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Youth suicide rates are higher where mental-health providers are scarce, study of all U.S. counties says
All but three in Kentucky rated short BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Counties that have shortages of mental-health providers tend to have seen their rates of youth suicide increase in recent years, a study has found. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that after adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, counties with a mental-health…
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Don’t forget to turn your clock back one hour Nov. 5-6
Sleep experts say standard time is the better one for health and safety BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS It’s almost time to “fall back” one hour into standard time, which sleep specialists say is better for our health because it more closely matches our body’s internal clock. Standard time officially begins on Sunday, Nov. 6. …
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Enrollment for subsidized health insurance begins Nov. 1 on Kynect; ‘family glitch’ fix makes plans available to many more
BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Open enrollment for federally subsidized health insurance plans starts Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15 for coverage that begins Jan. 1. Kentuckians can sign up for a qualified health plan on the state-based marketplace, Kynect, at Kynect.ky.gov. On the site, Kentuckians can compare options, apply for coverage and complete…
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CDC map shows 75 counties with low risk of COVID-19 transmission
Only eight remain at high risk BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The latest federal risk map says most of Kentucky has a low risk of COVID-19 transmission, with only eight counties at high risk and just three others moving into a higher risk category from last week. Counties that remain at high risk, shown…
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Open enrollments for Medicaid, Medicare and federally subsidized health insurance plans will be available very soon
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Open enrollment to make changes to Medicaid, Medicare or federal-state subsidized Marketplace health insurance plans is just around the corner. Experts encourage participants in each of these programs to review their healthcare and prescription drug coverage yearly to make sure their plans still meet their healthcare needs. Medicaid: Medicaid…
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Beshear’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee finds massive support for legalizing medical marijuana; drug officers opposed
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS An advisory committee appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear reported that most Kentuckians who submitted online comments support legalizing the medical use of marijuana, or cannabis, and that no one spoke against it at the four town-hall meetings the committee held across the state in July. “Polling suggests 90 percent…
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Kentucky adults have second highest obesity rate in nation
Children 10-17 in state have the top U.S. rate for that age group BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS A new report says Kentucky has the second highest adult obesity rate in the nation, and Kentucky children aged 10 to 17 have the nation’s highest rate for that age group. The Trust for America’s Health…
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CDC says 108 counties have elevated COVID-19 risk
Beshear urges use of new booster vaccine BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The pandemic in Kentucky remains on a rough plateau, but it’s a high plateau. Seventy of Kentucky’s 120 counties have a high level of COVID-19 risk and 38 have a medium level, with very little change in the last two weeks, according to…
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Kentucky has 82 syringe exchange programs in 63 counties
State drug-control official says ‘That’s not enough’ BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Kentucky still has more syringe service programs than any other state, but 57 counties still don’t have one, including 21 of the 54 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers vulnerable to a rapid outbreak of HIV or hepatitis C…
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CDC risk map shows 93 percent of Kentucky counties with high or medium risk of COVID-19 infection
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Kentuckians in general have about the same risk of catching COVID-19 as they did a week ago, with 93 percent of the state’s counties at a high or medium risk of transmission and The New York Times ranking Kentucky second among the states for new coronavirus cases in the…
Tag: Melissa Patrick
