KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2025 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Top Officials No Longer With Arizona Health Department

Two top officials with the Arizona State Hospital are no longer employed by the Arizona Department of Health.

An ADHS spokesperson could not disclose why health department Cory Nelson, interim director, and Donna Noriega, hospital CEO, left the agency.

Noriega became hospital CEO after Nelson left to replace former State Health Director Will Humble in March.

In a statement, the spokesperson said the department’s primary focus is to ensure quality of care and safety for patients and staff.

Noriega and Nelson had been placed on leave weeks before leaving ADHS.

KJZZ senior field correspondent Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets — nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.