2011

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Bill filed to keep guns from those judged to be mentally ill

Michael King Tuesday, February 8, 2011 Add Comment guns, legislation, mental health, mental illness Edit

Keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill is the aim of House Bill 308 , which was filed last week by Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasvil...

More Kentucky children are insured under KCHIP, Medicaid; groups commend effort, ask for improvements

Michael King Add Comment children, KCHIP, Medicaid Edit

In the two years since the national Children's Health Insurance Program was reauthorized, about 51,700 children have been enrolled in Ke...

Systems that track pseudoephedrine sales do not necessarily curb meth making, experiences of Ky. and other states show

Michael King Add Comment drug abuse, methamphetamine, smurfing Edit

Systems that track the sale of the key ingredient used to make methamphetamine have not decreased the manufacture of the highly addictive dr...

Governor undecided on meds-for-meth bill, says time hasn't come for state smoking ban, but may back nursing-home legislation

Michael King Saturday, February 5, 2011 Add Comment drugs, General Assembly, governor, legislation, meth, methamphetamine, smoking, smoking ban, smoking ordinances, tobacco Edit

By Al Cross Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues Gov. Steve Beshear says he hasn't made up his mind about the bill that w...

Nearly $45,000 awarded to three projects that help combat childhood obesity

Michael King Friday, February 4, 2011 Add Comment Blue Grass Community Foundation, childhood obesity, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky Edit

Nearly $45,000 from the Blue Grass Community Foundation and Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is being invested in three projects that targ...

Bill would keep abusers of elderly from inheriting from them

Michael King Add Comment elderly abuse, legislation Edit

Someone who abuses an elderly person would no longer be able to inherit the departed's assets. That is the aim of House Bill 52 , which ...

Morehead substance-abuse center gets $250,000 grant

Michael King Add Comment drug treatment, substance abuse Edit

The Morehead Inspiration Center , a substance-abuse rehabilitation facility, has received $250,000 from the state, funds that will be used t...

U of L scientist wins $9.5 million for heart research

Michael King Add Comment cardiovascular disease, University of Louisville Edit

A University of Louisville scientist has received more than $9.5 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to conduct prom...

Woodford County coalition formed to improve dental health

Michael King Add Comment children, dentistry, oral health, schools Edit

The Woodford County Oral Health Coalition has partnered with nine local dentists to give free dental care to 16 elementary students in the ...

Decongestant prescription bill passes panel; both parties split

Michael King Thursday, February 3, 2011 Add Comment drug abuse, drug companies, drugs, legislation, meth, methamphetamine Edit

After hearing an endorsement from Kentucky's senior member of Congress, and opposition from the wife of another Republican congressman, ...

Annual Economic Report from UK business school examines impact of health-care reform, state of oral health in Kentucky

Michael King Wednesday, February 2, 2011 Add Comment dentistry, economy, health reform, oral health Edit

The federal health-reform law could have a big impact on Kentucky's uninsured population, and Kentuckians' oral health is improving ...

Bill filed to tighten oversight of Medicaid managed care programs

Michael King Add Comment legislation, managed care, Medicaid Edit

In the wake of an eye-opening audit of Passport Health Plan , a Democratic lawmaker is sponsoring a bill to tighten the oversight over such ...

McConnell's health care repeal fails on party-line vote

Michael King Add Comment Congress, health reform Edit

The Senate voted along strictly partisan lines tonight not to repeal the health-care reform law of 2010, but Republican Leader Mitch McConne...

Study: Children are obese because of bad habits, not heredity

Michael King Add Comment child obesity, exercise, nutrition Edit

Researchers at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center have found poor health habits, not heredity, are making children fat. Check...

C-J examines effect of prescription drug abuse on Ky. children

Michael King Tuesday, February 1, 2011 Add Comment drug abuse, prescription drugs Edit

The Courier-Journal continued today its series "Prescription for Tragedy," an in-depth look at the effects of prescription drug a...

Four out of five Americans look on Internet to answer health questions; third most common reason to surf

Michael King Add Comment health questions, Internet Edit

Finding answers to questions about their health is the third most common reason Americans use the Internet, a survey by the Pew Internet Pr...

Philip Morris's parent company and drug makers spent the most on lobbying the state legislature last year

Michael King Add Comment legislation, lobbying, lobbyists, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, tobacco Edit

The two biggest-spending lobbies of the state legislature last year were a tobacco company that opposes a statewide smoking ban and a group ...

As debt deepens and auditors arrive, Adair County hospital CEO resigns and is apparently escorted from the building

Michael King Monday, January 31, 2011 Add Comment hospitals, local government Edit

The CEO of Westlake Regional Hospital in Columbia "resigned Monday morning and was apparently escorted out of the hospital," repo...

Two bills would encourage, protect whistleblowers

Michael King Add Comment fraud, whistleblowers Edit

Two proposed bills would serve to crack down on fraudulent health care claims and make it easier for employees to blow the whistle on illega...

Jobs increasing in health services industry

Michael King Add Comment health care, jobs Edit

Though Kentucky has been hit hard by the recession, certain industries, including health care, are hiring. State unemployment trends show ed...

Effect of new health care law on premiums debatable

Michael King Add Comment health insurance, health reform, politics Edit

Neither President Barack Obama nor Republicans who oppose him are entirely accurate about whether or not the new health care law will lower ...

Health-related proposals target obesity, smoking; none are expected to pass this session

Michael King Add Comment childhood obesity, pseudoephedrine, smoking ban, state government Edit

Though several health-related bills have been introduced in the Kentucky General Assembly, including ones that target smoking and obesity, l...

Skyrocketing prescription drug abuse is subject for examination by Kentucky's two biggest newspapers

Michael King Add Comment drug abuse, drug treatment, legislation, prescription drugs Edit

The uphill battle against prescription drug abuse across the state was extensively explored in Kentucky's two largest newspapers this we...

18 percent of Kentucky nursing homes had 10 or more deficiencies in July-Sept.; 42 exceeded state average of six

Michael King Friday, January 28, 2011 Add Comment Medicare, nursing homes, state government Edit

State inspectors found 20 of Kentucky's nursing homes, 18 percent of the total, had 10 or more deficiencies during the third quarter of ...

Lobbying on bills to require prescriptions for meds like pseudoephedrine intensifies in Kentucky and West Virginia

Michael King Thursday, January 27, 2011 Add Comment legislation, meth, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, state government Edit

The lobbying battle over meds and meth is ramping up in Kentucky and West Virginia, with business interests weighing in against it in Kentuc...

Company to pay $2 million for doctoring Medicaid documents

Michael King Add Comment attorney general, Medicaid Edit

The company that administers Medicaid for Jefferson and 15 other counties will pay more than $2 million in damages because it falsified docu...

Wal-Mart says it will make store-brand food healthier, cut prices for fruits and vegetables to encourage consumption

Michael King Tuesday, January 25, 2011 Add Comment children, food, nutrition, obesity Edit

Wal-Mart has announced plans to drop its prices on fruit and vegetables and offer packaged foods with lower salt, fat and sugar contents. T...

Bowling Green commission gives final passage to smoking ban

Michael King Add Comment local government, smoking, smoking ordinances, tobacco Edit

The Bowling Green City Commission gave second reading and final passage last night to a smoking ban that will apply to all indoor public pla...

Videos aim to educate policymakers about smoke-free laws

Michael King Add Comment smoking ban, smoking ordinances Edit

With a statewide smoking ban proposed in the legislature, which reconvenes next week, and local ordinances still being proposed and passed, ...

McConnell says Senate will vote on repeal of health reform law

Michael King Add Comment Congress, health insurance, health reform, legislation Edit

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Fox News Sunday that the Senate would somehow vote on whether or not to repeal the health-r...

Bowling Green schools buy local foods, reap rewards from state

Michael King Add Comment education, local food, nutrition, schools Edit

Bowling Green Independent Schools are working with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and nearby farms and purveyors to offer locally gr...

Williams says he supports a statewide smoking ban

Michael King Monday, January 24, 2011 Add Comment governor's race, legislation, smoking ban, state government Edit

State Senate President David Williams expressed firm support for the proposed statewide smoking ban at the Kentucky Press Association 's...

Poor conditions found at Letcher County personal-care home

Michael King Add Comment personal care, state government Edit

State inspectors found pitiable conditions when they visited Golden Years Rest Home, right , in Letcher County in December, the Lexington He...

Federal grant will help build assisted-living and hospice facility in Maysville

Michael King Add Comment assisted living, federal grants, hospice, state government Edit

Gov. Steve Beshear presented a $800,000 community development block grant (federal money administered by the states) for the construction of...

Legislator wants to make hospitals, health care facilities report infections acquired by patients under their care

Michael King Add Comment healthcare-associated infections, hospital-acquired infections, legislation, state government Edit

In the face of strong opposition from Kentucky hospitals, a Democratic legislator has filed a bill that would require all health-care facil...

Hybrid operating room, with both surgery and imaging, part of UK Chandler Hospital's $800 million expansion

Michael King Friday, January 21, 2011 Add Comment diagnostic imaging, medical school, surgery Edit

A distinguishing feature of the $800 million expansion to the University of Kentucky 's Chandler Hospital will be a hybrid operating roo...

As expected, Beshear asks legislature to move $100 million from next year's Medicaid budget to make up this year's shortfall

Michael King Thursday, January 20, 2011 Add Comment General Assembly, governor, Medicaid, state budget Edit

Gov. Steve Beshear, left , is urging the legislature to pass legislation that would rectify a $100 million shortfall in the 2011 Medicaid bu...

Kentucky gets an 'F' for how it handles food-borne illnesses

Michael King Add Comment food safety, food-borne illness Edit

Kentucky is one of 13 states to receive an "F" for the way it handles food-borne illnesses, the Lexington Herald-Leader 's Mar...

Kentucky one of six states to join Cervical Cancer-Free America

Michael King Add Comment cancer, cervical cancer Edit

Kentucky is one of six states that has joined the Cervical Cancer-Free America initiative, led by the University of North Carolina at Chape...

Retail medical clinics are faster and cheaper, but they can cause problems for patient care, doctors say

Michael King Add Comment health care, retail clinics Edit

Medical clinics located in retail establishments such as Walgreens and Walmart are becoming increasingly popular, The Courier-Journal' s...

Essay contest for grad/undergrad students, topic: 'Obamacare'

Michael King Add Comment health reform Edit

KaiserEdu.org is hosting its annual essay contest, with this year's essay topic President Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable...

Faith-based alliances may be exempt from health-insurance mandate; Kentucky court case part of national question

Michael King Wednesday, January 19, 2011 Add Comment Christians, health care law, health care reform, health care sharing ministries, Kentucky Supreme Court Edit

Though the health-refom law requires all Americans to be enrolled in a health-insurance plan by 2014, Christians can be exempt if they pool ...

Bowling Green commission votes 3-2 for smoking ban

Michael King Add Comment smoking, smoking ban, smoking ordinances Edit

After more than three years of discussion, the Bowling Green City Commission passed the first reading of a smoking ban Tuesday in a 3-2 vote...

Congressman weighs in on state issue, supporting prescription rule for cold medicines used to make methamphetamine

Michael King Add Comment legislation, meth, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, state government Edit

Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky's 5th District is backing state legislation that would require a prescription for the sale o...