health
More help for undergrads’ basic, child care needs could up Kentuckians’ earning power
Kentuckians need better access to child care and basic needs like food and housing to ensure higher postsecondary degree attainment, a statewide report released Monday says. The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, with funding support from the Lumina Foundation, released the 2023 Strategies and Recommendations to Address Students’ Basic Needs. The report is the result […]
Echoing history, reliance upon travel rises for abortion care post-Dobbs
Editor’s note: This report is part of a special States Newsroom series on abortion access one year after the U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down the federal right to abortion. When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Dobbs decision one year ago, people of childbearing age in states across the country suddenly faced what seemed […]
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 […]
After Dobbs, abortion access is harder, comes later and with a higher risk
Editors’ note: This report is part of a special States Newsroom series on abortion access one year after the U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down the federal right to abortion. In April, a Reddit user in Alabama posted a breathless message to the abortion subreddit the morning after learning she was pregnant. She guessed she […]
Kentuckians warned about poor air quality from Canadian fires
Poor air quality from Canadian fires prompted a warning Thursday about potential negative health effects for Kentuckians. Air pollution can negatively affect a person’s health, according to Rachel Keith, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Louisville and the director of human studies at the Envirome Institute as well as an advanced practice registered […]
Kentucky reverses loss of social workers in child and adult protective services
FRANKFORT – Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander is “cautiously optimistic” as caseload-carrying social workers in the Department for Community Based Services increased this year. In December, Kentucky had 965 workers in adult and child protective services work, which increased to 1,023 in March and 1,042 in May. This increase comes […]
Kentucky doctors could get burnout help under bill with Senate approval
This story discusses suicide, burnout and mental health. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. The Kentucky Senate unanimously passed a bill aimed at preventing burnout among physicians on Tuesday. Republican-backed Senate Bill 12 cleared committee last Wednesday, also unanimously. The bill […]
Kentucky House approves bill aimed at increasing Alzheimer’s awareness
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky House unanimously passed a bill aimed at spreading awareness about Alzheimer’s disease on Tuesday. The bipartisan House Bill 125 would require the Kentucky Department of Public Health to include information about Alzheimer’s in regularly published materials in health departments around the state and online. The goal, the bill states, is to […]
University of Kentucky works to understand how to prevent Alzheimer’s. You might be able to help.
FRANKFORT – Every two weeks, Jim and Sharon Jackson travel an hour from Morehead to Lexington to help scientists better understand how to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Jim is a study participant in a clinical trial called AHEAD, and the University of Kentucky is one of about 75 study sites around the country. During regular visits, […]
Humana supports prenatal care for Black moms with $120,000 in grants, goal is ‘health equity’
To “improve access to quality prenatal care in Kentucky for Black moms,” Humana announced Tuesday it will give $120,000 in grants to three organizations. Humana’s Healthy Horizons made the move in response to a March of Dimes report last year that awarded Kentucky a failing grade on key indicators of maternal health. The commonwealth was […]
Staffing crisis worsens, immigrants can bridge the gaps
When Margarette Nerette arrived in the United States from Haiti, she sought safety and a new start. The former human rights activist feared for her life in the political turmoil following the military coup that overthrew President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1991. Leaving her two small children with her sister in Port-au-Prince, Nerette, then 29, came […]
Former Russell hospital will become treatment center for mental health, addiction recovery
Kentucky’s Addiction Recovery Care announced Wednesday it aims to open a new treatment center in Greenup County late this year or early 2024. ARC, based in Louisa, said it’s closed on a purchase agreement with Bon Secours Mercy Health for a portion of the former Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital site in Russell. That hospital […]