia signed an agreement establishing a framework for research and collaboration between the two universities, and formalizing intentions to offer two dual degree programs: a dual J.D. and a global M.D., that are currently under development and will open the door for students to earn advanced degrees in medicine and law. This new MOU further extends the depth of collaboration in the health sciences.

“We are happy to be working with our partners in Perth,” Dr. Goldschmid said at the end of the ceremony. “I am sure that together we will produce something we can all be very proud of in the years to come.”

The University of Western Australia sits on sacred soil alongside the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River) on Whadjuk Noongar Booja. It has been a place to gather and learn for tens of thousands of years, sharing life lessons through stories that have been passed down from generation to generation of the world’s oldest continuous culture. Established as the State’s first university in 1911 and founded with a mission to advance the prosperity and welfare of its communities, the University opened in 1913 to just 184 students. Today, more than 25,000 students are enrolled from 100 countries. Since its beginnings, UWA has blazed the trail in producing remarkable and life-changing contributions across learning, teaching and research. But the University is more than simply a centre for education and research. For more than 100 years, it has contributed to the intellectual, cultural and economic development of Western Australia, Australia and the world. As a global top 100 university, UWA has forged and embraced connections with community, partners and industry to ensure its impact is far reaching, both now and into the future.

The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top 50 public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2019 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $734 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 66 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually. For the latest on the University of Arizona response to the novel coronavirus, visit the university's COVID-19 webpage(link is external). The University of Arizona Land Acknowledgement(link is external)

Daquan Neal is an Indoor Football League veteran, but — like most of his Tucson Sugar Skulls teammates — he’s never played against the Arizona Rattlers in Phoenix.

Neal has only heard about Rattlers home games at Footprint Center.

“It’s loud,” Neal said, as the Sugar Skulls (7-5) prepare to face the Rattlers (10-3) on Saturday in Phoenix. “You can’t hear anything, and then you’re playing the Rattlers and they’ve always been a good team. We’ll try to deal with the noise and then go back and forth with a top-tier team. I’m confident in my guys. We beat them before and we know what it takes to beat them, so we’ll just learn from our mistakes and play.”

Few fans are as passionate about indoor football as those who follow the Rattlers.

And when Tucson is in town on Saturday? Good luck finding more than a dozen people wearing Sugar Skulls gear. Tucson took down the Rattlers 74-63 in May, snapping a seven-game losing streak to Arizona and beating the in-state rival for the first time in franchise history.

“One thing about Rattler fans: They don’t take losing kindly,” said Dixie Wooten, the Sugar Skulls’ general manager and coach. “When they lose, they want to show up and show out. I guarantee there’s probably going to be 15,000 people in there going crazy. Then the team is coming off a loss where they were embarrassed. We beat them by 11, but we (also) beat them up physically, so they’re going to be ready. But my guys see this as a steppingstone to beating a great playoff team. … This is an opportunity for us to go on the road and win one like it was a championship game.”

Added Wooten: “I took on that 0-7 record (against the Rattlers). I’m part of the organization, so that 0-7 is on me as well. When we won that game, it felt like anyone who was ever on the Sugar Skulls can say, ‘We finally beat the Rattlers.’ It’s a real rivalry now.”

Wooten has experienced both defeat and victory against the Rattlers in Phoenix. Both of his wins came as coach of the Iowa Barnstomers — and against Rattlers coach Kevin Guy, a co-owner of the Skulls.

“When you beat them, it is silent. You can hear a pin drop,” Wooten said. “But last year when we lost, they were rowdy for four quarters, so I’ve seen both sides.

“I like the silent, so we want to make them silent. I like that better.”

In their win over the Rattlers in Tucson, the Sugar Skulls set a franchise record for most points (74), with Neal accounting for seven touchdowns — including five through the air. The 137 combined points is the highest-scoring in Tucson history. Initially a shootout, the Sugar Skulls’ defense forced a turnover on downs; the Rattlers were 3 for 6 on third-down conversions.

“During the game, everyone was dialed in. We played that game like it was the championship game. That’s how we’re approaching the last few weeks going into the playoffs,” Neal said. “Our ultimate goal is to be in the championship, so there’s no reason for us to take off whoever we’re playing.”

Since, the Sugar Skulls’ defense pitched three straight record-lows for points allowed in a game.

“The game has slowed down for them big time,” Wooten said.

The Rattlers boast a potent offense of their own. They put up 83 points earlier this month against the Bay Area Panthers. Quarterback Drew Powell leads the IFL with 1,805 yards and 35 touchdowns, while Neal is third with 1,798 yards and 41 touchdowns.

It’s no secret Saturday’s contest will carry extra emotion the Tucson-Phoenix rivalry in all things. Wooten first experienced the in-state hate in 2020, when Arizona State beat the UA 70-7 in the Territorial Cup football game.

“I got a text from (former Wildcats) Brandon Sanders and Glen Howell, and they were so disgusted with losing to Arizona State. I knew right then and there this is serious,” Wooten said. “Tucson doesn’t like anything about Phoenix, so I have to carry that mindset.

“You know what? I don’t like Phoenix either. We didn’t beat the Arizona Rattlers; we beat Phoenix.”

Tucson wide receiver Arthur Jackson IV, who is third on the team in receiving yards (455), is out again this week with an ankle injury. Wooten said the Sugar Skulls are “holding him out for the long run.”

Despite the summer heat, the Sugar Skulls continue to practice outdoors at 9:30 a.m. Said Wooten: “If we gotta go through the sun, that makes us tougher, and I think that’s what has helped us the last couple games.”

The Rattlers lead the IFL with six interceptions this season.

Local

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down a ruling restricting or overturning abortion rights within a matter of days, but Phoenix Dr. DeShawn Taylor has been getting ready for months.

“I’ve been doing this since the Supreme Court took up the case to begin with because in my mind, I felt that, why would the Supreme Court take up the case (if) they weren’t going to seriously consider overturning Roe V. Wade,” Taylor said, referring to the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision that recognized a right to an abortion.

A ruling overturning Roe could come as early as Thursday, when the court could release its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case challenging Mississippi’s law that prohibits most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

A leaked draft of the Dobbs ruling in May appeared to show a majority of justices agreeing that Roe “must be overruled” because abortion is not protected under the Constitution. The court may ultimately back away from that position, but Taylor and other advocates are preparing for an outright ban on abortion.

“For my practice, overturning Roe V. Wade would basically stop availability of abortion care at this clinic,” said Taylor, a gynecologist who owns Desert Star Family Planning in Phoenix.

So she and other advocates have been building networks to educate and to provide reproductive services and resources – including the possibility of transporting patients to other states where abortion may still be available.

The Guttmacher Institute identified Arizona as one of 20 states where abortion could be banned outright if the court overturns Roe. That’s because there’s a pre-Roe law on the books from 1901, when Arizona was still U.S. territory, that bans abortion except to save a woman’s life.

But the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona said that’s not automatic: ACLU spokesperson Amanda Mollindo said the 1901 law was permanently enjoined in 1973 and it would take legal action to restore that law, which was enjoined by courts in 1973.

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And Arizona passed a law this spring mimicking the Mississippi law: It would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions only in the case of a medical emergency for the mother. That measure, signed March 30 by Gov. Doug Ducey, could take effect this fall.

Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, an anti-abortion advocacy group, says her organization supports the 1901 law. She said the group is prepared to “defend the life issue in the courts and Arizona legislature” and would “oppose any efforts to enact abortion rights either through the courts, through ballot measures, or through the legislature.”

If abortion is banned in Arizona, anti-abortion advocates in the state said they will continue their work to “meet the needs of women who find themselves pregnant.” That includes nearly 50 pregnancy resource centers in Arizona that ” stand ready to love both women and their unborn children,” Herrod said.

Maria Birnbaum, Arizona state director at Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion adovcacy group, said that with the support of crisis pregnancy centers and state resources for families, women do not have to “choose to be homeless” but can get the resources needed to give birth.

She said the centers typically work with mothers for several years after birth, to provide “support, parenting classes, job training… It’s really amazing the different kinds of programs that exist here.”

Abortion-rights advocates say those centers provide misinformation and do not give full options, including abortions, to pregnant people. They are putting their energies into continuing to make abortions accessible, even if that means helping “to shift people across state lines to get their care.”

The Guttmacher Institute estimates that the current driving distance to obtain an abortion in Arizona is 11 miles. That would rise to 250 miles if there was an abortion ban in the state.

Eloisa Lopez, executive director at Pro-Choice Arizona, said that building its network of volunteers and other abortion funds both regionally and locally “has been a priority for the organization over the past year.” Her organization runs the Abortion Fund of Arizona and Rural Access Project, which provides assistance to those seeking abortions in the state now.

“It’s a priority for us because the reality is many people will not be able to travel out of state if they do not have some sort of financial system to make it happen,” Lopez said.

Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist, a member of the Tucson Abortion Support Collective, said it is looking for ways it can shift focus post-Roe.

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“It could look like managing transportation networks to get people out of the states to clinics in New Mexico, Colorado and California,” said Tarver-Wahlquist, whose group works with the Abortion Fund of Arizona. “It could look like funding, heavy fundraising because folks are going to be facing even more costs. Travel costs and everything on top of the cost of abortion itself.”

Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst for Guttmacher Institute, along with other advocates, say reversing Roe would have a more adverse effect on communities of color and lower-income individuals “who have been systemically oppressed and have less access to health care.”

“If you’re white and wealthier, you’ll be able to get an abortion,” Nash said. “You’ll be able to pull together the funds, and you’ll have an easier time navigating all these logistics and details and travel.”

Advocates fear that those without the resources might turn to other measures, such as self-source medication that can disguise an abortion as a miscarriage. Taylor said she is trying to determine how to respond if such a patient showed up in her clinic for care if things don’t go well in such a situation.

Taylor said she would “need to consult with legal counsel about the laws and level of risk that goes with certain types of activities around pregnancy, because I definitely have no interest in going to jail for trying to help people.”

But she wants to do whatever she can to continue helping people. Taylor said she is still taking appointments for abortion services, and will keep her practice open in the case of a ban because it provides “other care besides abortion care.”

“I felt it was important for the community to know that my clinic exists, that my my clinic provides the full range of family planning services in terms of contraception that’s reversible as well as abortion care,” Taylor said.

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Monsoon is just around the corner, and with the extreme heat and megadrought here in Southern Arizona, everyone wants to know if this year will be a “nonsoon” or a monsoon.

Experts are predicting an above average monsoon this year. They don’t expect it to be like last year’s record-breaking monsoon, but there are preps being done right now for monsoon flooding and there’s some things you can even do right at home to get ready.

After a dry winter, extreme heat, and drought, southern Arizona may finally see some relief in the coming months with monsoon.

“The monsoon can contribute to soil moisture and it makes the winter precipitation run off more effective, so if you have a good monsoon season in some of our watersheds, then the rainfall that falls in the winter and more of it makes it into the streams and helps our water situation,” University of Arizona researcher, Zack Guido says.

Arizona is one of several states facing a megadrought, meaning a drought that’s lasted 20 years or longer. Even with an above average monsoon, Guido, doesn’t think it will be enough to put a good dent in the drought. We would need several consecutive wet seasons to get out of the drought and if this monsoon brings less rain than expected, we could be in trouble if we have another dry winter.

He says, “In the southwest we have two rainfall seasons and if we miss one of them it can really put pressure on the next one and if we miss two in a row it really sends us into much dryer conditions and really sets the stage for water impacts and ecosystem impacts.”

Guido says monsoon can be very unpredictable, which is why local fire agencies have already started preparing for the possible flooding.

The Tucson Fire Department says there are a number of ways for people to prepare and protect their home.

“If your house is in a flood prone area or maybe near the bottom of a hill we like to urge people to pick up those sandbags and place them strategically around their property,” TFD’s Michael Colaianni.

TFD also encourages people to go around their outdoor spaces and clean up debris and secure or tie down anything that could fly away like garden décor or trampolines.

Something else TFD wants everyone to prepared for when it comes to monsoon storms is power outages.

He says, “Electricity and power can be an issue during monsoon with it going in and out so we recommend people having extra batteries, extra flashlights on hand just in case that power does go out you still need to be able to get in and out of your house and around.”

One of their biggest recommendations is to be weather aware by staying up to date on all of the latest storms in your area.

Another big thing TFD stressed is that they want everyone to use common sense around flood waters. TFD says if you see rising flood water, don’t try to drive through it. Turn around and find an alternate route.

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