tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36433691237242469452024-03-18T10:49:36.672-04:00KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWSEvents, trends, issues, ideas and independent journalism about health care and health in Kentucky, from the Institute for Rural Journalism at the University of KentuckyAl Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.comBlogger7010125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-60287775900089705132024-03-17T23:35:00.002-04:002024-03-18T10:09:15.168-04:00Bill to protect independent pharmacies from benefit managers moves after changes; insurers say it would increase premiums <b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News<div><br /></div><div>A bill to set new controls on commercial pharmacy-benefit managers was approved by a Senate committee on March 14 as a measure scheduled to be approved without debate by the full Senate. </div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-2ZI1v0tf9AESWZkK7h-GaM8J_7-kvQZNwyOnxUIFOOAwyN55tXatWQW0PpdHKxDYUFC7ZiQF9TkfeUeSaL3Sy3TWehiTdihulokvxJO1TMHGYspyg3X6SNn0oXEOBAgg49L9qaWsQFp5Wf6MiUPedX2aPapazsu4P2XlvD5mcmtlDvRUL_g6hka4lA/s251/max%20wise.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-2ZI1v0tf9AESWZkK7h-GaM8J_7-kvQZNwyOnxUIFOOAwyN55tXatWQW0PpdHKxDYUFC7ZiQF9TkfeUeSaL3Sy3TWehiTdihulokvxJO1TMHGYspyg3X6SNn0oXEOBAgg49L9qaWsQFp5Wf6MiUPedX2aPapazsu4P2XlvD5mcmtlDvRUL_g6hka4lA/w160-h200/max%20wise.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>State Sen. Max Wise</i></td></tr></tbody></table>The bill's sponsor, Sen. Max Wise, a Republican from Campbellsville, has worked on PBM reform for years. In the 2020 legislative session he won passage of a bill that required the state to hire a single PBM for the state's Medicaid program, resulting in savings of $282 million. </div><div><br /></div><div>That said, while thanking everyone who worked on the bill, both for and against it, Wise told the committee that his latest "may be the hardest one that I have worked on yet during my time in this particular legislature." </div><div><br />Wise walked the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee through a substiute version of <a href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/sb188.html#amendments" target="_blank">Senate Bill 188</a>, with several changes from the original.</div><div><br /></div><div>He said the original would have prevented a PBM from requiring Kentuckians to receive their prescriptions by mail, from reimbursing a pharmacy that they own at a higher rate than a community pharmacy, stop the steering of patients to pharmacies owned by the PBM. It also would have allowed community pharmacies to fill 90-day prescriptions for maintenance drugs, prohibited higher co-pays at community pharmacies compared to PBM-owned pharmacies, and protected community pharmacies from retaliation for providing cost-saving information to patients. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wise added that the original bill would have provided a fair dispensing fee, and mandated that PBMs pay pharmacies at least the cost of the dispensed drugs, provided a fair dispensing fee and include community pharmacies in their networks to offer patients the flexibility to choose a nearby pharmacy. </div><div><br /></div><div>He then walked through the changes made by the committee substitute. </div><div><br /></div><div>He said it excludes prescription drug plans established under Medicare Part D from the legislation regarding self-funded health plans or Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plans. </div><div><br /><div>He said both the original bill and the committee substitute include the phrase "to the extent permitted under federal law" before several sections in the bill.<br /><br />"The reason for that is the United States Supreme Court in its <i>Rutledge</i> decision greatly limits what authority states have to regulate ERISA plans," he said. "The inclusion of the phrase mentioned means that most of the provisions of Senate Bill 188 will not apply to ERISA plans; it is likely that only the fair dispensing rate will apply." <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Addressing concerns about imposing the Kentucky Medicaid dispensing rate of $10.64 per prescription on the commercial marketplace, Wise said the substitute addresses this in two ways.</div><div><br /></div><div>First, he said, instead of using that rate as the dispensing fee floor, the state<b> Department of Insurance</b> would conduct a survey of dispensing costs at both large chain pharmacies and small independent pharmacies. While the DOI is completing the survey, Wise said, the Medicaid dispensing rate will be used as a "gap-fill payment floor."</div><div><br /></div><div>And unlike the original bill, the protection of the Medicaid fee would only be available to independent community pharmacies as licensed by the state <b>Board of Pharmacy</b> and would not be available to chain pharmacies. <br /><br />"So why is it important that we include this gap payment for community pharmacies?" Wise asked. "In the last two years over 68 independent pharmacies have either closed their doors or sold out to chain pharmacies [in Kentucky] due to the massive decline in PBM reimbursements." <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The revised bill also removed, at the request of PBMs and insurance companies, provisions on "white bagging," a practice in which a medication must be prepared and distributed by a third-party specialty pharmacy, instead of allowing providers to prepare, administer and bill for the medication.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wise added that a health-mandate statement estimates that the bill would raise helath-insurance premiums $1.89 to $25.01 per member per month. The range is wide and essentially unpredictable because there is a lack of reliable data regarding PBM contracts. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wise said legislators saw similar estimates when they passed his 2020 bill, but this did not come to pass, and "I feel confident that we will see, just like Tennessee and West Virginia have passed, to not see any increases" with commercial PBM reform, which those states have passed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sitting at the table with Wise was Ben Mudd, executive director of the <b>Kentucky Pharmacists Association</b>, and Rosemary Smith, co-founder of the <b>Kentucky Independent Pharmacist Alliance. </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Opponents of the bill</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking against the bill were Conner Rose, senior director of state affairs for the <b>Pharmaceutical Care Management Association</b>, the national PBM lobby, and Hope McLaughlin, senior director of government relations for <b>Elevance Health</b>, which operates as <b>Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield</b> in Kentucky.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rose noted the high estimate of $25 increase in monthly premiums. "I understand that the purpose of this bill is to help independent pharmacies," Rose said. "But the solution we're talking about today falls on the backs of employers, city and county governments, their employees, the employees of employers in Kentucky, and ultimately individual consumers all across the commonwealth."<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He added that the mandates and restrictions in the bill hinder the ability of employers and other plan sponsors to capitalize on the savings that PBMs provide, pointing to how generic drugs offered on the PBM formularies often don't have co-pays or dispensing fees if it comes through the PBMs mail service. </div><div><br /></div><div>McLaughlin stressed that the committee substitute was not a compromise and that while they appreciate the removal of the white-bagging provision, she said Anthem still has many concerns about it. </div><div><br /></div><div>She said the mandated dispensing fee of $10.64 per prescription "will result in significant, additional health-care costs," and also mentioned the "significant increase" of $25 per month.</div><div><br /></div><div>And she said the bill "sets a dangerous precedent of putting the General Assembly and the Executive Branch in the role of setting provider reimbursement rates."</div></div><div><br /></div><div>But the committee approved the bill without dissent and placed it on the Senate's consent calendar, reserved for bills that are passed on a singke vote without debate. It has 20 sponsors, a bare majority of the Senate.</div><br />Besides Wise, they are Republicans Stephen Meredith of Leitchfield, Matthew Deneen of Elizabethtown, Donald Douglas of Nicholasville, Greg Elkins of Winchester, Shelley Funke Frommeyer of Alexandria, Rick Girdler of Somerset, Jimmy Higdon of Lebanon, Jason Howell of Murray, Robby Mills of Henderson, Brandon Storm of London, Lindsey Tichenor of Smithfield, Stephen West of Paris, Phillip Wheeler of Pikeville and Mike Wilson of Bowling Green, and Democrats Karen Berg, Gerald Neal and David Yates of Louisville and Robin Webb of Grayson.Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-49718788983549120162024-03-17T21:39:00.007-04:002024-03-17T21:41:11.291-04:00ED visits, hospitalizations for respiratory disease decline in state<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLr9DlDCBGKAE1oeahIR5zNOYurA4_UV4JpweVeBkDSo6uZWDO3A3-5CvmWTO6I5Ilb880_mjCLzzl4nzPGcLGEiVK16ndgqdaBJ086liezN4LnOMJzWyaD-R3vz1rfWhFjUnRC7i35wD0-WE7UGKvQNA44X-c4Ci4zQbNGOqGQqPWhuRdD6yPXVcsYIc/s921/RepiratoryIllnessUpdate3-14-24.png" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="921" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLr9DlDCBGKAE1oeahIR5zNOYurA4_UV4JpweVeBkDSo6uZWDO3A3-5CvmWTO6I5Ilb880_mjCLzzl4nzPGcLGEiVK16ndgqdaBJ086liezN4LnOMJzWyaD-R3vz1rfWhFjUnRC7i35wD0-WE7UGKvQNA44X-c4Ci4zQbNGOqGQqPWhuRdD6yPXVcsYIc/w640-h430/RepiratoryIllnessUpdate3-14-24.png" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>State Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News<p></p><p>Kentucky's influenza levels remain elevated, but are declining, and hospitalizations for overall respiratory illness are moderate and declining, <a href="https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/Pages/RespiratoryDiseases.aspx" target="_blank">according</a> to the state <b>Department for Public Health.</b></p><p>In the week ended March 9, emergency-department visits for the three main respiratory diseases showed a 16% drop in visits for Covid-19, flu and RSV, to 2,734. Of those, 79% of the visits were attributed to the flu. </p><p>Hospital admissions for the diseases dropped 28% in the week ended March 9, to 387. Of those admissions, 216 were for the flu, 154 were for Covid-19 and 17 were for RSV (respiratory syncitial virus).</p><p>In the week ended March 9, 10 Kentucky counties had a Covid-19 hospital admission rate between 10 and 19.9 admissions per 100,000 people, a rate that is considered "medium" by the <b>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. </b></p><p><a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-rate-county" target="_blank">Those counties were</a> McCracken, Marshall, Lyon, Livingston, Hickman, Graves, Crittenden, Carlisle and Ballard, in West Kentucky, and Letcher, on Kentucky's southeastern border.</p><p>The state reported 2,762 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in the week ended March 9 and 1,605 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19. Both of these numbers have dropped for four weeks in a row. </p><p>Since the flu season began in October, the state has recorded 439 Covid-19 deaths, 110 flu deaths and two co-infection deaths, both reported in recent weeks. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim were children.</p>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-55353066896430943812024-03-17T17:18:00.012-04:002024-03-18T10:49:04.497-04:00U of L is opening its new hospital in Bullitt County on Monday<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskBXvgfmpBGkl5WMqk4afnhZBNUR4CAR4JRAeMqMTvWG3_Qm_G0qgFqMik_jsqzE9Ng-KlzISk3sGyiixqro_bxXE1wzIhy21m-Nq87Fqflq69EJobAbKU_NFLybFxKl2HcpM8suYDie4Y-DBsF_AhAZVPsE9PqwK-yPkPTF0mCadI-tPl40jziPH5aY/s1755/SouthHospital.png" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="1755" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskBXvgfmpBGkl5WMqk4afnhZBNUR4CAR4JRAeMqMTvWG3_Qm_G0qgFqMik_jsqzE9Ng-KlzISk3sGyiixqro_bxXE1wzIhy21m-Nq87Fqflq69EJobAbKU_NFLybFxKl2HcpM8suYDie4Y-DBsF_AhAZVPsE9PqwK-yPkPTF0mCadI-tPl40jziPH5aY/w640-h160/SouthHospital.png" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>University of Louisville photo illustration</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kentucky Health News</span></b><div><br />The <b>University of Louisville</b> is opening its <a href="https://uoflhealth.org/locations/south-hospital/">UofL Health–South Hospital</a> Monday, March 18, with a community breakfast and open house at 8 a.m. and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting with Gov. Andy Beshear at 10 a.m. The hospital will accept its first inpatients that afternoon, a university news release said.<br /><br />"The $78 million acute-care hospital opens with 40 in-patient beds, and shell space for an additional 20 beds," the release said. "The new hospital fills an access gap in Kentucky’s 10th most populous county, allowing local patients to get their care closer to home. Bullitt County was previously the largest county without an inpatient hospital."<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnWhCXJqzch6wf4JoVZBMWfdW0cW-BpLn7x4U8z8u2EZjtOSVn2qcHNtdbg5rlABRDVrzsK4cm22dAqhjMoFPGP6OR7v5HwlU2sBC7tM_sT3895zwGItRfh-aEjwbk877yhGBReM6kBnb_7k_9pgoB4FBUv-Id1brPXyP2HTFK4Qp16_Qc1nAKfAKLdY/s870/SouthHospitalMapwithKnox.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="870" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnWhCXJqzch6wf4JoVZBMWfdW0cW-BpLn7x4U8z8u2EZjtOSVn2qcHNtdbg5rlABRDVrzsK4cm22dAqhjMoFPGP6OR7v5HwlU2sBC7tM_sT3895zwGItRfh-aEjwbk877yhGBReM6kBnb_7k_9pgoB4FBUv-Id1brPXyP2HTFK4Qp16_Qc1nAKfAKLdY/w400-h271/SouthHospitalMapwithKnox.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Google map by Kentucky Health News</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>The hospital is at Exit 121 of Interstate 65. "South Hospital is ideally positioned to support one of Kentucky’s fastest growing regions," the release says. "In addition to inpatient beds, including a 10-bed intensive care unit, the new full-service acute care hospital is bringing more providers. It will also provide enhanced heart-care services . . .for faster treatment of acute heart attacks, expanded emergency capabilities including a ‘fast track’ area for quicker treatment and discharge, expanded cardiopulmonary services, state-of-the art pharmacy, laboratory and sterile processing areas and increased surgical suites for inpatient and outpatient procedures."</div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-76490327440583689852024-03-16T15:47:00.010-04:002024-03-17T18:13:14.126-04:00Medical-cannabis 'cleanup' bill passes House; critics disappointed more qualifying conditions not added and say it increases hurdles<b>By Melissa Patrick</b><div>Kentucky Health News<br /><div><br /></div><div>In what the sponsor calls a bill to "clean some things up," more restrictions are being added to the state's medical-marijuana law and provisions were added to allow local school districts to opt out.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-kAbSru0N6JS6KSFe2g2XAQjVaa24lQnLsmkvlCOI1qgWRw5SfXJyQjyZvLDnVWShP-1nsfdkuacONfTDi8KTXR7yPcRH0FYSuLbn8rSrpgSsZE3z6goDKxKpEZicLlNmJrzAN2YKw1yhaUET13uXi5hdcRVZYO-nT_9Q7xgb3BmSinveHotuaQuZVM/s2395/Rep.%20Nemes.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2395" data-original-width="1916" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-kAbSru0N6JS6KSFe2g2XAQjVaa24lQnLsmkvlCOI1qgWRw5SfXJyQjyZvLDnVWShP-1nsfdkuacONfTDi8KTXR7yPcRH0FYSuLbn8rSrpgSsZE3z6goDKxKpEZicLlNmJrzAN2YKw1yhaUET13uXi5hdcRVZYO-nT_9Q7xgb3BmSinveHotuaQuZVM/w147-h184/Rep.%20Nemes.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>State Rep. Jason Nemes</i></td></tr></tbody></table>One of the key provisions in <a href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/hb829.html" target="_blank">House Bill 829</a>, sponsored by Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, would allow public and private schools to opt out of the program.</div><div><br /></div><div>Public school boards are required to establish policies related to the use of medical cannabis no later than Dec. 1, 2024. The policies must either prohibit the use of medicinal cannabis on school property, or permit the use with several options for administration, as outlined in the bill. </div><div><br /></div><div>The measure would also allow local governments to apply a small local fee to compensate for any additional costs caused by the operation of cannabis businesses; prioritize Kentucky hemp businesses for state contracting; and clarify the powers that the state <b>Cabinet for Health and Family Services</b> has when it comes to inspection. </div><div><br /></div><div>It would also abolish the provisional license, which allows someone who makes an application for a license to sell medical marijuana to get the product while the application is pending. Nemes said this "put the cart before the horse."</div><div><br /></div><div>When the House passed the bill <a href="chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/hb829/vote_history.pdf" target="_blank">66-30</a> on March 12, it allowed the state to move the dates up for licensing, which would allow product to be obtained when the program starts Jan. 1, 2025. </div><div><br /></div><div>A floor amendment, filed at the request of the <b>Kentucky League of Cities</b>, was approved to allow cities to be able to opt out of the medical cannabis program before Jan. 1, 2025, even if a licensee had been approved before that date.</div><div><br /></div><div>The committee substitute for the bill would require a patient to consult with a pharmacist annually to make sure the medical cannabis does not have a negative interaction with the patient's other prescriptions.</div><div><br /></div><div>That prompted several Democrats to object in the floor debate, saying the new requirement , with a potential cost of up to $40, imposes another hurdle in accessing medical cannabis.</div><div><br /></div><div>"It seems like we're adding even more hurdles to make this medicine harder to receive, more expensive for folks to access. . . . I really wish we were back here today to make this medicine more accessible to the people of Kentucky who have been asking us to do this for years," said Rep. Rachel Roberts, D-Newport. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rep. Rachel Roarx, D-Louisville, said allowing public school districts to opt out "puts barriers in place" for students who benefit from medical cannabis for conditions such as epilepsy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, disagreed and supported the opt-out provision for schools, saying that he recognizes the need for this because some schools are concerned about the liability of administering a drug that is not authorized by the <b>U.S. Food and Drug Administration. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, D-Lexington, said she was disappointed that the bill wouldn't expand the list of qualifying conditions that could be treated with medical cannabis, as was recommended by at "statutory advisory board of doctors and nurses appointed by the state licensing boards."</div><div><br /></div><div>Stevenson said she hoped these conditions would be added in the Senate, where the bill has not been assigned to a committee.</div></div>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-35013181635060661732024-03-16T00:30:00.001-04:002024-03-16T00:30:00.133-04:00Kentucky Children's Hospital at UK opens center to treat children who are harmed by abuse and neglect, in which Ky. ranks 14th<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVpfjktlM79gw5c9d1um7nvoSStkv07Myj5HViKnJDKUBiUtapLqNeG9jmEOdByIWBOqAfsggexHI5usiRLTJAkQav_OaHWXkx1GQ_a_SlKD0k2eEQHKaksXjJERQdmdxu6TpFiGhouQ8Vk_haiUeLSlXhh2ExthfDQkMk4HHfsA4pRKfr7mIhP3SOy0/s677/SafeCenterKCHbyAdamPadgettC.jpg" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="677" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVpfjktlM79gw5c9d1um7nvoSStkv07Myj5HViKnJDKUBiUtapLqNeG9jmEOdByIWBOqAfsggexHI5usiRLTJAkQav_OaHWXkx1GQ_a_SlKD0k2eEQHKaksXjJERQdmdxu6TpFiGhouQ8Vk_haiUeLSlXhh2ExthfDQkMk4HHfsA4pRKfr7mIhP3SOy0/w640-h384/SafeCenterKCHbyAdamPadgettC.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">University of Kentucky and Kosair for Kids representatives celebrate opening of the Kosair for Kids Center for Safe & Healthy Children & Families at Kentucky Children's Hospital. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Photo by Adam Padgett)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>By Hilary Brown</b><br /><a href="https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-healthcare/kch-opens-kosair-kids-center-safe-and-healthy-children-and-families?j=704185&sfmc_sub=251354131&l=8181_HTML&u=28045611&mid=10966798&jb=5003" target="_blank">University of Kentucky</a><br /><br />Representatives from <a href="https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/kentucky-childrens-hospital"><b>Kentucky Children’s Hospital</b></a> and the nonprofit foundation <a href="https://www.kosair.org/"><b>Kosair for Kids</b></a> cut the ribbon recently on the Kosair for Kids Center for Safe & Healthy Children and Families, a new clinic space for the treatment of children harmed by abuse and neglect at KCH, part of the <b>University of Kentucky</b>. This center was made possible by a $2 million gift from Kosair for Kids. <br /><br />“I’ve spent the better part of my career looking at the challenges that Kentucky faces, especially when it comes to the ability of vulnerable Kentuckians to get care they desperately need,” said Mark D. Birdwhistell, vice president for health system administration and chief of staff, <b>UK HealthCare</b>. “I’ve seen how hard it can be to effect change for Kentucky’s vulnerable citizens, and that’s why I’m so proud of this new center and of what we’ve been able to accomplish with the partnership of Kosair for Kids.” <br /><br />Kentucky ranks 14th in the country for child abuse and neglect; according to the state <b>Cabinet for Health and Family Services</b>, in 2022, 11,002 children experienced neglect, 1,146 suffered physical abuse and 756 were victims of sexual abuse. Those numbers have decreased over the years, due largely to the efforts of Kosair for Kids and their partners across the state. <br /><br />“Today we celebrate opening a center dedicated to giving the best to children who have experienced the worst, said Barry Dunn, Kosair for Kids president and CEO. “Our goal, our aspiration, is that this center serves as a beacon of hope for children who have experienced unfathomable trauma. We stand with them, united in purpose, on the road to healing. We are proud to call them a Kosair Kid, and we want to show them the love and care they deserve. Kosair for Kids is proud of this place, the skilled and dedicated staff on the front lines of this epidemic, and the growing alliance we have formed to protect all children.”<br /><br />“I’m an ardent believer that you can’t separate physical health from mental and emotional health,” said Dr. Scottie B. Day, physician-in-chief at Kentucky Children’s Hospital. “Maltreatment and childhood trauma have effects that ripple out into adolescence and adulthood and continue to inform patterns of behavior for generations. Through our partnership with Kosair for Kids, we can disrupt generational cycles of abuse and make Kentucky much safer for kids.” <br /><br />KCH is home to one of only two pediatric forensic medicine programs in Kentucky. Of the five child-abuse pediatricians practicing in Kentucky, four are at KCH’s <a href="https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/kentucky-childrens-hospital/services/support-services/forensic-medicine">Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine</a> along with specially trained advanced nurse practitioners, social workers and psychologists.<div><br /></div><div>Features of the new clinic include:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Secure and private space to provide trauma-informed care, including three exam rooms and two therapy services rooms</li><li>Proximity to the <a href="https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/kentucky-childrens-hospital/services/emergency-urgent-care/emergency-center">Makenna David Pediatric Emergency Center</a> and other services such as radiology and sedation with private entrance and egress to those sites </li><li>Space for therapeutic interventions, evidence storage and consultation with law enforcement and other partners</li><li>Technology to consult virtually with the child’s care team which may include state child protective services, guardian ad litem and law enforcement.</li></ul>The pediatric forensics staff also provides regular education to medical students, family medicine providers as well as community organizations. They developed a core curriculum for the <b>Department of Community Based Services</b> in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services that includes 16 one-hour lectures. Forensics providers lead a multi-hour training to each new class of <b>Kentucky State Police</b> cadets, as well as continued education to healthcare providers in the community.<br /><br />Children who are abused and neglected may suffer immediate physical injuries, but also may have emotional and psychological problems, such as anxiety or posttraumatic stress. Over the long term, children who are abused or neglected are also at increased risk for experiencing future violence victimization and perpetration, substance abuse, sexually transmitted infections, delayed brain development, lower educational attainment, and limited employment opportunities. Chronic abuse may result in toxic stress, which can change brain development and increase the risk for problems like posttraumatic stress disorder and learning, attention, and memory difficulties. <br /><br />All Kentuckians are mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect. If you believe a child is being abused or neglected, call the Child Protection Hotline at 1-877-KYSAFE1 or 1-877-597-2331 or <a href="https://prd.webapps.chfs.ky.gov/reportabuse/home.aspx">report online.</a> </div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-43450381188946468792024-03-15T11:47:00.005-04:002024-03-15T12:05:09.812-04:00State Senate restores most Medicaid cuts made in the House<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvNIdU6x52ldN6Csi7PlNKsZTW-w8yMyRZbxXIg3BbQwhbKzXaCeUhXnBp6_wDmzUjYKGUlqS539k8E23T4bIS9AYPFQEe65czdsUUqAMfE9q63ZdPWihuf48yXhdZg5KuyQBSeMlfq6o3sZnMh0Ipow16F6CVpkRm9o3jyya-eGxtFO4Z_78OhJ0fzw/s1287/DrBillCollinsbyDeborahYetterC.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1287" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvNIdU6x52ldN6Csi7PlNKsZTW-w8yMyRZbxXIg3BbQwhbKzXaCeUhXnBp6_wDmzUjYKGUlqS539k8E23T4bIS9AYPFQEe65czdsUUqAMfE9q63ZdPWihuf48yXhdZg5KuyQBSeMlfq6o3sZnMh0Ipow16F6CVpkRm9o3jyya-eGxtFO4Z_78OhJ0fzw/s320/DrBillCollinsbyDeborahYetterC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Dr. Bill Collins treats a patient at the Red Bird Mission
dental</div><div style="text-align: left;">clinic in Clay County. The Senate budget would increase</div><div style="text-align: left;">dentists' Medicaid fees. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Ky. Lantern photo by Deborah Yetter)</span></i></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b><div style="text-align: left;"><b>By Deborah Yetter</b></div></b><div style="text-align: left;">Kentucky Lantern</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The state Senate has largely eliminated cuts to Medicaid that were proposed in the House budget. A top state official had warned the House plan would create a hole next year in the federal-state health plan that covers 1.5 million low-income Kentuckians, a third of the state's population.</div><br />“We are pleased that the Senate’s proposed budget restores funding to Medicaid so patients can continue to access the necessary health care services they’re accustomed to,” said a statement from the <b>Cabinet for Health Services</b>, which manages the $15 billion a year federal-state program.<br /><br />Cabinet Secretary Eric Friedlander <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/house-plan-would-create-a-hole-in-kentucky-medicaid-budget-senate-committee-told/">appeared</a> before the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee last month, along with John Hicks, budget director for Democratis Gov. Andy Beshear, asking the Republican-majority Senate to consider restoring the funds the House cut for the fiscal year that begins July 1.<br /><br />“This creates a hole in the Medicaid budget for Fiscal Year '25,” Hicks told the committee.<br /><br />Advocates worry the House plan could force cutbacks in Medicaid services through more than $900 million in cuts to the amount sought by Beshear.<br /><br />Republicans generally have expressed support for the Medicaid program that pumps money into hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and other medical services throughout the state—with 70% to 80% of the funding provided by the federal government. But some have expressed concern it has grown so large.<br /><br />The <b>Kentucky Center for Economic Policy</b> <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/02/13/house-budget-raises-fears-of-cuts-to-medicaid-services-enrollment/">told the Lantern</a> last month that overall, the House plan cut about $139 million in state funds Beshear sought for Medicaid in fiscal 2025, which would cause the state to forfeit another $783 in federal matching money, for a total of around $922 million.<br /><br />The Senate moved its budget bills through committee and to a final floor vote on Wednesday. Dustin Pugel, policy director for the center, said Thursday it appeared the Senate had restored most of the funds but made some cuts including a reduction in “waiver programs” for people with disabilities. <br /><br />The House plan included about $200 million — about $143 million of that in federal funds — for 2,550 new slots in <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/01/16/kentucky-legislature-asked-to-end-long-worrying-wait-lists-for-adults-with-disabilities/">Medicaid “waiver” programs</a> such as "Michelle P." that provide housing, therapy or other supports for people with disabilities. <br /><br />Thousands of people are on waiting lists for such services, which generally have been increased by only 50 or so each year.<br /><br />The Senate version reduces the number of slots over the next two budget years to 1,925.<br /><br />The Senate did not fund proposed “<a href="https://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2024/01/seven-mobile-crisis-response-grants.html" target="_blank">mobile crisis units</a>,” which were also left out of the House budget. They would provide an alternative to police intervention when someone is experiencing a mental-health crisis.<br /><br />But the Senate did include an increase in Medicaid payments for dental services, which oral-health advocates say is <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2023/07/10/politics-pay-and-too-few-dentists-barriers-to-healing-the-pain-in-kentuckians-mouths/">urgently needed</a> to attract more dentists to the program in a state with high rates of dental disease.<br /><br />Overall, Pugel said, the Senate plan is “good news for the Medicaid budget.”<br /><br />However, the budget process is far from over. The House will consider the Senate changes, and if it disagrees, as is usually the case, the budget will bedecided by a House-Senate conference committee.Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-50801785795195228672024-03-15T11:42:00.009-04:002024-03-15T21:40:15.291-04:00Anthem loses court fight to keep managing Medicaid for 172,000<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zF37WTzkWePTEXnGOEKWKop6GK2fIMkY4oS87pE7kcKQd0FAZcj8yh3oplT0hEOvAMQuLVny1bqn2Keze2zxsFcZmiVIBg2pPYoo153eSXXy10BWbI6OyfJwKciHcfn5W2fawgBKT0AsyiWS9nKSqJy4NWBCElxA9zHrdib4IfIFRMeFfTIp5MffUsM/s600/ManagedCareCountsFeb2024.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="600" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zF37WTzkWePTEXnGOEKWKop6GK2fIMkY4oS87pE7kcKQd0FAZcj8yh3oplT0hEOvAMQuLVny1bqn2Keze2zxsFcZmiVIBg2pPYoo153eSXXy10BWbI6OyfJwKciHcfn5W2fawgBKT0AsyiWS9nKSqJy4NWBCElxA9zHrdib4IfIFRMeFfTIp5MffUsM/w348-h175/ManagedCareCountsFeb2024.png" width="348" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dms/stats/KYDWMMCC20240215.pdf" target="_blank">Kentucky Medicaid dashboard</a>, which has numbers for each county;<br />FFS means "fee for service," which is separate from managed care.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kentucky Health News</span></b></div><div> </div><div><b>Anthem Kentucky</b> has failed in its attempt to remain as the manager of Medicaid coverage for about 170,000 Kentuckians, because the Kentucky Supreme Court deadlocked on the insurance company's appeal of a Court of Appeals ruling that upheld the state's decision to give the work to five other insurers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anthem <a href="https://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2020/07/in-fight-to-keep-medicaid-contract.html" target="_blank">had questioned the bidding process</a>, and Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ordered rebidding, but some of the other managed-care companies appealed, and in 2022 the state Court of Appeals <a href="https://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2022/09/in-ky-court-of-appeals-anthem-loses.html" target="_blank">overturned</a> Shepherd's decision. </div><div><br /></div><div>On Anthem's appeal to the Supreme Court, argued last week, the justices were divided 3-3, meaning that the Court of Appeals decision stands. Justices Angela McCormick Bisig of Louisville, Robert Conley of Ashland and Michelle Keller of Northern Kentucky voted to affirm the appeals court, while Justices Debra Hembree Lambert of Somerset, Christopher Shea Nickell of Paducah and Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter of Lexington voted to overturn it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The seventh justice, Justice Kelly Thompson of Bowling Green, did not hear the case and did not vote. He told Kentucky Health News that he was disqualified because he was involved in the case while he was on the Court of Appeals.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anthem had remained a Medicaid manager pending the outcome of the case. Asked what will happen to the 170,000 Medicaid members whose care the company manages, <b>Cabinet for Health and Family Services</b> spokesman Brice Mitchell said in an email, "The cabinet’s goal is for no Kentuckian to be without health coverage as it is a basic human right. We are responsible for complying with court orders and will do so once the case becomes final." That is usually 30 days after a decision, the deadline for asking the court to rehear the case.<br /><br />The current managed-care contracts expire at the end of 2024, so Anthem will have another chance to get part of the business from the program, which spends $15 billion a year in Kentucky, more than 70 percent of it federal money.</div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-63831427699731495482024-03-15T11:35:00.004-04:002024-03-15T11:36:46.282-04:00Baptist settles dispute with Humana, but not United and WellCare<b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDURwMX4A61DzZL_4TFwEzMGzNhJWC2eArTgruNEwHQlvlxxZGNInJA9h1Le8kOxtyivhc4EQ5eXSUNMQk9rwt8FN1I-pDZVOHqk-Qi9H_QhYEq-C4wEChemXI6Auzcw4uWVFRJmRQ_EMUBtHZI1S9ZNBzCi-b-5Djueb-gbGVBNoJgYRVv5qUtgdnggk/s700/baptisthealthlexington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="700" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDURwMX4A61DzZL_4TFwEzMGzNhJWC2eArTgruNEwHQlvlxxZGNInJA9h1Le8kOxtyivhc4EQ5eXSUNMQk9rwt8FN1I-pDZVOHqk-Qi9H_QhYEq-C4wEChemXI6Auzcw4uWVFRJmRQ_EMUBtHZI1S9ZNBzCi-b-5Djueb-gbGVBNoJgYRVv5qUtgdnggk/s320/baptisthealthlexington.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Baptist Health Lexington</i></td></tr></tbody></table>By Deborah Yetter<br /></b>Kentucky Lantern<br /><br /><b>Baptist Health</b> and <b>Humana</b> have ended a months-long standoff over Kentuckians with health coverage through Medicare Advantage and commercial insurance plans, the companies said Thursday, March 14. But Kentucky's biggest hospital chain is still on the outs with two other major insurers.<br /><br />Effective April 1, Baptist physicians again will accept those patients as “in network”— meaning they would not be subject to potentially higher costs or limits on services.<br /><br />The news, which affects tens of thousands of Kentuckians including many state retirees, was announced through separate press releases.<br /><br />“After several months of productive negotiations, Humana is pleased to have reached a new, multi-year agreement with Baptist Health Kentucky,” Eric Bohannon, Humana Medicare regional president, said in the release.<br /><br />Baptist hailed the move as good for patient care. “We are committed to improving the health of our communities and our goal is to ensure every patient the high-quality, timely care needed,” said Dr. Isaac J. Myers II, chief health integration officer for Baptist Health.<br /><br />The releases didn’t explain how the companies resolved differences that led Baptist Health to drop Humana as a network provider for its physicians on Sept. 22.<br /><br />Medicare Advantage plans, which oversee health care for most Medicare enrollees, including about 102,000 Kentucky state-government retirees, have been a growing <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/01/23/citing-denials-delays-baptist-health-ends-contracts-with-two-more-medicare-advantage-carriers/">source of contention</a> between health providers and the private insurance companies that offer them.<br /><br />Baptist <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/01/23/citing-denials-delays-baptist-health-ends-contracts-with-two-more-medicare-advantage-carriers/">has cited</a> delays in payments and denial of care by such private insurers as the source of dispute.<br /><br />“The concerns we face with Medicare Advantage plans are similar to the concerns expressed by many providers across the country and echoed by hospital associations that represent them: coverage criteria applied by the plans result in denials and delays of medically necessary care to our patients,” Baptist spokeswoman Kit Fullenlove Barry said in January.<br /><br />Effective Jan. 1, Baptist also <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/01/23/citing-denials-delays-baptist-health-ends-contracts-with-two-more-medicare-advantage-carriers/">ended agreements</a> with <b>United HealthCare</b> and <b>Wellcare for Medicare Advantage</b> coverage for services including physician and hospital care — meaning all such care is considered out of network. Barry said Baptist has not reached agreements with United or Wellcare.<br /><br />The growth of Medicare Advantage plans has been a source of increasing concern to advocates who argue that patients suffer through practices such as denials of care, delays while care is authorized and other restrictions.<br /><br />Among those advocates is longtime Louisville health reform activist Kay Tillow, who told the Kentucky Lantern in January that such plans are sacrificing the benefits of Medicare for seniors. “The profit motive is destroying patient care,” she said.<br /><br />Insurance companies that provide Medicare Advantage plans argue they offer better care at less cost and, in some cases, extra benefits to seniors. But they are able to do that through limiting benefits and patient choices.Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-85207056161124207682024-03-14T19:04:00.012-04:002024-03-17T22:36:51.424-04:00Website that helps Kentuckians find addiction treatment now helps them find naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses<span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-size: small; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-wXjZzIciaDoigQC6nYK-kdiqaIA5fJEtKZfi539p2Y0QTyP7Agc6m9wncbxf7u7PZbrOO8lhrXsLqkP4qX7_pI2N0apiZnf0V2CoVV7VTQpHDBjdW_MGXxx_UDuKR4GjT3jbCACTecPBV3pms-3xkh7djrYwq_aR43Qge8eI1VSwKtC2FJiFk39Aos/s1200/Narcan.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-wXjZzIciaDoigQC6nYK-kdiqaIA5fJEtKZfi539p2Y0QTyP7Agc6m9wncbxf7u7PZbrOO8lhrXsLqkP4qX7_pI2N0apiZnf0V2CoVV7VTQpHDBjdW_MGXxx_UDuKR4GjT3jbCACTecPBV3pms-3xkh7djrYwq_aR43Qge8eI1VSwKtC2FJiFk39Aos/s320/Narcan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo from Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kentucky Health News</span></b><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div>The <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZmluZGhlbHBub3cub3JnL2t5IiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDMxNC45MTgyNzg0MSJ9.wvyXwDSNKwX-kX56DTa6KX_AqKu0iJPof_WqG8USVn4/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">FindHelpNowKy.org</a> website, which helps Kentuckians find addiction treatment, now also can help them find places to get naloxone, which reverses opioid overdose. <br /><br />The website, which has been used over 240,000 times to facilities since its inception in 2018, now also includes social-services resources and locators for recovery housing and mental-health treatment.<div><br /></div><div>In 2022, <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDcsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vdW5zaGFtZWt5Lm9yZy8iLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwMzE0LjkxODI3ODQxIn0.Oqt8hyqNYmmeN4whG0Ac6CjDkJWnCM4J_Z7x8KUhuPg/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">a Kentucky survey</a> found that 73 percent of respondents said they didn't know where to get naloxone, often known by the leading brand, <b>Narcan</b>.<br /><br />“We are making it easier for Kentuckians to find the life-saving help they need,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a press release. “While there is always more work to be done, we are taking another step forward on our mission to help our families fight and overcome addiction.” <br /><br />Naloxone has become more available thanks to retailers, grants, reduction of stigma associated with addiction, and proactive distribution by community organizations,local health departments, recovery centers and regional prevention centers, the release said.<br /><br />In addition to the central hub of <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZmluZGhlbHBub3cub3JnL2t5IiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDMxNC45MTgyNzg0MSJ9.P1ptl--ckOLBQgFps_xDrQcg0H-ayCdYIvtD_CijR9w/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">FindHelpNowKy.org</a>, some of the services can also be reached at <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZmluZGhlbHBub3cub3JnL2t5L21lbnRhbGhlYWx0aCIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyNDAzMTQuOTE4Mjc4NDEifQ.m2OX_lIrV8tC8k1NJIQKeefRigEspnNInrF9fit_Uvs/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">FindMentalHealthNowKy.org</a>; <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDQsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZpbmRyZWNvdmVyeWhvdXNpbmdub3dreS5vcmcvIiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDMxNC45MTgyNzg0MSJ9.mWZGjlsvZRVGlKaMBGR_lzinwR0Mavs2BKims8_PP_4/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">FindRecoveryHousingNowKy.org</a> and <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZmluZG5hbG94b25lLmt5Lmdvdi9QYWdlcy9pbmRleC5hc3B4IiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDMxNC45MTgyNzg0MSJ9.OExVsa6_RBSr7Buce7WnCprx9GME9nJdhMn757RDXEM/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">FindNaloxoneNowKy.org</a>. The latter website provides overdose prevention and response training relevant to people most likely to witness overdose.<br /><br />“People can and do recover from addiction and mental health issues,” said state Health Secretary Eric Friedlander said. “And our goal of bundling these services in one central location will only make that journey to recovery easier across the continuum of risk.” <br /><br />The collaborators on this website are the <b>Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center</b> and the state departments for Public Health and Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. <br /><br />“Addiction and mental health issues affect Kentuckians in every county and every ZIP code,” said Dr. Katie Marks, commisisoner of the latter department. “There should be no shame in seeking help and no barriers to finding evidence-based, compassionate care and treatment. These website updates address that at its core – getting our fellow Kentuckians on their road to recovery with resources that are close in proximity and right for them.” <br /><br />The <b>National Alliance on Mental Illness</b> says 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year. In Kentucky, 189,000 adults are <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDYsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5hbWkub3JnL05BTUkvbWVkaWEvTkFNSS1NZWRpYS9TdGF0ZUZhY3RTaGVldHMvS2VudHVja3lTdGF0ZUZhY3RTaGVldC5wZGYiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwMzE0LjkxODI3ODQxIn0.k5-WefSonFgdJKG1GEbmtvgMD5ZeTRV1nA7LennbBLg/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">reported</a> as having a serious mental illness, the release said.<br /><br />If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, the KY HELP Call Center can connect you to treatment by calling 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357). Visit the <b>Kentucky State Police </b><a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMTMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmtlbnR1Y2t5c3RhdGVwb2xpY2Uua3kuZ292L2tzcC1wb3N0LW1hcCIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyNDAzMTQuOTE4Mjc4NDEifQ.3m7ds0FpVa4laiZP7W_81U0O8mlmTgTiXzc-e-vYuP4/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">website</a> to find a police post where those suffering from addiction can be paired with a local officer who will assist with locating an appropriate treatment program through KSP’s <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMTQsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmtlbnR1Y2t5c3RhdGVwb2xpY2Uua3kuZ292L2FuZ2VsLWluaXRpYXRpdmUiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwMzE0LjkxODI3ODQxIn0.MCJFGop_y6ZttDZnPuvvQowAZPuqrgwlvv0j5tov8Tg/s/610298504/br/238865324752-l">Angel Initiative</a>. Call, text, or online chat 988 to connect with suicide-prevention, mental-health and substance-use-disorder counselors. They are available to all Kentuckians 24/7/365, the release said.</div></div></span>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-86086117768330207052024-03-14T13:10:00.005-04:002024-03-14T13:10:52.788-04:00Physician who treats only seniors endorses CDC recommendation that everyone over 65 should get a Covid-19 booster this spring<b>By Laurie Archbald-Pannone<br /></b>Associate professor of medicine and geriatrics, University of Virginia<br /><br />In my mind, the spring season will always be associated with Covid-19.<br /><br />In spring 2020, the federal government <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/18/2020-05794/declaring-a-national-emergency-concerning-the-novel-coronavirus-disease-covid-19-outbreak">declared a nationwide emergency</a>, and life drastically changed. Schools and businesses closed, and masks and social distancing were mandated across much of the nation.<br /><br />In spring 2021, after the vaccine rollout, the <b>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</b> said those who were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 could <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/13/health/cdc-mask-guidance-vaccinated/index.html">safely gather with others who were vaccinated</a> without masks or social distancing.<br /><br />In spring 2022, with the increased rates of vaccination across the U.S., the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/26/world/covid-19-mandates-cases-vaccine#hawaii-lifts-its-indoor-mask-mandate-and-travel-restrictions-the-last-state-to-do-so">universal indoor mask mandate</a> came to an end. In spring 2023, the federal declaration of Covid-19 as a <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/09/fact-sheet-end-of-the-covid-19-public-health-emergency.html">public health emergency ended</a>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVf3mLC7eq9sua6ClDUZqhGZwBbGSoAYaaV4FBhsinRBGisO9a8ymD7KhdZLosxX0HU-pZYnvG_Ba1WE14yOaNB8UFlRLCwo4lJ5LkYui5dKyiD7FQhk2goiSrplTew6dljSsMULWZYd_mQpjWe3nvhz5Jd_DJMNWEegZYiNV3zb0GxwLkk-qAqxJNfk/s600/vaccinationSeniorLifestyle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVf3mLC7eq9sua6ClDUZqhGZwBbGSoAYaaV4FBhsinRBGisO9a8ymD7KhdZLosxX0HU-pZYnvG_Ba1WE14yOaNB8UFlRLCwo4lJ5LkYui5dKyiD7FQhk2goiSrplTew6dljSsMULWZYd_mQpjWe3nvhz5Jd_DJMNWEegZYiNV3zb0GxwLkk-qAqxJNfk/s320/vaccinationSeniorLifestyle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo from <b>Senior Lifestyle</b></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>Now, as spring 2024 fast approaches, the CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s-0228-covid.html#:~:text=CDC%20Newsroom%20Releases-,Older%20Adults%20Now%20Able%20to%20Receive,of%20Updated%20COVID%2D19%20Vaccine&text=Today%2C%20CDC%20Director%20Mandy%20Cohen,2024%20COVID%2D19%20vaccine%20dose." target="_blank">reminds</a> Americans that even though the public-health emergency is over, the risks associated with Covid-19 are not. But those risks are higher in some groups than others. So the agency recommends that adults age 65 and older receive an <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/s-0228-covid.html">additional Covid-19 vaccine</a>, which is <a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/updated-covid-vaccine-10-things-to-know">updated to protect against a recently dominant variant</a> and is effective against the current dominant strain.The shot is <a href="https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-vaccine">covered by Medicare</a>. But do you really need yet another Covid-19 shot?<br /><br /><a href="https://uvahealth.com/findadoctor/Laurie-Archbald-Pannone-1356544233">As a geriatrician</a> who exclusively cares for people over 65 years of age, this is a question I’ve been asked many times over the past few years.<br /><br />In early 2024, the short answer is yes.<br /><br />Compared with other age groups, <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-who-is-at-risk/art-20483301">older adults have the worst outcomes</a> with a Covid-19 infection. Increased age is, simply put, a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html#">major risk factor</a>.<br /><br />In January 2024, the average death rate from Covid-19 for all ages was <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographicsovertime">just under 3 in 100,000 people</a>. But for those ages 65 to 74, <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/older-adults-made-90-us-covid-deaths-2023">it was higher</a> – about 5 for every 100,000. And for people 75 and older, the rate jumped to nearly 30 in 100,000.<br /><br />Even now, four years after the start of the pandemic, people 65 years old and up are about twice as likely to die from Covid-19 than the rest of the population. People 75 years old and up are <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographicsovertime">10 times more likely to die</a> from Covid.<div><br /><b>Vaccination is still essential<br /></b><br />These numbers are scary. But the No. 1 action people can take to decrease their risk <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/p0301-respiratory-virus.html">is to get vaccinated</a> and keep up to date on vaccinations to ensure top immune response. Being appropriately vaccinated is as critical in 2024 as it was in 2021 to help prevent infection, hospitalization and death from Covid-19.<br /><br />The <a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/updated-covid-vaccine-10-things-to-know">updated Covid-19 vaccine</a> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html">has been shown to be safe and effective</a>, with the benefits of vaccination continuing to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7035e5.htm">outweigh the potential risks of infection</a>.<br /><br />The CDC has been observing side effects on the more than 230 million Americans <a href="https://usafacts.org/visualizations/covid-vaccine-tracker-states/">who are considered fully vaccinated</a> with what it calls the “<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/reporting-systems.html#">most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history</a>.” Common side effects <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect.html">soon after receiving the vaccine</a> include discomfort at the injection site, transient muscle or joint aches, and fever.<br /><br />These symptoms can be alleviated with over-the-counter pain medicines or a cold compress to the site after receiving the vaccine. Side effects are less likely if you are well hydrated when you get your vaccine.<br /><br />Repeat infections carry increased risk, not just from the infection itself, but also for developing long Covid <a href="https://time.com/6553340/covid-19-reinfection-risk/">as well as other illnesses</a>. Recent evidence shows that even mild to moderate Covid-19 infection can negatively affect cognition, with changes similar to seven years of brain aging. But being up to date with Covid-19 immunization has a <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccination-dramatically-lowers-long-covid-risk/">fourfold decrease in risk of developing long Covid symptoms</a> if you do get infected.<br /><br />Known as <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fragi.2022.900028">immunosenescence</a>, this puts people at higher risk of infection, including severe infection, and decreased ability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.it.2020.11.002">maintain immune response to vaccination </a> as they get older. The older one gets – over 75, or over 65 with other medical conditions – the more immunosenescence takes effect.<br /><br />All this is why, if you’re in this age group, even if you received your last Covid-19 vaccine in fall 2023, the spring 2024 shot is still essential to boost your immune system so it can act quickly if you are exposed to the virus.<br /><br />The bottom line: If you’re 65 or older, it’s time for another Covid-19 shot.<div><br /></div><div><i>This article was <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-vaccines-cdc-says-people-ages-65-and-up-should-get-a-shot-this-spring-a-geriatrician-explains-why-its-vitally-important-224838" target="_blank">republished</a> from <b>The Conversation</b>, a platform for journalism by academics.</i></div></div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-78300386192442544342024-03-13T22:11:00.001-04:002024-03-14T12:37:44.151-04:00If you are diagnosed with cancer and you smoke, that's one more reason to stop, says UK doctor who co-chaired national surveySmokers who have cancer have a better chance of overcoming the disease if they stop smoking, but not all cancer-treatment programs do a good job of encouraging patients to quit, according to a national quality improvement project led by the <b>American College of Surgeons</b>.<div><br />"The results, published in <a href="https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/OP.23.00393"><b><i>JCO Oncology Practice</i></b></a>, represent one of the largest national surveys examining the quality of tobacco treatment in cancer care in a wide range of clinical oncology settings, including academic facilities and community cancer programs," says a news release about the study.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArck1wROi5fOD4V83WFlXg6INDjpqjRCsxqXrsa0ZXIhZwYWGI7JeqTw4TrMUNiMOxy8XQrxHXhbSPBIIB01VuX4XeWeQRzY0W_ah8y3msR4quNcwqNZFl_cheipAFQDaGQLldkOrAZnjuulDy6AmqwqEoqbbVvD6I-m-qtUSNpKAqq1S1OCOv8d02ag/s284/TimothyMullettC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="222" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArck1wROi5fOD4V83WFlXg6INDjpqjRCsxqXrsa0ZXIhZwYWGI7JeqTw4TrMUNiMOxy8XQrxHXhbSPBIIB01VuX4XeWeQRzY0W_ah8y3msR4quNcwqNZFl_cheipAFQDaGQLldkOrAZnjuulDy6AmqwqEoqbbVvD6I-m-qtUSNpKAqq1S1OCOv8d02ag/w156-h200/TimothyMullettC.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Timothy Mullett, M.D.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>“While many people understand the role of tobacco in terms of causing cancer, they may not understand the impact that tobacco use has when patients are being treated for cancer,” said Dr. Timothy Mullett, medical director of the Markey Cancer Center Network at the <b>University of Kentucky</b>, chair of the surgeons' college <a href="https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer-programs/commission-on-cancer/">Commission on Cancer</a> and co-author of the study.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Many providers may not think about tobacco cessation in terms of treatment,” Mullett said in the release. “But just like there are effective treatments for high blood pressure or thyroid disease, there are effective treatments for tobacco use. That’s the disconnect we’re trying to highlight in this study.”</div><div><br />Mullett said persistent smoking among patients diagnosed with cancer is associated with many treatment-related complications, including recurrence of the cancer, premature death, and increased treatment costs, Despite these risk factors, polls suggest that nearly 25% of new patients with cancer are smokers, and of the estimated 18 million cancer survivors in the U.S., 16% report they smoke. Many patients report wanting to quit, but fewer than 10% are successful.<br /><br />The <a href="https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer-programs/pdsa-just-ask/">survey</a> by leaders of the surgeons' group found that only 42% of the cancer-treatment programs reported documenting a smoking-cessation treatment plan, 41% reported regularly assisting patients with quitting , providing self-help information (27%), individual counseling (18.2%), and referring patients to an affiliated tobacco treatment program (26%). Only 18% reported regularly prescribing medications for smoking cessation.</div><div><br /></div><div>“We showed that incorporating tobacco treatment into cancer treatment is feasible and that it can be done in large and small programs,” Mullett said. “Incorporating resources and referrals on tobacco treatment into cancer care requires training and time. Both of those are hard to find in a busy cancer practice, but we need information like this to be recognized by facilities so they can put resources into tobacco treatment and help connect patients with effective resources on tobacco cessation.”<br /></div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-71950959570965142632024-03-13T00:10:00.013-04:002024-03-13T18:11:50.998-04:00Contrary to Trump's musings, McConnell says efforts to repeal the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are 'largely over'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid30mU63kI2_33hyE6htwqob2kAvRg6gzKEhWL7mFnrWwQGPiBxm3B5ppU7J2435kgGt_62efw_dF6FZcLrmRzeaPb1-z7F-Hk-z1T57HjQID3Vqrmw-_8ThFe9v29F-jSUBM-91L3EIx8esVIfMAqm-ueksXChJEXTqaE1r94SI4HsjbHFxKGvDdVTbQ/s885/McConnell3-7-24ShawnThew,pool,viaAP.jpg" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="885" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid30mU63kI2_33hyE6htwqob2kAvRg6gzKEhWL7mFnrWwQGPiBxm3B5ppU7J2435kgGt_62efw_dF6FZcLrmRzeaPb1-z7F-Hk-z1T57HjQID3Vqrmw-_8ThFe9v29F-jSUBM-91L3EIx8esVIfMAqm-ueksXChJEXTqaE1r94SI4HsjbHFxKGvDdVTbQ/w640-h374/McConnell3-7-24ShawnThew,pool,viaAP.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell waited for President Biden to arrive for the State of the Union speech Thursday, March 7, in the House chamber. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Pool photo by Shawn Thew, via Associated Press)</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Kentucky Health News</b><p>Obamacare, now into its second decade, is pretty much here to stay.</p><p>So says Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, contradicting former President Trump’s comments that he is still looking at ways to repeal and replace the 2010 law.</p><p>“We had a fight over that a few years ago,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday, referring to how Republicans fell short of doing that in 2017 because a few of them opposed the reversal.<br /><br />“If he can develop a base for revisiting that issue, obviously we’d take a look at it, but it seems to me that’s largely over,” McConnell said of the repeal-and-replace effort, which never had a replacement measure.<br /><br />McConnell's statement "gave voice to the view shared by many Republican senators that the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, will be the law of the land for the foreseeable future," <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4527053-mcconnell-battle-to-repeal-affordable-care-act-largely-over/" target="_blank">writes</a> Alexander Bolton of <b>The Hill</b>.<br /><br />McConnell endorsed Trump last week, despite their serious differences over more than three years. He said Tuesday, “I’m going to leave the issue development in the presidential campaign up to the campaign.”<br /><br />Trump said he is “seriously looking at alternatives” if he is elected and Republicans keep control of the House and regain control of the Senate.<br /><br />“The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives,” Trump wrote on his <b>Truth Social</b> site last year. “We had a couple of Republican senators who campaigned for six years against it, and then raised their hands not to terminate it. It was a low point for the Republican Party, but we should never give up!”<br /><br />Trump exaggerated or misstated the campaign positions of Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who "voted with Democrats to defeat a narrowed-down proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act without putting a new health care subsidy program into effect," Bolton notes.</p><p>President Biden defended the law during last week's State of the Union speech.<br /></p><p>“Over 100 million of you can no longer be denied health insurance because of a preexisting conditions. But my predecessor and many in this chamber want to take — the prescription drug away by repealing the Affordable Care Act. I’m not going to let that happen. We stopped you 50 times before, and we’ll stop you again.”</p><p>The main impact of the law in Kentucky has been the expansion of Medicaid to households with annual incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty threshold. In February, 1.56 million Kentuckians, more than a third of the state's population, were enrolled in the federal-state program. For details, with county-by-county numbers, go to <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dms/stats/KYDWMMCC20240215.pdf">https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dms/stats/KYDWMMCC20240215.pdf</a>.</span></p>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-47627102468421102212024-03-12T22:11:00.007-04:002024-03-12T23:05:09.287-04:00Coleman wants opioid commission to shift focus to prevention, especially among youth; leaves small door open to ibogaine<p><b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News </p><p>Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman laid out his mission for the next phase of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission Tuesday, calling on them to focus on building a "gold-standard statewide prevention program" with settlements paid by opioid makers and distributors.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhz0_-px2yzAtEywFXbe5Vx1ZPHfSKodqvXQoRobJ-r489QZZwJf2flffWaW9ri_TDLryAm5pw_qiw8EZsCQQjhEdvgNqxk3OfYPIWC_UZUc0-EN3GUnojjAmdOEbxJgrR4eKnAASC7BzAXldckx5XkhpidL79ladr7JuWiN88XwNxatB0wohcG-igR5E/s4312/Attorney%20General%20Coleman%20delivers%20remarks%20to%20the%20Kentucky%20Opioid%20Abatement%20Advisory%20Commission,%20cropped.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3271" data-original-width="4312" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhz0_-px2yzAtEywFXbe5Vx1ZPHfSKodqvXQoRobJ-r489QZZwJf2flffWaW9ri_TDLryAm5pw_qiw8EZsCQQjhEdvgNqxk3OfYPIWC_UZUc0-EN3GUnojjAmdOEbxJgrR4eKnAASC7BzAXldckx5XkhpidL79ladr7JuWiN88XwNxatB0wohcG-igR5E/w304-h231/Attorney%20General%20Coleman%20delivers%20remarks%20to%20the%20Kentucky%20Opioid%20Abatement%20Advisory%20Commission,%20cropped.jpeg" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attorney General Russell Coleman (<i>Photo provided</i>) </td></tr></tbody></table>"It's a plan of zealous collaboration, zealous collaboration," he said. "To be successful, the Office of the Attorney General and this commission must have a strong partnership. We must also further connect this body with organizations throughout our commonwealth . . . to focus on that necessary three-legged stool of treatment, prevention and enforcement." <p></p><p>Coleman called on the commission to focus on prevention as it considers the coming round of grant applications. "I encourage you to place a strong emphasis on boosting Kentucky’s critically needed prevention efforts," he said.</p><p>Coleman added that his office is in the midst of developing new youth prevention initiatives that focus on education. </p><p>"When we're in an environment where children are experimenting with these dangerous substances as early as 11 – we're seeing it in late elementary school – we have to have conversations with our kids earlier and earlier," he said. Later adding, "It's our responsibility, yours and mine, to prepare them for this threat they are facing in a new threat environment." </p><p>When asked what his vision for a statewide prevention program would look like, Coleman told reporters that it will be important to look at what states such as Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Mississippi are doing. </p><p>He said Virginia has a robust "one pill can kill" prevention effort and Mississippi had rolled out a "very creative approach that uses name, image and likeness of Ole Miss players to be able to engage and get that message out there, to permeate in the social media space. I would love to institute a program here that looks a lot like what is ongoing in the state of Mississippi." </p><p>As for treatment and enforcement, Coleman said Kentucky is doing a great job in most of the state when it comes to treatment beds, and he told reporters that the drug cartels in Mexico are doing a great job of getting these substances into the U.S., which means collaboration is key, saying there is a need to "tear down the silos between federal, state and local" enforcement efforts.</p>"Again, we have to do very strong enforcement piece, but it has to be alongside a stronger prevention effort and continuing to treat our addicted neighbors," he said. <div><br /><div>In Kentucky, half of the nearly $900 million in settlement money is being distributed among cities and counties, and the other half is controlled by the commission, which is housed in Coleman's office.</div><div><br /></div><div>So far, the commission has <a href="https://www.ag.ky.gov/Priorities/Tackling-the-Drug-Epidemic/Pages/Opioid-Abatement-Grants-Map.aspx" target="_blank">awarded</a> 59 grants totaling about $21.5 million, with 23 aimed at prevention, totaling about $8 million; and 36 toward treatment and recovery, totaling about $13 million – but in addition to $10.5 million the legislature allocated in 2022 for behavioral-health treatment as an option to incarceration in Clark, Christian, Daviess, Greenup, Hopkins, Kenton, Knox, Mason, McCracken and Warren counties.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, only about a fourth of the total state funding from the settlements has gone to prevention, which Coleman wants to emphasize.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ibogaine</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Coleman asked the commission to drop a proposal by its previous director to fund research aimed at legalizing the psychedelic drug ibogaine for drug treatment, saying he had given the idea "careful study, thorough consideration and honest conversation." <br /><br />"In that spirit, I respectfully ask this commission to step back from previous proposals to allocate $42 million to ibogaine research and the unproven, expensive clinical trial for a psychedelic that is, as you know, currently a Schedule 1 drug in the United States."</div><div><br /></div><div>Noting that some call the settlements "blood money," he said "This is too precious to gamble away with that degree of risk at that amount."</div><div><br /></div><div>He said he will ask Commission Director Chris Evans to propose a $5 million pool of resources for research and innovation grants that could be open to applications for funding research on ibogaine. <br /><br />"If someone brings forward an ibogaine research proposal that fits the criteria of this new innovative grant proposal, I hope this commission will give it full and fair consideration," he said. "It's not zero sum."</div><div><br /></div><div>Ibogaine is a psychedelic derived from the African iboga plant. It is illegal everywhere except Mexico and New Zealand and has been reported to reduce or eliminate drug-withdrawal symptoms, but comes with some risk to the heart in some people. </div><div><br /></div><div>The proposal to commit about 5 percent of the settlement money on clinical trials that could lead to federal approval of the ibogaine for treatment of opioid-use disorder was led by former director Bryan Hubbard, who had been appointed by then-Attorney General Daniel Cameron.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Hubbard is continuing this effort in Ohio. The <b>Lexington Herald-Leader </b><a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article283978063.html" target="_blank">reported</a> in late February that he has signed a contract with the State of Ohio. Hubbard <a href="https://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2024/02/bryan-hubbard-who-wanted-ky-to-help.html" target="_blank">told</a> the newspaper he is working for the state to “deliver novel treatment access and research opportunities for veterans and opioid-dependent individuals” and is partnering with an Ohio-based foundation to “create the framework for ibogaine clinical trials in Ohio.”</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bipartisan praise from commission</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Commission member Karen Butcher, whose son died of an opioid overdose, told Coleman that she was pleased that ibogaine could still be considered for clinical research. "It's no secret that I've been the loudest proponent for that," she said. </div><div><br /></div><div>State Health Secretary Eric Friedlander, after describing himself as on the other end of the spectrum in support of ibogaine, praised the vision of Coleman, who is a Republican.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I want to thank you. You're laying out a vision for us. You're here with us today. You are really taking the bold step and the responsible step and the brave step of putting yourself out there. Giving us a vision around prevention, addressing head-on some of the things that we haven't agreed on in this committee," said Friedlander, who works for Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.</div><div><br /></div><div>Commission member Jason Roop, a pastor who has said he is in recovery, called on Coleman to not lose sight of the fact that addiction is generational, saying it is important to tackle this problem holistically and not in silos: "I would encourage all of us to consider addiction from a holistic standpoint, prevention, treatment, law enforcement, all of it kind of going together to represent our efforts."</div></div>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-5037937360823065222024-03-11T23:52:00.004-04:002024-03-11T23:55:12.498-04:00Bill aimed at curbing Kentucky's youth 'vaping epidemic' passes House; Ky. Youth Advocates calls on Senate to make it stronger<p><b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News</p><p>A bill to curb what its sponsor called the youth "vaping epidemic" in Kentucky passed the state House on Monday and is now in the Senate. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBB3kckIg-ZlDnlKGvkd-41yRSSJkzfUBpEHmApE6M0SJrNgr2Ku2XrqXIZIrgiDbFzMMl0efZyllUO961-ORgtb145jXgLJSJmSS892-TchOQOXZZZboO4CZO-qQo3M_xvsc-feRxvMRGGgLNC7-eqKQZOIpXE_H1M_vdREUiUv8wCCwYQLgXFidUKPI/s4429/Rep.%20Raymer.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4429" data-original-width="3543" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBB3kckIg-ZlDnlKGvkd-41yRSSJkzfUBpEHmApE6M0SJrNgr2Ku2XrqXIZIrgiDbFzMMl0efZyllUO961-ORgtb145jXgLJSJmSS892-TchOQOXZZZboO4CZO-qQo3M_xvsc-feRxvMRGGgLNC7-eqKQZOIpXE_H1M_vdREUiUv8wCCwYQLgXFidUKPI/w160-h200/Rep.%20Raymer.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rep. Rebecca Raymer</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Sponsor Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, told her colleagues that she was inspired to work on the issue after hearing from school officials across the state about how "rampant the vaping is in our schools." <p></p><p>Raymer said there is a "vaping epidemic," and most vape products being confiscated from students are not even authorized by the federal <b>Food and Drug Administration</b>. </p>House Bill 11 passed on a 62-26 vote, with concerns voiced from members of both parties that it would do little to stop youth from vaping, but would harm small vaping businesses. <div><br /></div><div>The bill would require businesses that sell vaping products to acknowledge that in their annual business filings with the secretary of state, who would share it monthly with the <b>Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control </b>and the state <b>Department of Revenue. </b>ABC would then be responsible for creating a system that identifies and publishes the retailers who violate the law.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bill would fine retailers $100 to $500 for a first offense of selling vaping products to anyone under 21, which is consistent with existing law. The penalty for a second offense would be $1,000 and $5,000 for a third violation. A retailer with a fourth violation in two years would be banned from selling vapes. The bill also sets fines for manufacturers and wholesalers. </div><div><br /></div><div>Terry Brooks, executive director of <b>Kentucky Youth Advocates</b>, lauded the bill's passage, saying it takes important steps to reduce youth access to addictive nicotine products. But he called for teh Senate to strengthen it. <br /><br /></div><div>"Provisions of this bill will provide a more complete understanding of the retail landscape by creating a database of tobacco and nicotine product retailers, which is a critical first step to ensure that bad actors selling to underage kids are penalized," Brooks said in a news release. "But the ability to hold retailers accountable for responsibly selling tobacco and nicotine products relies on regular compliance checks for underage sales violations."</div><div><br /></div><div>He added, "Youth have been targeted with flavored vape products and can quickly become dependent, but there are opportunities to stop this cycle. As HB 11 advances, we hope this bill can go even further by ensuring that regular compliance checks are included in statute." </div><div><br /></div><div>Legislators heard a similar plea from Mallory Jones, a junior at <b>George Rogers Clark High School</b> in Winchester, at the March 7 committee hearing. <br /><br />"Addressing the source of these products is critical to reducing youth access and initiation of nicotine, but the rules are only as good as the enforcement that we put behind them," she said. <br /><br /><a href="https://nccd.cdc.gov/Youthonline/App/Results.aspx?TT=G&OUT=0&SID=HS&QID=QQ&LID=KY&YID=2021&LID2=XX&YID2=2021&COL=T&ROW1=N&ROW2=N&HT=QQ&LCT=LL&FS=S1&FR=R1&FG=G1&FA=A1&FI=I1&FP=P1&FSL=S1&FRL=R1&FGL=G1&FAL=A1&FIL=I1&FPL=P1&PV=&TST=True&C1=KY2021&C2=XX2021&QP=G&DP=1&VA=CI&CS=Y&SYID=&EYID=&SC=DEFAULT&SO=ASC&PF=1">According</a> to the 2021 Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, 45% of Kentucky's high-school students said they had used an electronic vapor product, 22% of them were current users, 8% were frequent users, and 7% used the products daily. <br /><br />Asked how they got them, 12% said they usually bought them at a convenience store, supermarket, discount store or gas station. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.education.ky.gov/districts/enrol/Documents/2021%20Middle%20School%20Summary%20Tables.pdf" target="_blank">Among</a> Kentucky middle-school students, 24% said they had ever used an electronic vapor product, 11% said they were current users; nearly 3% said they were frequent users, and 2% said they used the products daily. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Opposition to the bill</b></div><div><br /></div><div>During the House debate, Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, said she opposed the bill because it would ban products meant to be used by adults.</div><div><p>“This is being proposed as something that is designed to reduce harm in minor children, when in reality it will do no such thing. These products are already illegal,” she said. “What it will do is harm Kentucky’s businesses.”</p><p>Rep. Rachel Roarx, D-Louisville, brought up the concerns voiced by vape-shop owners to the committee, including documentation that showed convenience stores are the bad actors when it comes to selling vapes to minors, and their concerns that the only FDA-approved products have high nicotine levels. She also voiced her concerns that this bill is "granting a monopoly to certain companies." </p><p>Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, said over 90% of his 4,000 emails and phone calls about the bill, many of them small business owners, had asked him to vote against it.</p><p>He said "The real problems [are] flavoring and marketing that target our kids," and called for "stricter controls and enforcement for those who sell to minors, and regulate both the potency and the purity of these products. Rather than us ceding control to the FDA, who has done nothing effective about this. I too want to protect our kids."</p><p>Raymer said several times that the FDA has been granted authority to regulate these products, and that this bill is simply following what the FDA says.</p><p>"I don't think the FDA has done a great job in going through this list, but that is what we have to work with," she said. " And this is how we get the products that are being geared towards these minors off the shelf and products that have gone through no safety checks, we don't know what's in them. . . . They're not just harmful for youth, they're harmful for all Kentucky consumers."</p></div>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-6772101813335212302024-03-11T21:57:00.027-04:002024-03-17T22:38:09.845-04:00State health chief says measles risk stems from pandemic's anti-vaccine 'ideologies'; discusses how to lose weight, need for sleep<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cprG1mKRP7hdB_R3OpQd6ZG5QSDomffmTpjgci8eCPuvZYYTBhsXkWHm9o9oj-Mt5ts3eaYpK909naTbX91-DCr31uEEi-1ttgSq1_66A2DqxTSz9Lxq743NNuz_3Fj5a5OnHCHeuvArU6bl8lHh466cJOHxJzq5sTVFPA5BEBKWZMyegaamed2HrKU/s969/BillBryantStevenStack.jpg" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="969" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cprG1mKRP7hdB_R3OpQd6ZG5QSDomffmTpjgci8eCPuvZYYTBhsXkWHm9o9oj-Mt5ts3eaYpK909naTbX91-DCr31uEEi-1ttgSq1_66A2DqxTSz9Lxq743NNuz_3Fj5a5OnHCHeuvArU6bl8lHh466cJOHxJzq5sTVFPA5BEBKWZMyegaamed2HrKU/w640-h342/BillBryantStevenStack.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>WKYT news anchor Bill Bryant, </i>left,<i> interviews state Health Commissioner Steven Stack, M.D.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><i>This story has been updated.</i><div><b>By Al Cross</b><br />Kentucky Health News<br /><br />In a wide-ranging TV interview, state Health Commissioner Steven Stack warned Kentuckians that not enough of them are vaccinated for measles, which he said is an outgrowth of reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures taken against it.<br /><br />Stack reflected on his work in the pandemic and talked about other health concerns, including the opioid epidemic, weight-loss drugs and the need for Kentuckians to get more sleep, in an interview that aired Sunday, March 10, on <b>WKYT</b>'s "<a href="https://www.wkyt.com/2024/03/11/kentucky-newsmakers-310-ky-health-commissioner-dr-steven-stack/" target="_blank">Kentucky Newsmakers</a>" with Bill Bryant.<br /><br />As of March 7, the <b>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</b> had <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html" target="_blank">recorded</a> 45 cases of measles in 17 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.<div><div><br /></div><div>Stack said measles was declared elimiated in the U.S. in 2000, but it has returned because vaccination rates have dropped to 90 percent. The disease may be the most contagious, and epidemiologists say 95 percent of a population needs to be vaccinated to protect those who can't or won't get the shot.<br /><div><br /><div><div>Stack said the measles-mumps-rubella (German measles) vaccine has been used since 1971, and is very effective. "We’ve got to get the public I hope, to accept that these tools help to prevent us from having far worse problems, like little babies who can't get vaccinated getting seriously ill." Children younger than 6 months are ineligible for vaccination.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1cV82cDklDVYRRH5JPeuOoUZX09B3e0t0XH4N32oNEXpLPTPUCo2a4hwRsYx_nGHlaJZZZVlKVytrx6JMN8aWwvgce1HSXYmTW0tMJVKPRoXkpz1B35IQRk13-7phZWKxhDKi0qSQqCX089rmGMPO0I7iN00d2BaurXIR-gGiJ23kkfZlDNPpjuPJNI/s661/CovidVaxbyparty.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="661" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1cV82cDklDVYRRH5JPeuOoUZX09B3e0t0XH4N32oNEXpLPTPUCo2a4hwRsYx_nGHlaJZZZVlKVytrx6JMN8aWwvgce1HSXYmTW0tMJVKPRoXkpz1B35IQRk13-7phZWKxhDKi0qSQqCX089rmGMPO0I7iN00d2BaurXIR-gGiJ23kkfZlDNPpjuPJNI/w400-h345/CovidVaxbyparty.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pew Research Center graph, based on Pew polling by party</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Why have vaccination rates for contagious diseases dropped? "It's all gotten caught up in the Covid pandemic, in the narrative, in the ideologies that have unfortunately become associated with public health and medical science," said Stack, a physician.</div><div><br /></div><div>Asked if he and Gov. Andy Beshear made the right calls in the pandemic, he said "I think we did the best we could with what we knew at the time." He said Kentucky outperformed most other states, considering its lower health status, which made it more vulnerable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stack said he and Beshear "balanced saving the most poeple [with] other harms that are worse than what you're trying to prevent." He said Kentucky's death toll of 20,000 was "far from what it would have been had we not intervened," noting that an intiial estimate was it could lose 1 to 2 percent of its population: 45,000 to 90,000 people.<br /><br />Looking ahead, Stack said people 65 and older and those with other risk factors should get a Covid-19 booster this spring, and everyone should get an annual booster, much like has long been done for influenza.<br /> <br /><b>Other health issues</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Kentucky leads the nation in the percentage (<a href="https://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2024/01/kentucky-leads-nation-in-use-of-new.html" target="_blank">about 2.1%</a>) of population that has received a prescription for one of the new drugs created to fight obesity and diabetes, which can also aid weight loss.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Overweight and obesity is a big problem in Kentucky," Stack said, noting that 38% of Kentuckians weigh too much. "That leads to diabetes, it increased your risk of cancer and cardiovasculat disease, like stroke and heart disease. It's really a major issue for us to address."</div><div><br />As for the drugs, "People are understandably desperate to find ways to get it under control," he said. "It's really too early to say what the long-term outcome of those medications will be. Some people have had wonderful benefits from it, have lost a lot of weight and improved their overall performance. Some individuals have had a difficult time tolerating it: persistent nausea, vomiting, or an unlucky small number with pancreatitis, so time will tell on those.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Right now I think what we really need to do is try to think about ways to improve our environment so it's easier to eat healthier -- fresh fruits and vegetables -- and do mild things, like just go for a walk three or four days a week for 35 to 45 minutes; if you could do simple things like that, most of us could actually lose the small weight that we have to avoid becoming diabetic."</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Kentucky is also one of the states most affected by the opioid epidemic. Stack said it has evolved because "The criminals keep getting more creative in the cocktails they put together and they're becomeing more and more lethal for people."</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking on the weekend that the nation moved its clocks to daylight saving time, Stack said lack of sleep is also a major health issue, especially for teens, who need more of it.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>He said teens and adults "disrupt our sleep" with big and small screens, on TVs and smartphones. "We’ve got to get better sleep hygiene," he said, "and set out the time we need to get that eight hours of sleep."</div></div></div></div></div></div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-42116280857136616322024-03-11T19:10:00.003-04:002024-03-12T19:21:16.302-04:00Poll: 12% of U.S. voters say abortion is their top voting issue<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kentucky Health News</span></b><br /><br /> About one in eight voters said in a national poll last month that abortion will be the most important issue influencing their votes this year, and most opposed the 16-week abortion ban that former president Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/01/trump-floats-15-week-abortion-ban-00144381?nname=politico-nightly&nid=00000170-c000-da87-af78-e185fa700000&nrid=0000014e-f0f2-dd93-ad7f-f8f77a090000&nlid=2670445" target="_blank">reportedly</a> discussed endorsing.<br /><br />Most voters who say abortion is the most important issue to their vote say abortion should be legal in all cases. "This is a significant shift from elections prior to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn <i>Roe v. Wade</i>, when abortion voters were largely those who identified as pro-life," says the <b>Kaiser Family Foundation</b>, which sponsored <a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-march-2024-abortion-in-the-2024-election-and-beyond">the poll</a>.<div><br /></div><div>Though the issue has become a major dividing line between the major political parties, 43% of Republicans say abortion should be legal in most or all cases. However, "Few Republicans who want abortion to be legal seem ready to buck their party over the abortion issue," the foundation says.</div><div><br /></div><div>Asked about a national 16-week abortion ban, 58% of voters oppose it; 63% of Republicans favor it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kentucky has both a six-week abortion ban and a law that bans all abortions except those needed to save the woman's life or prevent serious, permanent damage to a life-sustaining organ.<br /><div><br />The national poll found Americans largely supportive of abortion rights. Examples include:<br /><ul><li>66% support a federal guarantee of abortion rights.</li><li>86% of adults, including large majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans, said they would allow abortion in pregnancy-related emergencies such as miscarriages.</li><li>More tahn 60% oppose making it a crime for health-care providers to mail abortion pills to patients in states where abortion is prohibited, and policies that prohibit clinics that receive federal funds from providing abortions or referring patients to abortion providers.</li></ul>Asked how they think about abortion, most said it is an issue of individual rights and freedoms (81%), a health-care issue (68%) and a moral issue (62%). Only 41% see it as a religious issue, but 41%of Republicans do.<br /><br />"Many voters, especially Democrats, see the 2024 election as a high-stakes election for determining the future of access to abortion and contraception," <a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-march-2024-abortion-in-the-2024-election-and-beyond/" target="_blank">the pollsters said</a>. Half of voters say they think the elections for president, Congress, and state legislatures will have a 'major impact' on access to abortion." That view is driven by Democratic voters (about two-thirds) and those who say abortion is their most important voting issue (about 70%).</div><div><br /></div><div><div>The poll was conducted Feb. 20-28, online and by telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,316 U.S. adults, including 1,072 registered voters. Interviews were conducted in English and in Spanish. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample and 4 percentage points for the sample of registered voters. For results based on other subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.</div></div></div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-814052840860991312024-03-10T21:25:00.009-04:002024-03-11T22:07:59.884-04:00Emergency-room visits for respiratory illness keep declining, but flu activity remains elevated, and hospital admissions for it are up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-58d0-4JjfXOrDdNxkOtwmNrmF8j3cPHLZIN1FLhWfXQefF6CGGr_Q7UNZyHrNyriGn0FZ2oGui0HCTEOSBfbBY6Sj7u3P2azKPgLURgDxtk6SuTN7bsJOvgwBGCByI4zBHttKU-oLeeQE1KfVOV3UeUtjURKeS2oNV70EAf9snn_sg6BgKu5zazdEM/s804/Respiratoryillnessupdate3-2-24.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="804" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-58d0-4JjfXOrDdNxkOtwmNrmF8j3cPHLZIN1FLhWfXQefF6CGGr_Q7UNZyHrNyriGn0FZ2oGui0HCTEOSBfbBY6Sj7u3P2azKPgLURgDxtk6SuTN7bsJOvgwBGCByI4zBHttKU-oLeeQE1KfVOV3UeUtjURKeS2oNV70EAf9snn_sg6BgKu5zazdEM/w640-h382/Respiratoryillnessupdate3-2-24.png" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>State Department for Public Health <a href="https://dashboard.chfs.ky.gov/views/DPHRSP001RespiratoryDiseases/HospitalizationsandEDVisits?%3Aembed=y&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y" target="_blank">graphs</a>, adapted by Kentucky Health News</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News<div><br /></div><div>Kentucky's influenza levels remain elevated and hospitalizations for respiratory illness remain high, even though emergency-department visits for respiratory illness have stayed on a rough plateau since mid-January, according to the state<b> Department for Public Health</b>.<p></p><p>In the week ended March 2, Kentucky saw a 13% drop in emergency-department visits for respiratory illness, to 3,175. Flu continues to be the driver for this high number.</p><p>Hospitalizations for flu increased slightly, but overall admissions for the three respiratory diseases tracked by the state dropped 7%, to 491. In addition to flu, the state tracks Covid-19 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).</p><p>Letcher County is the only Kentucky county to have a high rate of Covid-19 hospital admissions in the week ended March 2, with 23.2 admissions per 100,000 people, according to the <b>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</b> </p><p>Sixteen Kentucky counties had a hospital-admission rate between 10 and 19.9 per 100,000 people, considered "medium" by the CDC. That included Pike County, just north of Letcher. The others are in Western Kentucky: Union, Ohio, McLean, McCracken, Marshall, Lyon, Livingston, Hickman, Henderson, Hancock, Graves, Daviess, Crittenden, Carlisle and Ballard counties. </p><p>For two weeks in a row, ED visits for respiratory illness have declined in children aged 5 to 17, dropping to 723 in the week ended March 2. Like adults, these visits have been driven by the flu. This age group had 14 hospital admissions in the week, 12 for flu and two for Covid-19. </p><p>The state reported 3,603 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in the week ended March 2 and 1,983 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19. Both of these numbers have dropped for three weeks in a row. </p><p>Since the flu season began in October, the state has recorded 414 Covid-19 deaths and 97 flu deaths, 75 of the latter since the first week of January. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim have been children.</p></div>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-90484356298983323722024-03-09T17:45:00.036-05:002024-03-11T13:37:15.591-04:00Bill is moving to create database (but not licensing) of vape retailers, raise fines and bring state law in line with FDA rules<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkWibs23q8PZek4LX2My2ylUWj3KJUX_APexbtnFB8iP3xaGXDEmM5ZbbRlSbMr0ZlvKVHc4IvyQLOTy0ehqJQPLhEoZY5I89l8OuxgKFEYyRAhTbDSj7Ys_xTRvPekjWs27j_D_Y0-Pil6WTG_agwQcuniSHxXg3vNLdby5P7KAz6yzkNERpqMN2aJU/s980/VapingbySteveHelberAPbr.jpg" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="980" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkWibs23q8PZek4LX2My2ylUWj3KJUX_APexbtnFB8iP3xaGXDEmM5ZbbRlSbMr0ZlvKVHc4IvyQLOTy0ehqJQPLhEoZY5I89l8OuxgKFEYyRAhTbDSj7Ys_xTRvPekjWs27j_D_Y0-Pil6WTG_agwQcuniSHxXg3vNLdby5P7KAz6yzkNERpqMN2aJU/w640-h426/VapingbySteveHelberAPbr.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A customer vapes at a shop in Richmond, Va. <i>(Associated Press file photo by Steve Helber)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News<p></p><p>A bill to create a statewide database of retailers that sell vaping products, and align state law with federal restrictions on the products, is moving through the Kentucky General Assembly.</p><p><a href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/hb11.html" target="_blank">House Bill 11</a>, sponsored by Republican Rep. Rebecca Raymer of Morgantown, was approved with a committee substitute by the House Health Services Committee on March 7 and was posted for possible action by the House starting Monday, March 11. </p><p></p><p>After nearly an hour of discussion, HB 11 was approved 14-1-3, with Rep. Felicia Rabourn, R-Pendleton (Henry County), voting no and Democratic Reps. Adrielle Camuel of Lexington, Rachel Roarx of Louisville and Lindsey Burke of Lexington passing. </p><p><a href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/hb11.html" target="_blank"></a></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_Z4keyXqeslp80Ei0HEQ9ZliEDmm5lDd33o6D3inVjkdqbV2BtXyA4HmPEP5sFb-pvCmHURdn1oyUPD8qtvZYFekvOQG-quw_suogsVX0cMf1BREjhbMywnwqHfhm8myQx6KpwxOEJRs8LRBIJ-LbIVYX53ia2okCt5C0hZ1ag64I7H2u1n7snEDXLo/s4429/Rep.%20Raymer.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4429" data-original-width="3543" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_Z4keyXqeslp80Ei0HEQ9ZliEDmm5lDd33o6D3inVjkdqbV2BtXyA4HmPEP5sFb-pvCmHURdn1oyUPD8qtvZYFekvOQG-quw_suogsVX0cMf1BREjhbMywnwqHfhm8myQx6KpwxOEJRs8LRBIJ-LbIVYX53ia2okCt5C0hZ1ag64I7H2u1n7snEDXLo/w160-h200/Rep.%20Raymer.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rep. Rebecca Raymer</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Raymer said she began working on the bill after learning that most items confiscated in Kentucky schools are flavored and disposable vapes,and “I found out that these vapes are not even supposed to be offered for sale,” under rules of the <b>U.S. Food and Drug Administration</b>.</p><p>She said opponents would say that the bill will all such products off the shelf, but “That is simply not true. There are other states that have used the same definitions that we are using. I think Alabama is one of the states and they have about 1,600 products on their registry of things that can still be sold.”</p><p>Raymer said Congress is lobbying the FDA to create a concise list of what is legal and not legal, and “We are not the regulatory authority over these products. We don't get to decide what is legal and illegal.”</p><div>Dr. Britt Anderson, a pediatric emergency-medicine physician and vice-president of the Kentucky Chapter of the <b>American Academy of Pediatrics</b>, told the committee that she sees children come into emergency rooms addicted to nicotine and unable to stop vaping, which makes them cough and wheeze and be unable to exercise.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vaping has become much more common among Kentucky schoolchildren than smoking. While the long-term effects of vaping on young people's health are unknown, Anderson said what we do know about vaping and nicotine use in youth is not "cutting-edge science." </div><div><br /></div><div>"We do know that they cause lung injury and changes to brain development during a crucial stage of life," she said. "And it's not just the nicotine. The complete ingredient list may contain fine particles and other carrier solvents that are unhealthy as well."</div><div><br />Mallory Jones, a junior at <b>George Rogers Clark High School</b> in Winchester, told the legislators that high schoolers can easily purchase vaping products despite the age restrictions.<br /><br />"Once one person in a friend group starts using e-cigarettes, word gets around of where you can buy these products illegally, and it spreads like a domino effect," she said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jones lauded the bill, saying, "Addressing the source of these products is critical to reducing youth access and initiation of nicotine, but the rules are only as good as the enforcement that we put behind them."</div><div><br /></div><div>Griffin Nemeth, coordinator of the #iCANendthetrend Youth Advisory Board at the <b>University of Kentucky,</b> noted that while HB 11 does not allow Kentucky to join the 40 other states that have some form of comprehensive tobacco retail licensure, it does allow the state to have a better understanding of the retail environment.</div><div><br /></div><div>But he added that alone is not enough to make a difference: "It is with, and only with, the three combined elements of a retailer database, compliance checks and stiff penalties for violations that we can implement comprehensive prevention at the point of sale." </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Opponents of the bill</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Troy LeBlanc, a retailer and manufacturer of vape products, said he supports efforts to decrease youth use of them, but said this bill won't do that because the bulk of the products approved by the FDA are sold in convenience stores and that's where most of the bad actors are when it comes to selling these products to youth.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I urge you to change this bill to put these products in 21-and-over stores and have them policed by the ABC and have them fined with major fines . . . Make sure that the fine hurts enough to where people will not do it," he said. </div><div><br /></div><div>LeBlanc also said this bill would eliminate access to low-nicotine products while allowing sale of high-nicotine products made by large companies. </div><div><br /></div><div>He said the average nicotine level of products sold in vape shops is 3 milligrams per milliliter, while the large companies like <b>Altria</b> (formerly Philip Morris), make products with a much higher nicotine content.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I don't believe it's the right bill because all it's going to do is to make sure that Altria is the main seller in every convenience store . . . . <b>Juul</b> is going to be all over the state," he said. "Juul also does not offer any nicotine product that's lower than 30 milligrams per milliliter." </div><div><br /></div><div>LeBlanc also pushed back on Raymer's claim that Alabama allows 1,600 products on their shelves, saying that after dissecting the list, "There are only eight brands on there of flavored nicotine." </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Mike Reichert of Campbell County, who said he owns two vape shops in Northern Kentucky, said this bill would likely cause his shops to close. </div><div><br /></div><div>"Most of the products that I sell would be banned as this bill is currently written," he said. "It would almost certainly cause my stores to close." </div><div><br /></div><div>Reichert said he got into the business to help people quit smoking, making that possible by selling the lower-nicotine products that can be tapered down to zero nicotine in his store. He agreed with LeBlanc that sales should be limited to 21-and-older stores, with higher fines to keep the bad actors out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tommy Wilson of Pulaski County, who said he owns two vape stores, also pushed for such a move, which he said would likely make this issue go away. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wilson said he had helped thousands of people get off nicotine via combustible cigarettes and move to a lower-dose vaping product. </div><div><br />“We too don't want youth vaping," he said. "But that said, we feel like it’s an adult’s choice to be able to find something that they deem is less harmful to their body. . . . Is it perfect? Maybe not, but is it better than 3,000 chemicals and burning smoke going into your lungs? I feel it is." <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The committee chair, Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, asked the opponents of HB 11 to keep talking to the bill sponsor to see if any tweaks can be made. </div><div><br /></div><div>"No one wants to do anything that is going to put anyone out of business," she said. "That's not our goal." </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Legislators' concerns</b></div><div><br /></div>Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, asked the vape-shop owners if they're selling products that are not FDA-approved, prompting them to walk through the history of vaping products in the U.S., the ongoing methodology challenges to get products approved by the FDA and the legal challenges surrounding this issue. <br /><div><p>Earlier in her remarks, Raymer noted that she understands that those in opposition of this bill don't like the FDA process for regulating these products, but the bottom line is that the FDA has that authority. </p><p>"And so we, as a state, have an obligation to offer some protection to our citizens," she said. "If we know these products are not authorized, they are not legal per the FDA, we shouldn't have them."</p><div>Roarx, one of the Louisville Democrats, said she appreciates the bill’s goal to keep Kentucky youth away from nicotine products, but said she has concerns that the bill might have unintended consequences on the tobacco and e-cigarette industry by creating a monopoly.<br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>“I hope we can continue to make progress to make sure that we’re not just giving a couple of brands a monopoly on the entire industry,” Roarx said.<b> </b></div><div><br /></div><div>The bill would take effect Jan. 1, 2025. Among other things, it would:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>limit the sale of products to those authorized by the FDA and would punish retailers who sell unauthorized products to anyone under 21 years of age;</li><li>require businesses that sell vaping products to acknowledge that in their annual business filings with the secretary of state;</li><li>require the secretary of state to create a list of the businesses and share it monthly with the ABC and the state <b>Department of Revenue</b>;</li><li>require the ABC to create and maintain a tobacco database and reporting system, to be published monthly;</li><li>set rules around how manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers sell and distribute the products;</li><li>establish fines for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers for noncompliance; and</li><li>allow police officers and ABC investigators to issue a uniform citation for any violation of the law. The citations would then be reported to and enforced by the ABC.</li></ul><div><b>What are the fines? </b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>The bill would require any manufacturer of products covered by the federal Tobacco Control Act to sell authorized products to wholesalers and retailers. A manufacturer that violates this section would be subject to a fine of $25,000 for a first violation, $50,000 for a second violation and $75,000 for third and subsequent violations.<br /><br />It would ban a wholesaler from selling unauthorized products and from selling authorized products to a retailer until it verifies that the retailer is not in the tobacco non-compliance database and reporting system. Violators would be subject to a $5,000 fine for the first violation, and $15,000 for the second and subsequent violations.<br /><br /><a href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=49832#:~:text=(4)%20A%20person%20who%20violates,(%241%2C000)%20for%20any%20subsequent" target="_blank">State law</a> already bans sales to minors, with a fine of $100 to $500 for the first violation and $500 to $1,000 for the second violation. The bill would require the second-violation fine to be $1,000 and set a $5,000 fine for a third violation. A retailer with a fourth violation in two years would be banned from selling vapes. That would also apply to retailers who don't pay fines within 60 days.</div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p></div>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-2056998135945947022024-03-08T22:48:00.019-05:002024-03-11T13:45:02.795-04:00State and federal lawmakers say they're still trying to rein in health-insurance middlemen, called pharmacy-benefit managers<p><b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News</p><p>A day after Gov. Andy Beshear talked at a White House roundtable about Kentucky's moving to one pharmacy-benefit manager for Medicaid, First District U.S. Rep. James Comer, spoke at another Washington event about his efforts to reform PBMs as chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQ1HfoNP_Zq-WDtSq5aFFVGhyphenhyphenRBjjkeZgiJ3AE4izIhur4MC82blFLV7L4_Iz7HuOWEuxt2Xsi4TQFTW7QD02vJyNVsILdrLolkcfnlyS4-qRrndVFrdRxD2WDKVrjseREhB-lJJgytqpEklD3inS-xq5FhJ439zHF4ZgxmISY8KoKxVNCLfBpR8GlNQ/s375/James%20Comer.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQ1HfoNP_Zq-WDtSq5aFFVGhyphenhyphenRBjjkeZgiJ3AE4izIhur4MC82blFLV7L4_Iz7HuOWEuxt2Xsi4TQFTW7QD02vJyNVsILdrLolkcfnlyS4-qRrndVFrdRxD2WDKVrjseREhB-lJJgytqpEklD3inS-xq5FhJ439zHF4ZgxmISY8KoKxVNCLfBpR8GlNQ/w160-h200/James%20Comer.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>U.S. Rep. James Comer</i></td></tr></tbody></table>“The focus of what PBMs' role should be, should be to help the consumer have more choice, have lower costs," Comer said at a March 7 event hosted by <b>The Hill</b>. "But what’s happening is the focus now with the PBMs is which drug can we make the most profit off of, regardless of what’s best for the patient. And I don't think that's a good business model." <p></p><p>PBMs are middlemen between insurance plans and drug manufacturers; they determine what drugs are offered, how much someone pays for the drug, and how much pharmacists are paid. </p><p>Earlier this year, Comer's committee passed with broad bipartisan support the <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/markup-wrap-up-oversight-committee-passes-legislation-to-address-prescription-drug-costs-regulatory-burdens-and-more/" target="_blank">Delinking Revenue from Unfair Gouging (DRUG) Act</a>, which would rein in practices by some PBMs that offer health plans under federal employees' health program. </p><p>Comer said PBM reform remains a priority, and his committee has received more than 40,000 pages of documents for a report that will be released "very soon." He said his panel will have another hearing once the report is release to discuss next steps.</p><p>He said those who understand the issue "realize that PBMs have actually added cost to the consumers" at a time when everyone recognizes that the rising cost of prescription drugs is not sustainable. </p><p>Despite congressional concern about the issue, the government-funding bills just signed by President Biden do not include PBM reforms. Asked if they could pass in the "lame duck" session after the November elections, Comer, using his own committee as an example, said, "I think something can always be done before." </p><p>Comer said much of the problem comes from three major PBMs controlling 80% of the market, noting that they are owned by health-insurance companies and have their own mail-in pharmacies. <br /><br />“I believe PBMs have had a negative impact on competition, especially among community pharmacists,” he said. “I believe they have an unfair competitive advantage. I believe they’re doing a lot of things that are unethical at best and should be illegal at worst with respect to – I would even go as far as saying extorting fees from independent pharmacies. We’re losing independent pharmacies.”</p><p>Kentucky lawmakers have been working on PBM issues for years. Most recently, in 2020, they passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Max Wise of Campbellsville, a Comer ally, that required the state to hire a single PBM for the state's Medicaid program. Before this law, each of the six companies that manage Medicaid for the state had its own PBM. </p><p>At the White House roundtable, Beshear talked about the legislation and how he began investigating PBMs' drug-pricing methods when he was attorney general in 2016-19.<br /><br />“That single PBM that answered to us, and not to any other company, has allowed Kentucky Medicaid to maximize drug rebates and has saved our Kentucky families about $300 million since we've done it,” he said. “And it allowed us to understand more about how to get the right price.”<br /></p><p><b>Kentucky PBM reform efforts are ongoing</b></p><p>Wise's latest PBM reform measure is <a href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/sb188.html" target="_blank">Senate Bill 188</a>, which involves PBM reform efforts on the commercial market. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhow9gdpbS8swgrX0Qk9ukNlFBnTQPlpGAB4erO6pJuxUFAZmyaALTg5JZw4BYDn_3v5vjSMuLHsm3ccI4FxwCvfzleiP1T28tCvYQLvLTsiDq1ZjSlixk3sERjX1Yme87KLp_U9HnzOyOOHkaE4xcPPaSL06aFIVQcSMXjHhWHXbKroYnmsAHDtbtlHk0/s312/Sen.%20Wise.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhow9gdpbS8swgrX0Qk9ukNlFBnTQPlpGAB4erO6pJuxUFAZmyaALTg5JZw4BYDn_3v5vjSMuLHsm3ccI4FxwCvfzleiP1T28tCvYQLvLTsiDq1ZjSlixk3sERjX1Yme87KLp_U9HnzOyOOHkaE4xcPPaSL06aFIVQcSMXjHhWHXbKroYnmsAHDtbtlHk0/w160-h200/Sen.%20Wise.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>State Sen. Max Wise</i></td></tr></tbody></table>“I’m optimistic this measure will yield similar savings by applying the same standards to the commercial market, effectively cutting costs for Kentuckians with private health insurance plans,” Wise <a href="https://kysenaterepublicans.com/press-releases?offset=1708022469911" target="_blank">said</a> in a Feb. 8 news release about the bill. <p></p><p>SB 188 "aims to empower citizens to choose where they purchase their medication, prevent further closures of community pharmacies and ensure fair reimbursement rates for these essential health care providers," <a href="https://kysenaterepublicans.com/press-releases?offset=1708022469911" target="_blank">said</a> the release. </p><p>SB 188 has been assigned to the Banking and Insurance Committee. It has not yet been heard or voted on in committee, but has received its first reading, an indication that it has a chance for passage. </p><p>Another bill that addresses PBMs passed out of the House Health Services Committee on March 7. <a href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/hb190.html" target="_blank">House Bill 190</a>, sponsored by Rep. Scott Sharp, R-Ashland, was approved unanimously and was placed in the House for possioble action as early as Monday, March 11. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjKYIUKQenCp9LGofR-RUe2LqyEp0TMiMAfd1HGSinpPm0D1C3-0l0mYFuautf7hX_gIozoW8MWS9Dkec-48bbW0zeCpZcmEVZAv2HFMZaEkKOuM_bar95eL_3Tw43vFYkJ-936n5i0nA5-mKgzWzts8tS_eY2P7DtERbQXdJyti-g6xz9LHVgvehWuw/s313/Rep.%20Sharp.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjKYIUKQenCp9LGofR-RUe2LqyEp0TMiMAfd1HGSinpPm0D1C3-0l0mYFuautf7hX_gIozoW8MWS9Dkec-48bbW0zeCpZcmEVZAv2HFMZaEkKOuM_bar95eL_3Tw43vFYkJ-936n5i0nA5-mKgzWzts8tS_eY2P7DtERbQXdJyti-g6xz9LHVgvehWuw/w160-h200/Rep.%20Sharp.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>State Rep. Scott Sharp</i></td></tr></tbody></table>HB 190, as amended by a committee substitute, would allow people to receive their medication directly from the mail, but if it does not get there in time, they would have the option to purchase it from their local pharmacy at the same price it would cost if it was mailed to them. <p></p><p>Sharp said he was prompted to file this bill because of a personal experience. </p><p>He said he went to his local pharmacist to get a drug for a family member who was having some trouble getting it delivered. He said he was told it would cost $400, instead of the $36 it would cost if it came by mal. </p><p>Upon talking to his PBM, he learned that this was the "penalty" for using his local pharmacy, instead of getting it mailed direct. Since, he said he's learned that this is a common problem and that's why he wants to "fix it." </p>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-70865086928563291482024-03-06T16:28:00.006-05:002024-03-07T16:40:11.714-05:00House passes 'Momnibus' bill with measures for maternal health<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK85W41_9gTGGaOc4_7FXVPBd17lF5GabOh_nbz20we1RlifUw6WO8pu9iVL3ZOFJ_D4AFhKql3sjXKewLWdIUAaGbFevuQcubDen1fXa0jJPgRAJhniywpzZH5iiQJcjc80_hyigf78XFrh1wwfzNSz__A8URQbyAPl3de8HCszjNN9Jv7X19UcMCcI/s436/MoserMomnibusLRCc.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="436" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK85W41_9gTGGaOc4_7FXVPBd17lF5GabOh_nbz20we1RlifUw6WO8pu9iVL3ZOFJ_D4AFhKql3sjXKewLWdIUAaGbFevuQcubDen1fXa0jJPgRAJhniywpzZH5iiQJcjc80_hyigf78XFrh1wwfzNSz__A8URQbyAPl3de8HCszjNN9Jv7X19UcMCcI/s320/MoserMomnibusLRCc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rep. Kim Moser speaks about her 'Momnibus' bill. <i>(LRC photo)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>By Isabella Sephaban<br /></b>Kentucky Lantern<br /><br />A maternal-health bill nicknamed “<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/momnibus-maternal-health-bill-moves-forward-in-kentucky-legislature/">Momnibus</a>’ was unanimously approved by the Kentucky House Tuesday after about 20 minutes of discussion. <br /><br />The bipartisan <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/momnibus-maternal-health-bill-moves-forward-in-kentucky-legislature/">House Bill 10</a> came out of a working group of Republican and Democratic women in the House and the Senate. <br /><br />The Momnibus legislation would expand the Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) program and allow such home-visitation programs to be available up to three years after a child’s birth. It also would educate mothers on topics such as the benefits of breastfeeding, safe sleep for infants, and provide lactation consultation and equipment. These services would also be available via telehealth.<br /><br />Supporters say Momnibus addresses Kentucky’s high rate of maternal deaths following childbirth.<br /><br />Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, the bill’s main sponsor, said “53 percent of women who die in the year following childbirth die as a result of their substance-use disorder.” <br /><br />Other factors that increase maternal mortality include diabetes, heart disease and mental illness. <br /><br />“These are all made more difficult during and after pregnancy, and can cause dangerous situations,” said Moser, a Republican from Taylor Mill in Northern Kentucky.<br /><br />Although these situations are harmful and at times, even deadly, Moser said that “deaths due to any of these factors are usually preventable, and the ways to prevent these deaths are to identify and treat these diseases early in the pregnancy, if not before.” <br /><br />“This is why prenatal care is so critical,” she said. <br /><br />During their workgroup, Moser and her colleagues discovered that “there’s no structured mechanism to accessing mental health care quickly, in that Kentucky families lack support during the postpartum period to keep mothers, babies, and their families healthy.”<br /><br />Momnibus aims to help decrease these high maternal mortality rates by ensuring access to insurance coverage for pregnant women. <br /><br />Although there are special enrollment periods to buy insurance coverage for marriage, divorce, and fostering children, there are no special enrollment periods available for pregnancy, said Moser. <br /><br />“A special enrollment period will allow pregnant women to purchase insurance coverage for pregnancy to get the care that she and her baby need during the prenatal period, for a healthy delivery, and during postpartum,” she said. <br /><br />Momnibus also aims to address the lack of mental health care available to pregnant women by implementing a new psychiatric access program called Lifeline for Moms.<br /><br />Moser said this program will establish “a hotline for providers to get an immediate consultation for a mother in need of mental health services.”<br /><br />The lawmakers working on Momnibus have already applied and received a $750,000 grant to start implementing the program. This grant would be used to “specify the needed stakeholders to study birth and pregnancy outcomes, make recommendations to improve outcomes, provide oversight for the Lifeline for Moms program, and provide an annual report of their research and observations,” according to Moser. <br /><br />The bill is in the Senate awaiting a committee assignment. Moser told Kentucky Health News that it will be handled by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville.Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-21676790537784314642024-03-06T16:01:00.068-05:002024-03-07T16:27:32.383-05:00On 4th anniversary of Ky.'s first Covid-19 case, Beshear says it's a time 'to say that we're going to try to do better and better . . . '<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtIibSbzFaPM_-9ayoEpoj5hGvuPqwbvCyLveWYkSQFUywhMYyPD1ZsjTJkgh1LeKA8TAbhkJd7Rldl7KBX5BwI06m21uAytTxUQIePifA3Y_Ujieoxo8rBVxdbFCAn8aE9Fj7DuzEo1_UpU7ATzhEL5teQ4m4ozU1qaAGY6AsSv_5rDPC9e5dbFve-A/s1437/Pandemic4thannivbyMcKennaC.jpg" style="margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="1437" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtIibSbzFaPM_-9ayoEpoj5hGvuPqwbvCyLveWYkSQFUywhMYyPD1ZsjTJkgh1LeKA8TAbhkJd7Rldl7KBX5BwI06m21uAytTxUQIePifA3Y_Ujieoxo8rBVxdbFCAn8aE9Fj7DuzEo1_UpU7ATzhEL5teQ4m4ozU1qaAGY6AsSv_5rDPC9e5dbFve-A/w640-h286/Pandemic4thannivbyMcKennaC.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;">Gov. Andy Beshear spoke at the observance of the fourth anniversary of Kentucky's first case of Covid-19. Next to him are Health Commissioner Steven Stack, in the front row, and Kandie Adkinson, in the back row. At the end of the front row are Rowena Holloway, widow of Virginia Moore, who was Beshear's main sign-language interpreter during the pandemic, and LeRoy Mitchell, who talked about his near-death from the disease and his sister's death from it. <i>(Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>By Sarah Ladd</b><br /><a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/03/06/remembering-those-we-lost-4-years-to-the-day-after-kentuckys-first-confirmed-covid-19-case/" target="_blank">Kentucky Lantern</a><br /><br />Four years after the day that Kentucky confirmed its first official case of Covid-19, Kandie Adkinson rang a singular bell in the state Capitol rotunda, its chime echoing through the marbled halls.<br /><br />She did this to honor those lost to Covid-19, just as she did during much of the pandemic. <br /><br />Adkinson was joined Wednesday by Gov. Andy Beshear and others who gathered in the rotunda to mark the day with grief for those lost to the virus and hope for the future. <br /><br />In the last four years, nearly 20,000 Kentuckians have died with Covid-19. Many more <a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2023/10/23/a-kentucky-covid-19-reporters-journey-with-covid-19/">contracted the illness</a> and survived, like LeRoy Mitchell. <br /><br />“Most of us know somebody that died because of Covid,” said Mitchell, who drives a bus for the Clark County school system. <br /><br />His sister died with the virus on Sep. 5, 2020. <br /><br />“If losing my sister was not devastating enough for me and my family,” he said, “four months later, Covid came for me in the worst kind of way.” <br /><br />His wife discovered him on Jan. 8, 2021, he said. He was unresponsive and sent to the <b>Clark County Regional Medical Center</b> via ambulance then by helicopter to the <b>University of Kentucky</b> hospital’s intensive care unit in Lexington. <br /><br />When he got there, he said, he “had no time to spare.” His doctors later told him Covid-19 had caused his diabetic coma and the blood clot in his lung, and was “trying to shut down my kidneys.” <br /><br />He went on oxygen and spent three weeks in the hospital, followed by rehabilitation for two weeks. He grew weak in the hospital, losing 50 pounds during his ordeal. <br /><br />“I … basically went back to being like an infant, baby stage. I could not do anything for myself,” he said. His road to recovery — complete with a wheelchair, walker, oxygen tank and supportive wife — took eight months, he said. <br /><br />Ultimately, Mitchell told those gathered Wednesday, “Covid lost. And I won with life.”<br /><br />Beshear signed a <a href="https://web.sos.ky.gov/execjournalimages/2024-PROC-290351.pdf">proclamation</a> Tuesday making March 6 a “Day of Compassion.” <br /><br />In the future, he said, “we want to, as much as we can every year, not just talk about the loss — and loss is important — but also talk about what good can come out of it?” <br /><br />“While we don’t face a pandemic, we still face challenges right now. And if we could just approach them with a little bit of the same, at least, attempt to understand each other and love each other, then this world could be a much better place.”<br /><br />March 6 should be a time to reflect, he said, “where we always say that we’re going to try to do better and better and better as the years go by.”<br />Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-3203424498538601222024-03-06T12:58:00.005-05:002024-03-06T17:46:26.588-05:00March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month; Kentucky has the nation's fourth highest rate of death from colon cancer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIfAj_lXtcsARQ9AuqjFQ4cZ6h2ER5cnc1OQQ80UUh9TXN_SkUcY9Kmy2ohdWIy2FpyYym4mVegrrSY_3w_dUhQPg8ciUJsoGaguVXKFg7eTF2dJGaf_GBXOR9_BG7nwbAYwgB7vhCJ8zeSeadfDjU8VWrkO5oto2pUskaNrWXKM27b36AjPUIY0FepI/s718/OntheRunPhoto(iStockGettyImages).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="718" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIfAj_lXtcsARQ9AuqjFQ4cZ6h2ER5cnc1OQQ80UUh9TXN_SkUcY9Kmy2ohdWIy2FpyYym4mVegrrSY_3w_dUhQPg8ciUJsoGaguVXKFg7eTF2dJGaf_GBXOR9_BG7nwbAYwgB7vhCJ8zeSeadfDjU8VWrkO5oto2pUskaNrWXKM27b36AjPUIY0FepI/s320/OntheRunPhoto(iStockGettyImages).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo illustration by OnTheRunPhoto, iStock/Getty Images Plus</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b>By Natalie Pitman<br /></b><a href="https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-healthcare/screen-and-succeed-understanding-importance-colorectal-cancer-screenings?j=700699&sfmc_sub=261370385&l=21_HTML&u=27878384&mid=10966798&jb=1" target="_blank">University of Kentucky</a><br /><br />In March, we wear blue to recognize Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, first observed in March 2000. Since then, it has become an opportunity to spread awareness about the importance of screening and honor those diagnosed with colorectal cancer.<br /><br />Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women. It’s estimated that 106,590 new cases of colon cancer and 46,220 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in 2024. Kentucky has the fourth highest rate of death from colon cancer in the nation.<br /><br />“The good news is colorectal cancer is easier to prevent than most other cancers and is highly treatable. It is often curable when caught early, and we could dramatically reduce complications from this disease by getting more people screened,” says Darwin Conwell, M.D., <b>UK HealthCare</b> medical pancreatologist and Jack M. Gill Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine at the UK <b>College of Medicine</b>.<br /><br />Let's talk about the importance of colorectal cancer screenings and why they should be a priority for everyone.<br /><br /><i>What is colon cancer? </i>The colon and rectum are parts of the digestive system. Colorectal cancer begins when cells that are not normal grow inside the colon or rectum. Early symptoms may be subtle, making regular screenings crucial for early detection.<br /><br /><i>Who should get screened?</i> Most people should begin getting screened at age 45. You may need to begin screening earlier. Talk with your provider if you or a close relative has had colon polyps or colon cancer, or if you have an inflammatory bowel disease.<br /><br /><i>What are the different screenings?</i> Screenings play a pivotal role in catching abnormalities before they turn cancerous. Detecting and removing polyps during screenings significantly reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.<br /><br />There are different tests to detect colorectal cancer. For most people, the best test is the one they can complete. Talk with your primary-care provider about which test is right for you. More information is provided below or <a href="https://uknow.uky.edu/sites/default/files/MCC%20Colorectal%20Screening%20Patient%20FLYER.pdf">click on this link</a> for a flyer.<br /><br />UK HealthCare offers three types of colorectal cancer screening tests:<div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Colonoscopy:</i> The provider performing the screening can see and remove growths (polyps) in the colon and rectum during this test to prevent or detect colorectal cancer. You will need to take off work the day of the procedure. Some patients who take off the day before the procedure as well to complete bowel preparation. If a polyp is detected, it can be removed during the procedure. Screening is conducted every 10 years if results are normal.</li><li><i>Cologuard:</i> Your healthcare provider will order the Cologuard test to screen for colorectal cancer. Cologuard can be completed at home and is designed to detect abnormal cells in your stool. After you collect the sample, follow the Cologuard instructions to mail the sample to a lab. Results are sent to you and your provider. Screening is conducted every three years if results are normal.</li><li><i>FIT Tests:</i> The provider will test your stool sample for blood, by ordering a FIT test. You can complete the FIT test at home. Screening should be completed every year if results are normal.</li></ul>A positive Cologuard or FIT test result is not the same as a cancer diagnosis, so please talk to your health care or telehealth provider for next steps.<br /><br />“Colonoscopies are considered the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening, but stool-based tests like Cologuard or FIT tests can be a more accessible option if work, transportation, or family obligations are preventing you from getting a colonoscopy,” said Dr. Avinash Bhakta, a UK <b>Markey Cancer Center </b>colorectal surgeon. “Regardless of the test you choose, the most important thing you can do is get screened regularly.”</div><div><br />If you have a primary-care provider, or if you are in for a checkup or treatment, ask them if you’re due for your routine colorectal cancer screening. Based on your health history, they will be able to tell you which screening option is best for you.<br /><br />Screening can help detect early signs and help monitor situations that can increase your risk of developing colorectal cancer. Getting screened for colorectal cancer is one of the most important ways you can take charge of your health.</div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-55183688721798126742024-03-04T10:28:00.009-05:002024-03-04T10:31:39.205-05:00Top UK surgeon discusses diseases of the thyroid gland, which are common, more so in Kentucky than in the rest of the nation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0uaIEE3dWNm352tu2NBQit3ZTH0ib9PEcQKZ93MrRETKO3oBKfENhgJkCe4n50I83ghkroWNdIPz0u_Dbf6ZIL29Xu75-0r6jnkfsnaBqnYPK5daSCfCkFf6UtXOTI4zvlo73lm1BEOYpfEYONiPpJRCv7ETQ4ST5_x2ZHo6o5Kd0rgaxDfx9XIFmTM/s490/ThyroidcheckAntonioDiaz(iStockGettyImagesPlus)c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="490" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0uaIEE3dWNm352tu2NBQit3ZTH0ib9PEcQKZ93MrRETKO3oBKfENhgJkCe4n50I83ghkroWNdIPz0u_Dbf6ZIL29Xu75-0r6jnkfsnaBqnYPK5daSCfCkFf6UtXOTI4zvlo73lm1BEOYpfEYONiPpJRCv7ETQ4ST5_x2ZHo6o5Kd0rgaxDfx9XIFmTM/w302-h292/ThyroidcheckAntonioDiaz(iStockGettyImagesPlus)c.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A thyroid exam <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo by Antonio Diaz, iStock/Getty Images Plus)</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>By Dr. William Inabnet III</b><div>University of Kentucky</div><div><br /></div><div>Twenty million people in the United States suffer from thyroid disease, and Kentucky has a higher rate of thyroid cancer than the rest of the country, according to the <b>National Cancer Institute</b>.</div><div><br />The thyroid gland is an organ that sits in the neck and controls the body's metabolism. The metabolism processes the food you consume and turns it into energy. Around 50% of the population develops thyroid nodules, yet only 5% of these nodules are malignant.<br /><br />There are two types of thyroid disease: overactive and underactive. With overactive thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism), there is an excess of the thyroid hormone in the body which leads to the metabolic rate rising. This can lead to panic attacks, anxiety, heat intolerance, hair loss and palpitations of the heart.<br /><br />The metabolic rate lowers when there is too little thyroid hormone being released (hypothyroidism). Depression, weight gain and thinning of the hair are all symptoms of an underactive thyroid.<br /><br /><i>Types of thyroid disease have names:</i> Hashimoto's is the most common thyroid disease, leading to hypothyroidism. Graves’ disease is more dangerous than Hashimoto’s because the excess amount of thyroid hormone being pumped into the body can lead to hyperthyroidism.<br /><br /><i>What to look for:</i> To monitor your thyroid health at home, there is a self-examination you can perform called “check the neck.” In this process, you are feeling for a lump, or nodule, on the thyroid gland.<br /><br />Touch the thyroid gland where it sits over your airway on the neck. If you feel a lump — don’t panic. You can check in with your primary care provider for further care. Typically, an ultrasound is the best way to diagnose thyroid disease or cancer, followed by a biopsy on the nodule.<br /><br />One of the first ways to check for a problem with your thyroid is to go to your primary-care provider and get a blood test. This cannot diagnose thyroid cancer but can check your levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone. This blood test can rule out conditions like hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.<br /><br />The prognosis of thyroid cancer is very favorable. There is a combination of surgical therapy and other therapies indicated for this cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your primary-care provider.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><a href="http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/doctors/william-inabnet">William B. Inabnet III, M.D.,</a> is <b>UK HealthCare</b> surgeon-in-chief and chair of the <b>Department of Surgery </b>in the <a href="http://medicine.uky.edu/">UK <b>College of Medicine</b></a>.</i><br /></div>Al Crosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12359789093150390148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-11996488543940985622024-03-03T21:53:00.008-05:002024-03-03T23:00:24.252-05:00Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead March 10; sleep experts say sticking with standard time would be best for health, safety<p><b></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2SqiZNNvO2_bz5gbmMhNWMvQ6kBspvek3Kef3tnPGUAocgXbTXdulUM56BRbNGmsFZX25tLlJuKASlI5FFEU32tYM09lSSZNmCAf60ckwVLNvNqzRYpKZXMgCp3YC0mKo8TzeLKWrDebwskhDLIvUth9HuDqV4ZJ7yho5mj9WCL-3O-Dj6iq0MmflGw/s300/DST%20clock,%20CDC.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2SqiZNNvO2_bz5gbmMhNWMvQ6kBspvek3Kef3tnPGUAocgXbTXdulUM56BRbNGmsFZX25tLlJuKASlI5FFEU32tYM09lSSZNmCAf60ckwVLNvNqzRYpKZXMgCp3YC0mKo8TzeLKWrDebwskhDLIvUth9HuDqV4ZJ7yho5mj9WCL-3O-Dj6iq0MmflGw/w267-h178/DST%20clock,%20CDC.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">CDC illustration</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News<p></p><p>It's almost time to "spring forward" one hour into daylight saving time, which sleep experts don't support because they say it doesn't align with humans' internal circadian rhythms. Daylight saving time begins Sunday, March 10 at 2 a.m. local time. </p>The <b>American Academy of Sleep Medicine</b> <a href="https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.10898" target="_blank">says</a> "The United States should eliminate seasonal time changes in favor of permanent ST [standard time], which aligns best with human circadian biology. Evidence supports the distinct benefits of ST for health and safety, while also underscoring the potential harms that result from seasonal time changes to and from DST." The AASM published its position statement in the <b style="font-style: italic;">Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine</b>. <p>The authors explain that human activities are affected by three clocks: the internal biological rhythm, also known as the circadian clock; the solar clock; and the social clock. When these three clocks align, the authors write that this allows for optimal health and performance. </p><p>But when the solar clock is misaligned with the other two, they write, that causes a desynchronization between the internal circadian rhythm and the social clock -- and that happens with the change to daylight saving time. </p>"The yearly change between ST and DST introduces this misalignment, which has been associated with risks to physical and mental health and safety, as well as risks to public health," says the statement. <p>The AASM statement has links to several studies that show the adverse physical and mental health outcomes that come from moving clocks forward in the spring, including a surge of heart attacks, strokes and car crashes, to name a few.</p><p>A new study of the heart-health effects by the <b>Mayo Clinic</b> "suggests that the impact is likely minimal," <a href="https://www.newswise.com/articles/view/807588/?sc=dwhr&xy=5031454" target="_blank">says a release</a> from the clinic.</p><p>Federal law allows individual states to exempt themselves from observing daylight time, and Kentucky has a bill to do that. However, <a href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/hb674.html" target="_blank">House Bill 674</a>, sponsored by Rep. Steven Doan, R-Erlanger, has not even been assigned to a committee.</p>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643369123724246945.post-3816939071472871632024-03-03T15:46:00.015-05:002024-03-10T20:05:58.589-04:00Flu shots limit infection rates, which are still elevated in Kentucky<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: -0.3em; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rJMV4dTVgUB08nEBx30y_ZxTepE9uH2O1D5xQ5tNSy5_Mco5jKrD6k6SEMX6WbAGXhBJ-BInRqTcSmT4MUIpzLzpWTrB9UBTUo4awAgajMzb8Olbjjd47u70-G3f9VXG0h6q7Cc_aRSNXyWMksDNb-g49O5yYCXs6214iRmHIDDs4unhvnQgo7jHJw0/s759/Respiratoryillnessupdate2-29-24.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: -0.3em; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="759" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rJMV4dTVgUB08nEBx30y_ZxTepE9uH2O1D5xQ5tNSy5_Mco5jKrD6k6SEMX6WbAGXhBJ-BInRqTcSmT4MUIpzLzpWTrB9UBTUo4awAgajMzb8Olbjjd47u70-G3f9VXG0h6q7Cc_aRSNXyWMksDNb-g49O5yYCXs6214iRmHIDDs4unhvnQgo7jHJw0/w640-h474/Respiratoryillnessupdate2-29-24.png" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>State health department graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>By Melissa Patrick</b><br />Kentucky Health News<div><br /></div><div><div>The <b>Kentucky Department for Public Health</b> still considers hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses high and says flu activity remains elevated. </div><div><br /></div><div>Health officials say the best way to protect yourself from these viruses is to stay up to date with your vaccines. <br /><br />The <b>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</b> recommends that everyone 6 months old and older get the annual flu vaccine and updated Covid-19 vaccines, especially children younger than 5 or anyone at high risk for complications.<br /><br />Vaccines for respiratory syncitial virus are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/high-risk/infants-young-children.html">recommended</a> for some infants and young children, pregnant women and adults 60 and older. At some places and times, there has been a shortage of these vaccines. </div><div><br /></div>This year's "flu vaccines have worked, substantially reducing the risk of flu-related medical visits and hospitalizations across all age groups, with some estimates higher than have been previously observed, even during well-matched seasons," said a CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/2023-2024/vaccines-reduce-medical-visits.htm?ACSTrackingID=USCDC_7_3-DM123711&ACSTrackingLabel=This%20Season%E2%80%99s%20Flu%20Vaccines%20Reduced%20Medical%20Visits%2C%20Hospitalizations&deliveryName=USCDC_7_3-DM123711" target="_blank">report</a> released on Feb. 29.<div><br />"Specifically, flu vaccination has reduced the risk of flu medical visits by about two-thirds and flu-related hospitalization by about half for vaccinated children and flu medical visits by half and hospitalization by about 40% for vaccinated adults."</div><div><br /></div><div>Even though flu season usually peaks around January, it lasts until May. Health experts say that if there is any flu activity occurring, it's not too late to get vaccinated.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>What the numbers say</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Emergency-department visits for respiratory illness in Kentucky have stayed about the same for the last two weeks, with 3,607 visits reported in the week ended Feb. 24.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Hospitalizations for respiratory disease in that week stayed about the same as the week prior, with <strike>491</strike> <u>530</u> hospitalizations reported in the week ended Feb. 24. </div><div><br /></div><div>Kentucky had 20 counties with Covid-19 hospitalizations between 10 and 19.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, a rate that the CDC <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-rate-county" target="_blank">considers</a> "medium." </div><div><br /></div><div>Those counties are Adair, Green, Russell, Taylor, Clinton, Cumberland, Lewis, Elliott, Menifee, Morgan, Rowan, Barren, Hart, Metcalfe, Monroe, Bath, Montgomery, Floyd, Johnson and Magoffin. </div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, there was little change in the three respiratory viruses tracked by the state health department:<b> </b>Covid-19, influenza and RSV, with flu continuing to drive ED visits and hospital admissions. </div><div><br /></div><div>The state reported 3,857 laboratory confirmed cases of the flu in the week ended Feb. 24 and 2,246 laboratory confirmed cases of Covid-19. This reflected a slight drop in flu cases and a nearly 9% drop in Covid cases.</div><div><br /></div><div>Among children, ED visits for respiratory disease increased 12% in children four and younger, to 671, compared to the prior week, and hospitalizations for children 5 to 17 increased 50%, to 18. The increase in ED visits for younger children was driven by the flu, and hospitalizations for the older children were driven by an increase in both flu and Covid-19.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Since the respiratory-illness season began the first week in October, 384 Kentuckians have died from Covid-19, and 51 from flu, according to the health department. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim have been children. </div></div></div>Melissa Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01558431327921705882noreply@blogger.com0