Author: Al Cross
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Ban on tobacco use in schools still alive; may pass House with measure raising to 21 legal age to buy tobacco and e-cigarettes; question may be ‘coming to terms’ with agricultural community
By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross Kentucky Health News With just three days left to pass bills, lawmakers in the state House are still working on measures that would protect...
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Ky. vax rates for HPV, which causes cancer, rose last year but still lag rest of nation; ‘Parents feel their children will always be angels’
“Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the nation . . . but Kentucky children remain among the least vaccinated in the U.S.,” Caroline Eggers reports for the Bowling Green...
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Courier Journal examination of Ky. hospitals’ childbirth-complication rates show some ARH hospitals fare poorly; Harlan’s rate is off the chart
“Where a woman delivers her baby in Kentucky can determine whether she is seriously injured in childbirth, and even whether she lives or dies,” Laura Ungar reports for the Louisville Courier Journal and USA Today....
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House committee strongly endorses medical marijuana, but time and the Senate stand in the way, in a session about to end
Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville (LRC Public Information photo) — With a resounding 16-1 vote, a House committee approved a bill Wednesday to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky, but it seems unlikely...
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Kentuckians use too many antibiotics; we’re No. 1 in the nation, and a campaign has started to reduce inappropriate use
Kentucky has the highest rate of antibiotic use in the United States, and the University of Louisville School of Medicine is trying to do something about it. The school’s Department of Pediatrics has mounted...
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Sponsor of bill to ban tobacco use at all public schools and events files last-ditch amendment to give districts 3 years to opt out of it
Rep. Kim Moser — This is an updated version of a story that was first published Saturday, March 2. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. — The sponsor...
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State officials defend handling of hepatitis A outbreak as an additional warning is revealed and legislators voice concern
Health Secretary Adam Meier (center) led a March 1 news conference on hepatitis A. Sen. Ralph Alvarado (left) and Sen. MorganMcGarvey (right) have want to examine the state’s response to the outbreak. (Facebook Live image) — By Melissa Patrick...
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Tobacco-free-school bill on life support; move afoot to make 21 legal age for e-cigs; some legislators want just one tobacco bill
Health advocates rallied at the state Capitol Feb. 28 to ask legislators to bring the tobacco-free school bill up for a vote, saying it has the votes to pass. (Photos...
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Surge by a stronger strain of the flu is another warning that the season for the disease is not over; shots still available and useful
“Though influenza activity typically peaks by February’s end, the flu season isn’t over – and a harsher strain called H3N2 has increased in circulation both nationwide and in Kentucky,” reports Caroline Eggers...
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Guthrie tries to preserve funding for Medicaid program that gets beneficiaries out of facilities and into community-based support
Brett Guthrie (Ft. Collins Coloradoan photo) — U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie is working to find money to save a program aimed at moving Medicaid beneficiaries, mainly those with disabilities, out of...