Bill to help Pikeville hospital turned into a law that will help other rural hospitals after UK saw a threat and rewrote the bill

State Sen. Phillip Wheeler discussed his SB 280  on KET's "Kentucky Tonight." (Screenshot from KET) By Melissa PatrickKentucky Health News State Sen. Phillip Wheeler of Pikeville says one of the most consequential pieces of legislation passed by state lawmakers this year is a bill he sponsored to funnel...

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Kentuckians are invited to virtual June town-hall meetings on helping families with complications from substance use

By Sarah Ladd Kentucky Lantern Kentuckians with ideas to improve outcomes for children placed in foster care because of substance use complications will get the chance to share them during a series of town halls this June, the Administrative Office of the Courts announced Wednesday. Registration is required for the four...

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Expert panel finds screen use impairs the sleep health of youth; National Sleep Foundation offers advice to reduce impact

Getty Images photo via Stony Brook University An expert look at research around screen use at bedtime, which has ballooned since the emergence of smartphones in 2007, found that pre-bedtime use of the devices impairs the sleep health of children and adolescents.  The international panel of sleep experts, led...

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Today is World No Tobacco Day; youth group coordinated by UK pharmacy student aims for tobacco-free future for Kentucky

Members of the #iCANendthetrend Youth Advistory Board with Gov. Andy Beshear at the state Capitol. (UK photo) By Rosa Mejia-CruzUniversity of Kentucky On this World No Tobacco Day, the importance of educating and engaging youth in tobacco use prevention cannot be overstated. The theme of this year's observance, "Protecting...

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Kentuckians’ access to mental health care lags. Paying providers more would help, psychologists' group says in report.

By Sarah Ladd Kentucky Lantern Kentuckians are far more likely to pay out of pocket for mental and behavioral health services than for surgical or other medical care, except when it comes to seeking care in outpatient facilities, where it is doing better than most states.  This insight comes from a recent American Psychological...

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Drug-overdose death rates were more common among service-industry employees before pandemic, but not afterward

By Allison Rogers University of Kentucky Drug-overdose deaths spiked following Kentucky’s Covid-19 stay-at-home and business-closure orders in 2020, but the industries that suffered the most overdose deaths were surprising, according to research conducted by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University...

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Eastern State Hospital is 200 years old; ex-patient, who says it saved his life, urges those who need mental-health care to get it

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Eastern State Hospital in Lexington, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this month, is the oldest continuously operating state...

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Lexington has outbreak of whooping cough, which can be deadly for babies and prevented with vaccine that some adults need too

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News An oubreak of whooping cough has been declared in Fayette County after nine cases have been confirmed by the local health department since late April. Whooping cough, known medically as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread by coughing and sneezing. It affects...

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Hospital association, Department of Agriculture start 'Food as Medicine' effort to get more local food into Kentucky hospitals

Kentucky Health News The Kentucky Hospital Association and the state Department of Agriculture have started an effort to get more local food into Kentucky hospitals. "A recent survey completed by representatives of 50 hospital systems across the state found that only about 2 percent of the hospital’s budget is spent on local food," a department news release said. "The overall average percentage of local food being served at these same hospitals...

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Repeat Covid-19 shots help ward off variants, even other viruses

Photo illustration Kentucky Health News The virus that caused the Covid-19 pandemic is still here, sending thousands of Americans to hospitals each week and regularly spinning off new variants that can evade immune defenses, so piublic-health agencies recommend annual updates of vaccinations. Some scientists have...

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High cost of new diabetes drugs, more popular in Ky. than any other state, deprives low-income people of effective treatment

Photo by George Frey, Bloomberg, via iStock/Getty Images, KFF Health News Editor's note: At the end of 2023 Kentucky led the nation in the percentage of state population, 2.1%, who had received the new class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs. By Renuka RayasamKFF Health News For the past year and a half, Tandra...

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Korean study finds former smokers who use e-cigarettes or vapes have higher risk for lung cancer than ex-smokers who don't

Photo by Steve Helber, The Associated Press Kentucky Health News Former cigarette smokers who use electronic cigarettes or vaping devices may be at higher risk for lung cancer than former smokers who don’t vape, according to new research in South Korea. “This is the first large population-based study to demonstrate...

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Study: E-cig use raises risk of early development of asthma 252%

Studies show vaping may contribute to the development of asthma. (Image from Very Well Health)  Kentucky Health News There is a significant link between vaping and asthma in adults, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. The study found that adults...

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Tips to prevent drowning, No. 1 cause of unintentional injury-related death among children under 5; swim lessons reduce risk

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As summer approaches and people begin to head to pools, lakes, ponds and streams, it's important to remember that drownings can happen to anyone in a matter of seconds – and that they are often preventable.  CDC photo Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related...

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Kentucky tobacco-free advocates win Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' national Group Youth Advocates of the Year award

The University of Kentucky #iCANendthetrend Youth Advisory Board was named the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' Group Youth Advocates of the Year. Front row, from left areSaumya Sikhwal, Jasmin Hernandez, Sarah Larkin and;Philena Ash.; Back row,  Jordan Joslin, Chloe Brady, Ksenia Miller, Relena...

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Provisional data shows overdose deaths dropped in Kentucky much more than nationwide, but the number of ODs is still high

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention graph By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest provisional overdose-death data say drug-overdose deaths in Kentucky fell by 7.9% in 2023, more than the national decline of 3%.  Morgan Hall, communications...

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Kentucky treatment and recovery leaders honored with awards

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Six Kentuckians were honored with 2024 Champions of Recovery Awards at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce's ninth annual Kentucky Workforce Summit held in Lexington on May 14.  The awards are sponsored by the Kentucky Association of Independent Recovery Organizations and the...

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