Health

Calls to 988 mental health lifeline increasing since Kentucky launch

BY: - January 26, 2023

This story discusses suicide and mental health. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Since the launch of a new and shorter Suicide Prevention Lifeline, calls in Kentucky have increased monthly, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. The “mental health version of 911,” […]

U.S. House GOP takes aim at fake pills containing deadly fentanyl sold on social media

BY: - January 25, 2023

WASHINGTON — On a June 2020 morning, Amy Neville entered her son’s bedroom to wake him for an orthodontist appointment. Fourteen-year-old Alex didn’t wake up. He died of fentanyl poisoning after taking a counterfeit pill he bought from someone he met on Snapchat, Neville told GOP lawmakers Wednesday during a roundtable discussion of the role […]

Rural seniors benefit from pandemic-driven remote fitness boom

BY: - January 25, 2023

This article was republished from KHN, Kaiser Health News. MALMO, Minn. — Eight women, all 73 or older, paced the fellowship hall at Malmo Evangelical Free Church to a rendition of Daniel O’Donnell’s “Rivers of Babylon” as they warmed up for an hourlong fitness class. The women, who live near or on the eastern shore […]

Behavioral telehealth loses momentum without a regulatory boost

BY: - January 25, 2023

This article is republished from KHN (Kaiser Health News). Controlled substances became a little less controlled during the pandemic. That benefited both patients (for their health) and telehealth startups (to make money). Some potentially addictive medications — like buprenorphine and Adderall — are now far more available online to patients because of regulatory changes. Given […]

Kentucky Army combat veteran Jeremy Harrell (right) founded Veteran’s Club, based in the Louisville area, and advocates for mental health through a variety of organizations. Among other programs, The Veteran's Club runs an Equine Facilitated Mentoring program to help veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Pictured: Harrell with Don Hoy, USMC Veteran.

Federal policy expected to save Kentucky veterans through emergency mental health care

BY: - January 24, 2023

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Veterans and service members calling 988 can press 1 for specific crisis help from the Veterans Crisis Line.? Once a veteran has decided to take their own life, “every minute counts,” […]

Craft says ’empty chair’ was a ‘close family member’ who overcame addiction

BY: - January 23, 2023

This article is republished from?Kentucky Health News, an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Kentucky, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. For weeks, Kentuckians have seen and heard this message from Kelly Craft, one […]

Beshear wants ‘scoring criteria,’ Cameron’s appointee prefers flexibility for settlement money

BY: - January 23, 2023

This article is republished from Kentucky Health News, an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Kentucky, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Kentucky’s local and state governments continue to reap more millions from settlements […]

A $30 million gift to build an addiction treatment center. Then staffers had to run It.

BY: - January 23, 2023

This article is republished from?KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. DECATUR, Ill. — The question came out of the blue, or so it seemed to Crossing Healthcare CEO Tanya Andricks: If you had $30 million to design an addiction treatment facility, how would you do it? The […]

Students and teachers in a lunchroom

Kentucky youth-led study shows mental health, social challenges of COVID-19

BY: - January 19, 2023

A new study on how Kentucky’s youth have coped with COVID-19 reports mental health challenges, negative views toward remote learning and more.? The report was published Wednesday by the Kentucky Student Voice Team, which is a youth-led nonprofit with a goal of creating “more just, democratic Kentucky schools and communities as research, policy & advocacy […]

Researchers to spend five years, $3.7 million looking into Eastern Kentucky COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy?

BY: - January 18, 2023

University of Kentucky researchers announced Wednesday they will spend the next five years and $3.7 million to better understand COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Eastern Kentucky.? Researches from the colleges of Medicine, Public Health, Communication and Information and from the Department of Public Health will work on the project, named Kentuckians Vaccinating Appalachian Communities (K-VAC). The […]

Emergency room, emergency entrance

Decision of where to seek care is complicated by the multitude of options

BY: - January 17, 2023

This article is republished from Kaiser Health News. One evening in February 2017, Sarah Dudley’s husband, Joseph, started to feel sick. He had a high fever, his head and body ached, and he seemed disoriented, she said. The Dudleys had a decision to make: go to the hospital emergency room or to an urgent care […]

Jan. 15 deadline to sign up for health, dental insurance through state marketplace

BY: - January 12, 2023

Jan. 15 is the deadline to enroll for health and dental insurance through the state-based marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act. To see plan options, visit kynect.ky.gov or call 1-855-459-6328. Kentuckians who don’t have coverage through another source, such as an employer, Medicaid, the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare or TRICARE, can shop […]