This website will no longer be updated

 The Kentucky Health News Blogger website will no longer be updated.  All new post can be found on the Kentucky Health News WordPress site, found at this link:  https://kyhealthnews.net/ ...

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13 of Kentucky's 71 rural inpatient hospitals at risk of closing, with six of them at immediate risk, a national policy center estimates

Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform map By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Thirteen of Kentucky's 71 rural inpatient hospitals are at risk of closing, and six of those are at immediate risk of closing, according to the latest analysis of Hospital Cost Reports by the Center for Healthcare...

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Kentucky maternal health roundtable explores ways to improve Kentucky maternal health; two stories from Kentucky Lantern

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention photo The Kentucky Lantern offers two stories this week about maternal health in Kentucky, both by Sarah Ladd. One is about a roundtable held in Louisville that was moderated by Carole Johnson, the administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration for the Biden...

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Grant applications open to nonprofits that work with substance-use disorder and mental health in underserved communities

Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky photo  By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The second round of Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky grants to expand services and programming for substance use recovery and mental heath support in minoritized communities is open through Sept. 13.  The Funding for Recovery...

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Addiction Recovery Care says it’s cooperating with FBI investigation into possible fraud

Addiction Recovery Care, Kentucky’s largest provider of drug and alcohol treatment, has offices and other facilities  in Louisa. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Matthew Mueller) By Deborah Yetter Kentucky Lantern Kentucky’s largest provider of addiction treatment services, Addiction Recovery Care, or ARC, is the subject...

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EMS staffing shortages are at crisis level, says Kentucky EMS board chair

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention photo By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky's Emergency Medical Services are facing severe staffing shortages, with low pay, "abysmal" reimbursement rates and high turnover identified as the key reasons for the problem. "We lose more paramedics every year than...

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First Federally Qualified Health Clinic residency program opens in Kentucky, with hopes of bringing more rural doctors to state

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky's first residency program operated by a Federally Qualified Health Center opened July 1 in Northeast Kentucky, with hopes that the resident doctors will set up practice in rural Kentucky after they complete their training.  The PrimaryPlus Family Medicine Residency...

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Study finds blood test diagnosed Alzheimer's disease 90% of the time; early diagnosis is crucial with new medications available

2024 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures special report graphic By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A blood test can diagnose Alzheimer's disease better than a memory specialist or a primary care physician, according to a new study.  The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,...

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State judge dismisses constitutional challenge to anti-vaping law

By Sarah Ladd Kentucky Lantern Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a 2024 law banning the sale of some vaping products. Wingate sided with the lawsuit’s defendants — Allyson Taylor, commissioner of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and Secretary of State Michael Adams — who filed a motion to dismiss. The law designates the ABC as its enforcement agency. The Kentucky...

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UK expands heart and vascular care to hospitals across the state

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News One of the many ways that UK HealthCare strives to improve the heart health of Kentuckians is through its Gill Heart and Vascular Institute Affiliate Network, which includes a community of hospitals across the state working to ensure patients receive high-quality cardiac care close to...

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Messaging campaign to encourage back to school vaccines is underway; Kentucky vaccination rates are below U.S. average

Lexington-Fayette County Health Department graphic By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News With just weeks left before school starts, it's time to make sure your school-aged children are up to date on required immunizations.   Toward this effort, the Kentucky Association of Health Plans, the trade group...

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Why millions are trying FDA-authorized alternatives to Big Pharma’s weight-loss drugs, exceedingly popular in Kentucky

Editor's note: Last year Kentucky led the nation in the percentage of population that had received these weight-loss druges by prescription. By Arthur Allen Britannica image KFF Health News Pharmacist Mark Mikhael has lost 50 pounds over the past 12 months. He no longer has diabetes and finds himself “at my ideal...

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New health laws are in effect; one in limbo due to lack of funding

Kentucky Capitol (Wikipedia photo) By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A number of new state health laws took effect July 15, ranging from measures on maternal health to improved access to a commonly used allergy medication. The General Assembly passed more than 200 bills during its 60-day session. They...

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Local governments mulling ways to use opioid settlement funds

KFF Health News graphic By Zacharie Lamb WKMS More than a year after local governments across Kentucky began receiving shares of the legal  settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors, several local leaders in far western Kentucky are still figuring out how best they can use those funds to tackle the...

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Mental-health care access can be a challenge in Eastern Kentucky; on top of that, the subject still carries stigma for some

Appalachian Region Healthcare Behavioral Health Facility (Photo submitted to WEKU) By Stan Ingold WEKU Experts are concerned about a growing mental-health crisis nationally. This story looks at the struggles faced by those dealing with access to mental-health care in Eastern Kentucky. “We're Appalachian people, so...

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