The Arizona Obesity Organization exists because obesity is a chronic disease, and Arizona has yet to treat it like one. We're working to change that.
Obesity is the most common chronic disease in Arizona — affecting nearly four in ten adults — and yet it remains one of the least treated. Walk into any Arizona primary care office and you'll find clinicians who want to help patients with obesity but don't know where to start. Walk into any Arizona pharmacy and you'll find anti-obesity medications that work, paid out of pocket because Medicaid won't cover them. Walk into the state legislature and you'll find few champions for a population that has been told for decades that their disease is a personal failing rather than a medical condition.
The Arizona Obesity Organization was founded by obesity medicine physicians who refused to accept this status quo — and has since grown into a multidisciplinary coalition that now includes surgeons, pharmacists, dietitians, and public health leaders. We came together because no single clinic, no single payer, and no single specialty can solve the problem alone — and because Arizona deserves an organization built specifically for the unique challenges of treating obesity in this state.
Our tagline — Treat or Refer — is the clinician's covenant. It's a simple promise: no patient with obesity should leave an Arizona exam room without a path forward. AOO exists to make that promise possible — by educating clinicians, advocating for coverage, building the coalition, and giving patients a voice in the policy decisions that shape their care.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, governed by a volunteer board, sustained by membership dues and philanthropy, and accountable to the Arizonans we serve. Our work touches four areas: clinical education, insurance and policy advocacy, community engagement, and coalition building across the medical, payer, employer, and political fields.
This is the work. We hope you'll join us.
Every initiative AOO undertakes maps to one of these four areas — the work it takes to change how Arizona cares for people with obesity.
Equipping Arizona clinicians with the tools, protocols, prior-authorization pathways, and CME they need to treat obesity as the chronic disease it is — or to refer patients with confidence.
Producing the evidence base — our white paper, payer trackers, and coverage analyses — that legislators, payers, and employers need to expand access to evidence-based obesity care in Arizona.
Standing with Arizonans affected by obesity — fighting stigma, raising awareness, and giving patients and families a voice in the policy decisions that determine whether they get care.
Convening clinicians, payers, employers, pharma partners, and policymakers around the shared goal of making obesity a treated condition in Arizona — through the Arizona Obesity Collaborative and beyond.
"We envision an Arizona where every clinician knows how to treat obesity — and every patient has the coverage to receive that treatment."
Anti-obesity medications covered under Medicaid, commercial plans, and employer benefits — at the same level as treatments for other chronic diseases.
A statewide network of trained clinicians — physicians, PAs, NPs, pharmacists, dietitians — supported by AOO education and resources.
Coding, reimbursement, clinical protocols, and quality measures that reflect obesity's status as a medical condition — not just a lifestyle issue.
Lower rates of obesity-driven diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality across Arizona — particularly in underserved and Medicaid populations.
Policy documents, prior-auth pathways, and white papers matter. But so does walking with our patients, sponsoring community wellness events, and being visible to the Arizonans we serve.
AOO board members regularly participate in obesity-related community events — wellness walks, advocacy days at the state capitol, patient education forums, and partner-organization gatherings. Because the work has to live in the community, not just in the literature.
Eleven physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, dietitians, and public health leaders — volunteering to make obesity a treated condition in Arizona.
View the Governing BoardClinicians, advocates, patients, donors — there's a place for everyone in AOO. Pick the one that fits you.
