CDC says Covid-19 risk is high in 43 counties and medium in 35; transmission levels are high in 111, and Beshear advises caution

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The number of Kentucky counties on the federal Covid-19 risk map continues to increase, with almost two-thirds estimated to have either a high or a medium level of risk. Gov. Andy Beshear cautioned at his weekly news conference that...

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Judge blocks state abortion bans until at least Wednesday, July 6

Kentucky Health News A judge has temporarily blocked Kentucky laws that ban abortion. Jefferson Circuit Judge Mitch Perry issued a restraining order Thursday morning that allows Kentucky's two abortion clinics, both in Louisville, to resume offering the procedure, at least until Wednesday, July 6, when he will hear their arguments for a more lasting injunction against the laws. State Attorney General Daniel Cameron said he would seek relief from...

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Baby formula is slowly returning to store shelves in Kentucky

Baby formula from the U.K. is in Louisville. (WDRB photo) Baby formula is slowly beginning to reappear on store shelves in Kentucky.WDRB reports, "Laura Serke, a NICU dietician for UofL Health, found cans of Kendamil at a local Target recently. They came from the United Kingdom and were part of Operation Fly Formula....

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Registration for the Rural Health Journalism Workshop in Chattanooga on July 14 is open through July 7

The Association of Health Care Journalists is hosting a Rural Health Journalism Workshop on July 14 in Chattanooga for its members, and it's easy to join and attend. This year marks the first in-person rural health workshop since 2019. The focus of the free workshop will be the medical challenges of rural areas. The sessions...

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In Morehead is an example of what the pandemic taught hospitals

St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead With the pandemic no longer stressing them, rural hospitals in Kentucky are reflecting on what it taught them. Liz Carey of The Daily Yonder reports on St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead, which at the height of the pandemic had 160 Covid-19 patients and four...

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Ky. Covid-19 cases and positivity rate increased last week, but hospital numbers kept nearly stable and deaths hit 11-month low

Graph by Kentucky Health News from state data; click on it to enlarge. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News While most of Kentucky's pandemic metrics went up last week, hospital cases went up only a bit, and fewer deaths were attributed to the disease than in any week in the last 11 months. The state's weekly...

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Tips for keeping children safe in the 'deadliest days of summer'

Yobro10, iStock / Getty Images Plus By Sherri Hannan University of Kentucky The season from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day is known as the "100 deadliest days of summer." The summer months, while a highlight for kids, can also expose them to greater injury risk. Kids spend time in the water, walking or riding bikes...

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Recovery in the Workplace Conference encouraged Kentucky employers to hire people who are in recovery from addiction

More than 150 attended the Recovery in the Workplace Conference. (Ky. Chamber of Commerce photo) By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A June 21 conference to encourage Kentucky businesses to offer second-chance employment to Kentuckians who are in addiction recovery featured stories of success, with advice...

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Kentucky had the second highest increase in deaths caused by alcohol, drugs and suicide in 2020, just behind West Virginia

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News In the first year of the pandemic, the United States experienced the highest-ever combined rates of deaths due to alcohol, drugs and suicide, and Kentucky's rate was second in the nation, according to a report released by Trust for America's Health and Well Being Trust. Nationwide, deaths...

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National poll shows some parents need to enforce better safety rules on fireworks; children's sparklers can be dangerous, too

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As communities and families prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, some parents overlook the risks of burn and injury that fireworks pose for children, according to a national study.  A national poll by the children's hospital at the University of Michigan found that...

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First probable case of monkeypox is reported in Kentucky

Centers for Disease Control map, adapted by Ky. Health News Kentucky health officials announced Friday that the state's first probable case of monkeypox has been identified in a resident of Jefferson County. "The patient remains isolated, and health officials are working to identify anyone the patient may have had...

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Decision triggers Ky. law banning abortion unless woman faces risk of death or serious, permanent harm to a life-sustaining organ

Abortions were performed in this room at the Planned Parenthood center in Louisville. (Photo by Ryan C. Hermens, Lexington Herald-Leader) By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Abortion became illegal in Kentucky Friday morning when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its 6-3 decision overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision...

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CDC says Covid-19 risk is growing in Ky.; it's high in 22 counties and medium in 37; virus transmission levels are still high in 111

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map, adapted By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News This week's federal Covid-19 risk map shows almost half of Kentucky's counties at increased risk. The rankings are based on new coronavirus cases, hospital admissions and hospital capacity.  Twenty-two Kentucky counties...

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FDA orders Juul products off the shelves, but firm says it will 'seek a stay'; rule to limit level of nicotine in cigarettes is coming

Photo from Juul Labs By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The federal government has ordered Juul Labs to stop selling and distributing its products in the United States after denying the company's application to keep selling them, saying the company did not provide adequate data to determine "relevant health...

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Ex-Govs. Fletcher, Beshear in 2022 Recovery Hall of Fame class

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Four Kentuckians were inducted into the 2022 Kentucky Recovery Hall of Fame at the fourth annual Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Recovery in the Workplace Conference on Tuesday.  “Our 2022 Kentucky Recovery Hall of Fame inductees have spent years pioneering a comprehensive approach...

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Covid-19 cases in Kentucky dropped 41% last week, after two weeks of steep increases; hospitalizations and deaths remain low

National Geographic map, adapted by Kentucky Health News, shows high infection rates during the last two weeks in McCracken, Boyle and Montgomery counties; for a larger version, click on it. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News After two weeks of new Covid-19 cases increasing by more than 37% each week, new cases...

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Town halls to discuss medical cannabis in Kentucky scheduled, one in Pikeville and other in Frankfort; two more to come

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UK to host retreat Saturday and Sunday for people who lost someone close to them to suicide more than three years ago

If you lost to suicide someone who was close to you, more than three years ago, the Suicide Prevention and Exposure Lab at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work has a two-day retreat for you this weekend. The retreat, which is being offered in collaboration with the Kentucky Interagency Council on Suicide Prevention, the Eastern Kentucky University Psychology Clinic and Brother’s Run, will be held on the UK campus Saturday and Sunday,...

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Booster needed to protect against Omicron variant; infection may provide as much immunity, but doctors say a booster is better

If you haven't gotten a booster shot following your "full vaccination" with the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines against Covid-19, you probably are not protected against getting sick from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, says a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that "Two shots of Covid-19 vaccine without an additional booster offer essentially no lasting protection against infection with Omicron,...

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Program to get low-income seniors free fruits, vegetables at Ky. farmers' markets, which usually starts June 1, delayed to July 1

Photo illustration from Northern Kentucky Tribune Low-income seniors who are at risk of poor nutrition have been unable to get free fruits and vegetables from Kentucky farmers’ markets this month, but the state Department of Agriculture says it will get the program going again July 1, Jack Brammer reports for the Northern...

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Beshear appoints panel to advise him on how to make medical cannabis available; it will meet Monday, June 20, in Frankfort

Logo from Beshear administration By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Gov. Andy Beshear has appointed a committee to advise him on how to provide access to medical cannabis for Kentuckians suffering from chronic pain and other medical conditions despite state law that legislators prevents such executive action. The...

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