covid-19 emergency
A Kentucky COVID-19 reporter’s journey with COVID-19
For more than three years, I’ve written about COVID-19. The people who caught it and those who kept it longer than they should have. The people who bought into misinformation. And, worst of all, those who died from it. Finally, I tested positive myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had several COVID-19 scares over the […]
COVID-19 image of nurses as ‘Healthcare Heroes’ both daunting and inspiring to students
Fewer students were studying to become nurses in Kentucky last year than in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. Enrollment in educational programs that lead to a nursing license declined in 2021 and 2022. But a variety of statewide efforts could help push the numbers back up in the coming years. Kentucky needs more nursing students […]
Kentucky lost hundreds of physicians when it most needed them
The commonwealth lost nearly 600 physicians from 2019 to 2022, Kentucky Medical Association Executive Vice President Patrick Padgett told legislators in Frankfort on Wednesday. The loss of 590 physicians represents a $1 billion economic loss, Padgett said. It also means a hit to patient services. And it happened during the deadly coronavirus pandemic that killed nearly […]
Federal COVID-19 emergency benefits to end. What that means for Kentuckians.
The upcoming expiration of federal emergency declarations during the COVID-19 pandemic will mean the end to some benefits Kentuckians enjoyed. The White House announced on Jan. 30 that it will try to extend the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies, which will expire on March 1 and April 11, to May 11. When those declarations […]
Kentucky Supreme Court rejects Beshear’s claim that legislature wrongly curbed his emergency powers
Citing legislative immunity, the Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously rejected Gov. Andy Beshear’s claim that the legislature acted unconstitutionally when it curbed his emergency powers in 2021. The court ruled that the state Constitution grants lawmakers immunity from such lawsuits. The legislation in question was a response to Beshear’s COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Among […]