Nearly 2/3 of Ky. adults with guns at home keep them loaded and unlocked; 15% with children have loaded, unlocked guns in them

Kentuckians increasingly keep their guns loaded, and almost two-thirds who keep them loaded are not locking them up, according to a recent survey.

Kentucky Health Issues Poll chart; for a larger version, click on it

The Kentucky Health Issues Poll, taken Oct. 15-Dec. 6, found that 55 percent of Kentucky adults keep guns in or around their homes. Almost half of that group, 48%, said they were loaded, compared to 35% in 2011.

Among adults who live in a home with a child, the percentage with guns was virtually the same, 56%, but only 28% said their firearms were loaded. But 15% of those with children at home said their gun was both loaded and unlocked.

Those numbers haven't changed since 2016, says the report. And the number of Kentucky adults who reported they kept loaded and unlocked guns in their homes, 64%, is also nearly the same as the KHIP results in both 2011 and 2016, when the same questions were asked. "Neither the proportion of homes with unlocked, loaded guns nor the percentage of such homes occupied by children has improved since 2011," said a news release from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, co-sponsor of the poll. Safety and health experts recommend keeping guns and ammunition in separate locations.

"We're not making any progress in the most basic step that gun owners can take to protect against tragic and often deadly accidents," Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the foundation. "Locking up your guns and keeping the ammunition in a separate place is recommended by multiple child-health and safety organizations to keep them out of the hands of kids who are either just curious or seriously considering harming themselves or others."

Kentucky law neither requires guns to be locked nor imposes criminal liability for negligent firearm storage, even if a child gains access to the firearm and causes an injury or death, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The share of Kentucky adults with guns at home is higher than the national average of 42% that was reported by a 2017 Pew Research Center poll.

Responses to this question in the Kentucky poll varied by region, with adults in more rural areas of the state more likely to report having a gun. In Eastern and Western Kentucky, respectively, 67% and 63% reported having a firearm in or around their home. The figure was 52% in the Lexington area, 48% in Northern Kentucky and 40% in the Louisville area.

Men were more likely than women to report having a firearm in or around their home: 65% and 47%, respectively.

The poll was funded by the foundation and Interact for Health, a Cincinnati-area foundation. It surveyed a random sample of 1,559 Kentucky adults via landlines and cell phones. The margin of error for statewide results is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 762 Kentuckians died because of a firearm, including suicides, homicides and unintentional injuries. That was a rate of 16.9 deaths per 100,000 people, 13th highest in the nation.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chart; click on it for a larger version

Ky. nursing leaders call for a full-time nurse in every school to keep students safe and healthy, and therefore able to learn

Kentucky's nursing leaders are calling on state lawmakers to recognize the vital role school nurses can play "to support student learning in a safe and healthful environment," and are urging them to find "innovative funding" to put a nurse in every school.

"The school nurse is in a prime position to lead this effort but must be present in every school," lead author Kathy K. Hager,  president of the Kentucky Nurses Association, writes in an op-ed for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Only 54 percent of Kentucky's secondary schools have a full-time registered nurse, she notes.

Hager says that nationwide, an estimated 27 percent of students have a chronic health condition and 17 percent experience a mental-health issue each year. In addition, she notes that students are struggling with bulllying, drug-use and gun violence issues.

"In this climate of school violence, along with children’s increasing struggles with physical, behavioral and mental health challenges, much is being debated regarding strategies and resources to support student learning in a safe and healthful environment," Hager writes. She argues that a nurse in every school is the best way to address these needs.

Hager notes that daily access to a full-time nurse as part of the strategy to improve health and safety in schools is supported by the American Academy of Nursing and the American Academy of Pediatrics; the World Health Organization has also identified school health services as an important strategy toward this end.

A recent Academy of Nursing brief on this issue said, “School nurses deliver skilled health care to students, provide referrals to other providers, and assist families in gaining access to specialized care. Yet, despite these undisputed benefits, many schools do not have daily access to a full-time school nurse due to inadequate funding and lack of integration of school health services to the broader health-care system.”

Kentucky adults are overwhelmingly supportive of a law to require a nurse in every school, with 92 percent of them in the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll saying they supported such a measure.

"We are fully aware of the current budget constraints in Kentucky; however, for the health and welfare of our Kentucky children, we must find innovative funding sources to place a nurse in every school as part of a comprehensive health and education system," she writes. "Contact your local school board and legislators and be the voice your children need. For the health, safety and welfare of our children, every Kentucky school needs a nurse and a comprehensive school health-care plan. Kentucky children are counting on you."

Patricia V. Burkhart, Carol Komara and Lois Davis, who represent the nurses association’s Kentucky School Nurse Committee, also contributed to the the op-ed.

1 in 12 Ky. high-school sophomores in 2016 poll said they'd attempted suicide in previous year; prevention efforts increase

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

A 2016 survey found that 8.2 percent of Kentucky's high-school sophomores – about one in 12 – said they had attempted suicide at least once in the previous 12 months. That may seem high, but the national rate is even higher: 9.4 percent.

"We need to take that seriously," Dr. Julie Cerel, a psychologist and professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work and president of the American Association of Suicidology, told Kentucky Health News.

The state is stepping up its efforts to prevent suicide among teenagers, said Patti Clark, the state's suicide-prevention coordinator.

"Any number of students that attempt suicide is too many," Clark said. "For us, that indicates that we have kids who have unidentified issues and they are not receiving appropriate care. They are not being connected to resources that can help them through the rough parts of their life."

The biennial "Kentucky Incentives for Prevention" survey is given to students across the state in even-numbered grades starting in the sixth grade, but the official report says it only offers statistics from 10th graders, since these are the most likely indicators for high-school students. The survey primarily assesses alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, but also looks at suicide and other high risk behaviors.

The 2016 poll includes information from about 28,000 students in 149 of the state's 173 public school districts, but did not include the state's two largest districts. In addition to the Jefferson and Fayette county schools, Warren, Meade, Morgan, Laurel and Martin counties did not participate.

The survey found that 15.4 percent of Kentucky's sophomores reported having suicidal thoughts within the previous year. The rate was higher in eight of the state's 14 regions than it was in 2014, the first year the survey asked questions about suicide.

Beyond thinking about suicide, how many 10th graders made a plan about how they might kill themselves? 12.5 percent. The rate in seven of the 14 regions was higher than in 2014.

Ky. Incentives for Prevention Survey map (click on it for a larger version)

The statewide suicide-attempt rate of 8.2 percent was about the same as in 2014, but was higher in eight of the 14 regions. The highest rates were in three Western Kentucky regions: Four Rivers (9.3 percent), Pennyroyal (10.4 percent) and River Valley (9.2 percent) and a Northern Kentucky region comprising Bracken, Fleming, Mason and Lewis counties (9.6 percent).

Why do teens consider or try suicide?

Cerel said increased media information about suicide, both fictional and real, could be a reasons for the number of reported suicide attempts among the state's 10th graders because this exposure "might make teens more likely to admit they've had these thoughts and experiences."

Need for rural mental-health professionals is shown in full-time equivalents.
Counties not shown had surpluses of such professionals in 2012. (Kentucky
Health Care Workforce Capacity Report for state by Deloitte, 2013)

She added that the state's shortage of mental-health-care providers may also contribute to the number of teen suicide attempts in the state. The federal government estimates that as of December 2016, Kentucky had only 56 percent of the providers it needed.

That means many Kentuckians have to wait three to six months to see a mental-health-care provider, Cerel said, adding such a wait is a long time in the life of a teen who is sad or depressed – about one quarter of the school year.

"What does it mean for say a ninth-grade girl to be out of her peer group for three to six months because she is so depressed she can't function? Everything moves on past her," Cerel said. "So kids just aren't – all Kentuckians, actually – aren't getting access to appropriate mental-health services that could really lead to decreased suicide."

Cerel said the provider shortage is even worse for teens because many providers and pediatricians are reluctant to use medications to treat young people who are depressed. The American Association of Suicidology, which Cerel heads, says depression is present in at least half of all suicides.

Cerel also suggested that the state's opioid epidemic has likely played a role in the number of Kentucky's teens who have attempted suicide: "I would assume that that would be highly correlated."

What is Kentucky doing about it?

Clark said the state requires all middle- and high- school students receive some type of suicide-prevention information by Sept. 1, and every teacher or otherwise certified employee is supposed to participate in at least two hours of suicide prevention training every school year. But the implementation of these programs vary from school to school, she said.

Clark's office is rolling out a new suicide-prevention program called "Sources of Strength" in 100 schools across the state in the fall. She said 60 schools have already signed up to participate.

The Sources of Strength website says it is an evidence-based program that builds resiliency to suicidal thoughts, and touches on related issues such as substance abuse and violence through peer-led messaging campaigns that focus on "hope, help and strength."

"The thing about Sources is that it is peer-led, so it becomes the student's process," Clark said. "They get to make the change. Evidence does show that peer-led programming done correctly – meaning that the kids are not just a seat at the table, but they are truly given the power to do what they need to do and are equipped to do it in the right manner – really can make a difference. . . . We are excited about where this can go."

The state suicide-prevention program already provides technical training and assistance to schools, with evidence-based programs, Clark said, as well as "gatekeeper training," which teaches people in the community how to recognize the warning signs of suicide and how to get help for someone in crisis.

Clark's office also runs the "Kentucky Initiative for Zero Suicide" program, which trains mental-health-care providers – both practicing and those who are still in school – how to assess, treat and prevent suicide.

Clark said she and her staff don't know why so many Kentucky students contemplate, plan or attempt suicide. In a search for answers, they have scheduled meetings with in-patient psychiatric nurses and conducted a series of focus groups with directors of local schools' Family Resource & Youth Services Centers to find out what students are telling them about it.

"We are looking at ways to increase our data, to increase our surveillance opportunities, to find that information so that we can target our prevention efforts," Clark said.

What can parents do?

Cerel said parents should not hesitate to tell a child they are concerned about them if they think their child is contemplating suicide, and offer to get them help. She said FRYSC staff,  school counselors and pediatricians are great resources for both kids and parents.

"I think they cannot be afraid to ask directly about it," she said. "Say, 'I'm really worried about you, are you thinking about killing yourself?' It's not like that is going to put any ideas in anyone's head." She said there is "absolutely no evidence" to support that mistaken belief.

Cerel said it's important for parents to take any threat of suicide seriously, regardless of the circumstances, and not think it is "merely a cry for attention. It's a cry for attention because they are feeling so awful that suicide might be the only way they think they can change their circumstance."

Clark said that it's important for parents to store firearms separately from the ammunition, which is required by a state law that is often ignored.

"Especially for youth, the time from the decision to die to actually attempting death may be as short as five minutes," she said. "If there is enough of a barrier between that child and that weapon, you may have the opportunity to save that child's life. So simply storing your gun and your ammunition separately could make a big difference in those numbers."

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Kentucky's teens and young adults, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Experts say these are warning signs of suicide:

• Talking about suicide
• Making statements about feeling hopeless, helpless or worthless
• A deepening depression
• A preoccupation with death
• Taking unnecessary risks or exhibiting self-destructive behaviors
• Out of character behaviors, including changes in sleep habits or appetite
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
• A loss of interest in the things one cares about
• Visiting or calling people one cares about
• Setting one's affairs in order
• Giving prized possessions away

If you have any of these warning signs, or someone you know is exhibiting any of them, help is available at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Another resource is the Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741-741.

8/3/2017: This article has been updated to reflect that storing firearms separately from ammunition is not required by Kentucky state law. 

More than half of Kentuckians have a gun in the house,15% are loaded and unlocked; among those with children, 12%

More than half of Kentucky adults have a firearm in the home and 15 percent of those guns are loaded and unlocked, according to a the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll.

"Gun safety is a public health issue," said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, a co-sponsor of the poll. "Whether it's a toddler who stumbles across a loaded gun or a teenager showing off to a friend, accidents happen every day. We can prevent these tragedies by keeping guns and bullets in separate, secure places."

The poll, taken Sept. 11 through Oct. 19, found that 55 percent of Kentucky adults had a firearm in or around the home, up from 45 percent in 2011, the last time the poll asked this question.

Asked if they had a loaded gun in the home, one in four of the gun owners said they did. Of those with a loaded gun, 10 percent said it was locked and 15 percent said it was unlocked.

among Kentuckians who had a child in the home, 59 percent also had a firearm there, compared to 44 percent in 2011. Of this group, 35 percent said it was unloaded, 12 percent said it was loaded but locked, and 12 percent said it was loaded and unlocked.

The news release noted that in 2015, 694 Kentuckians and nearly 1,500 children in America died from a firearm injury. Kentucky ranks about 26th in population but 13th in number of deaths from firearms, 15.2 per 100,000 people.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not keeping a firearm in a home with a child, but if you, it says the firearm should be unloaded and securely locked in storage, away from the ammunition.

The poll found that those with higher incomes were more likely to have a firearm in the home than those with lower incomes, around 60 percent compared to 47 percent. And those living in suburbs (63 percent) and rural counties (62 percent) were more likely to have a firearm in the home, compared to those in urban counties (37 percent).

The poll was funded by the foundation and Cincinnati-based Interact for Health. It surveyed a random sample of 1,580 Kentucky adults via landlines and cell phones, and has an error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Nearly half of Kentuckians keep guns in their home, and 9 percent keep a gun loaded and unlocked

Forty-five percent of Kentucky adults keep a gun or other firearm in their home, and one-fifth of those (9 percent of the population) keep them loaded but unlocked, the 2011 Kentucky Health Issues Poll has found. Children are present in almost half of homes that have firearms.

"Whether or not you keep guns in your home, if you have children, this should be a reminder to talk to them about gun safety," said Susan Zepeda, CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which released the poll results. In 2008, 576 Kentuckians died from injury by firearms, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranking the state 16th in firearm deaths that year.

The poll found that men, people with higher incomes and people who live in the Appalachian part of the state are more likely to keep firearms around the home. People who live in large urban areas had fewer of the weapons — 39 percent in the Lexington area, 37 percent in Northern Kentucky and 32 in the Louisville area, compared to 57 percent in Eastern Kentucky.

The poll was funded by The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, as well as the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. A random sample of more than 1,600 Kentuckians responded to the survey, which was conducted Sept. 27 to Oct. 27, 2011 by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of adults across Kentucky were interviewed, including 1,313 landline interviews and 308 cell-phone interviews. (Read more)