Beshear lieutenants tell Senate that the House didn't budget enough for Medicaid, based on enrollments they have projected

By Deborah Yetter
Kentucky Lantern

The state Senate began its review of the House two-year budget proposal Feb. 14, starting with Medicaid, which spends $15 billion a year to provide health coverage and other services to about 1.5 million Kentuckians who are low-income, disabled or meet other criteria.

The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee heard from Eric Friedlander, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and John Hicks, budget director for Gov. Andy Beshear — chiefly about their concerns over cuts in the state’s share of the program that gets 70%' to 80% of its money from the federal government.

Health Secretary Eric Friedlander said the best way to cut Medicaid

rolls is to attract better-paying jobs with health coverage. State Budget

Director John Hicks is at his right. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Deborah Yetter)

“This creates a hole in the Medicaid budget for Fiscal Year '25,” which begins July 1, 2024, Hicks told the committee. He said the House’s proposed budget for FY 2026 does not cut Medicaid.

Advocates worry the House plan could force cutbacks in Medicaid services in FY 2025 through more than $900 million in cuts to the amount sought by Beshear, a Democrat, in his budget proposal.

Republicans, who firmly control both chambers of the General Assembly, will enact the final budget.

Jason Bailey, executive director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, told the Kentucky Lantern that overall, the House plan cuts about $139 million in state funds Beshear sought for Medicaid in FY 2025, which would cause the state to pass up, another $783 million in federal matching money for a total of around $922 million.

Rep. Jason Petrie (R-Elkton), chairman of the House budget committee, has said the House presumes fewer people will be enrolled in Medicaid, now that the federal government is requiring enrollees to recertify annually that they are eligible. That requirement was dropped during the public health emergency of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Hicks said state budget forecasters worked hard to project how many people will leave Medicaid—so far, around 200,000—and develop an accurate count for the governor’s budget proposal. “We’ve incorporated those numbers into the budget forecast,” he said.

Advocates are hopeful the Senate will restore the state’s share of funds for Medicaid.

Committee members made few comments as they listened to the Beshear administration officials.

Sen. David Givens, R-Greensburg, expressed concern about the growth in Medicaid, which covers about a third of Kentuckians, including more than a half million children and most nursing-home residents.

Givens asked how to reduce the number of Kentuckians enrolled in Medicaid. Friedlander said most adults who are in the prohgram and not disabled or elderly are working at low-wage jobs without health insurance.

“Getting higher-wage jobs, that’s the way that you work on having fewer people eligible for Medicaid,” Friedlander said. “I think that will make as big a difference as anything else.”

Givens suggested a committee meeting during the interim after the legislative session ends to discuss specific ways to reduce the Medicaid rolls, noting that Medicaid has grown significantly during his 15 years as a legislator. The big jump was in 2014, when the state expanded it under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to households with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty threshold.

French research indicates that smoking has an effect on immunity to diseases, through molecules that attach to DNA

Illustration by Bertsy Goic, DrawInScience, © Institut Pasteur

Kentucky Health News

Like other factors such as age, sex and genetics, smoking has a major impact on immune responses, say a team of French scientists in a research paper that they say reveals for the a long-term memory of the effects of smoking on immunity, through molecules that attach to a smoker's DNA.

In addition to its short-term impact on immunity, smoking also has long-term consequences. For many years after they have quit the habit, smokers are left with effects on some of their bodies' defense mechanisms acquired while smoking, says the paper, published in the journal Nature.

Researchers at the Paris-based Institut Pasteur used blood samples from 1,000 healthy volunteers to understand how effectively they respond to attacks from viruses and bacteria. They exposed the samples to the micronbes and measured the immune response. "The team then determined which of the 136 investigated variables (body mass index, smoking, number of hours' sleep, exercise, childhood illnesses, vaccinations, living environment, etc.) had the most influence on the immune responses studied. Three variables stood out: smoking, latent cytomegalovirus infection (a virus in the herpes family that is often asymptomatic though dangerous to fetuses) and body mass index," says a news release that quotes researcher Darragh Duffy: "The influence of these three factors on certain immune responses could be equal to that of age, sex or genetics."

The inflammatory response was greater in smokers, and "the activity of certain cells involved in immune memory was impaired," the release says. "In other words, this study shows that smoking disrupts not only innate immune mechanisms, but also some adaptive immune mechanisms. . . .  The immune system appears to have something resembling a long-term memory of the effects of smoking."

A comparison of smokers and ex-smokers "revealed that the inflammatory response returned to normal levels quickly after smoking cessation, while the impact on adaptive immunity persisted for 10 to 15 years," Duffy said. "This is the first time it has been possible to demonstrate the long-term influence of smoking on immune responses."

The researchers found that those effects involve changes to the smoker's DNA -- not the genetic material itself, but the addition of methyl-group molecules to DNA, "changing the way in which the genome is read in the cell," thus affecting the immune response, the release says.

Researcher Violaine Saint-André said, "This is a major discovery elucidating the impact of smoking on healthy individuals' immunity and also, by comparison, on the immunity of individuals suffering from various diseases."

Illustration by Bertsy Goic, DrawInScience, © Institut Pasteur

It's Heart Month, which confronts the leading killer in the U.S.; here are five ways to keep your heart healthy or make it healthier.

University of Florida illustration

Kentucky Health News

February is American Heart Month, which focuses on the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and ways to lower your risk for heart disease. Here are five ways to boost your heart health, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Exercise regularly. Maintaining a healthy weight is an important part of heart disease prevention, and regular exercise is one way to achieve this. The surgeon general recommends that adults get two and a half hours of moderate physical activity like walking or biking weekly. Children and adolescents should aim for an hour of physical activity every day.

Eat healthy. Establishing healthy eating habits is another way to maintain a healthy weight. Avoid foods that are high in saturated fat and trans fat. Opt for foods that are high in fiber and low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol to help prevent high cholesterol. Foods with lower sodium can help lower your blood pressure, and consuming foods with less sugar can help keep your blood sugar under control.

Set limits. Limiting your alcohol intake and avoiding smoking can also help you prevent heart disease. Knowing your limits and setting boundaries can help you stay disciplined, which is another vital part of lowering your risk for heart disease.

Monitor health conditions. If you struggle with high blood pressure or high cholesterol or have diabetes, managing these conditions is a key part of preventing and lowering your risk for heart disease. Consult with doctors and other members of your health team to see what their recommendations are for managing existing medical conditions. They may prescribe medicines to help manage your blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar, along with lifestyle changes to help.

Work with a team. It's important to work with your health care team if any of your conditions change, if your family has a history of any of these medical conditions or if you suspect you might be at risk for them. Consult your doctor if you’ve already had a heart attack or if you struggle with mental-health issues. Create a treatment plan that works for you and discuss it regularly, making adjustments when necessary. Don’t stop taking any prescribed medicines before talking to your doctor.

Prioritizing heart health is critical for preventing and lowering your risk for heart disease. For more tips to boost heart health, visit cdc.gov/heartdisease/prevention.htm.

Attorney General Coleman sues Kroger over opioid dispensing

Attorney General Russell Coleman has sued the Kroger Co. for its role in the opioid epidemic in Kentucky. 

The lawsuit, filed in state court in Bullitt County, alleges that the Cincinnati-based grocery chain, the nation's largest, bought more than 4 billion morphine-milligram equivalents of opioids for Kentucky from 2006 to 2019, and during that time distributed almost 194 million hydrocodone pills to its Kentucky pharmacies while failing to effectively monitor for suspicious opioid orders.

"Kroger's 100-plus pharmacies in the state were responsible for over 11% of all opioid pills dispensed in Kentucky, totaling hundreds of millions of doses flooding into communities without any reasonable safeguards," a news release from Coleman's office said.

Russell Coleman

“For more than a decade, Kroger flooded Kentucky with an almost unthinkable number of opioid pills that directly led to addiction, pain and death,” Coleman said in the release. “Kroger, which families have trusted for so long, knowingly made these dangerous and highly addictive substances all too accessible. Worst of all, Kroger never created a formal system, a training or even a set of guidelines to report suspicious activity or abuse. The scourge of addiction that has plowed through graduating classes, work forces and entire families is the devastating result.”

"Despite clear red flags, Kroger did not report a single suspicious prescription in the Commonwealth between 2007-2014," the release says. "No state was harder hit by the opioid epidemic than Kentucky, and the consequences have caused suffering and grief for many families across the commonwealth."

Previous attorneys general have sued other opioid retailers and won multi-million-dollar settlements, which the legislature is funneling through local governments and a commission overseen by the attorney general to mitigate the opioid epidemic.

As blood runs short in Ky. and the U.S., Red Cross seeks donors

Gov. Andy Beshear and first lady Britainy Beshear listen to Steve Cunanan, regional CEO of the American Red Cross, as they prepared to donate blood in the state Capitol rotunda. (Photo by Al Cross)

By Al Cross

Kentucky Health News

Responding to a potentially dangerous shortage of blood, Gov. Andy Beshear and his wife set an example Monday by donating blood in the state Capitol and hosting a blood drive in the Capitol Education Center.

First lady Britainy Beshear said before they donated that the number of blood donors in the U.S. is at a 20-year low. Steve Cunanan, regional director for the American Red Cross, said that means the organization is getting 40 percent less blood than usual. It declared a national emergency last month.

Cunanan noted that blood is a perishable product, and is needed an average of every two seconds in the U.S., and only 3 percent of Americans donate blood.

The governor said the shortage could lead to delays in surgeries in Kentucky and would become even more dire in the event of a disaster. He said he and his wife have become regular donors in recent years.

The Red Cross is coordinating with the Kentucky Blood Center, the largest blood bank in the state. Its website has a page where you can enter your ZIP code to find drives in Eastern and Central Kentucky, including Louisville. The Red Cross has a site where you can find blood drives anywhere in Kentucky or the U.S.

Respiratory illness in Ky. keeps declining, but slowly, and is still elevated; more kids are in hospitals; not too late to get vaccinated

Ky. Department for Public Health graphs, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

While emergency-department visits and hospital admissions related to respiratory illness were again less numerous in the week ended Feb. 4, the state Department for Public Health still considers them elevated. 

ED visits for respiratory-associated illness in Kentucky in the week saw a 6.7% drop, to 3,005 visits, according to the health department's weekly respiratory report.

Kentucky hospital admissions for the diseases in Kentucky dropped 25% from the previous week, to 428 in the week ended Feb. 3. 

Admissions for all three respiratory viruses monitored by the state saw big drops. Flu admissions dropped 25%, to 222; Covid-19 admissions dropped 19.6%, to 168; and RSV admissions dropped 59%, to 28. 

Again, none of the state's counties had high rates of Covid-19 hospital admissions in the week ended Feb. 3, but 13 had admission rates between 10 and 19.9 admissions per 100,000 people, a rate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers "medium."

The counties are bunched in Southern Kentucky (Barren, Hart, Metcalfe and Monroe), Central Kentucky (Boyle, Casey, Lincoln, Garrard and Mercer) and northeastern Kentucky (Elliott, Morgan, Menifee and Rowan). 

Children 4 and younger saw a slight uptick in hospital admissions for respiratory illness in the week ending Feb. 4, largely driven by nine Covid-19 admissions, eight more than the week prior. 

Children 5 to 17 saw a 40% increase in respiratory-related ED visits, to 737, and a 100% increase in hospital admissions (18), both driven by increases in flu. 

In the week ended Feb. 3, the state reported 3,415 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu, less than a 1% decrease from the previous week It reported 2,173 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19, up 4% from the week prior.

Since the first week in October, 296 Kentuckians have died from Covid-19, and 28 from the flu, the health department says. One Covid-19 victim and one flu victim were children. 

It's not too late to get vaccinated. Flu season in Kentucky runs through mid-May, RSV outbreaks tend to occur through the end of spring, and the CDC warns that the virus that causes Covid-19 is constantly changing and has not yet established a regular season. 

Health officials recommend 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.

Vaccines for RSV are recommended for some infants and young children, pregnant women and adults 60 and older, although a shortage of the vaccine has been reported.

Earlier this week, WKYT-TV reported there have been six flu-related deaths in Lexington since October, and that the most recent deaths were a person in their 40s and another in their 60s. The health department told WKYT that 84% of the 2,030 people with lab-confirmed influenza in Fayette County since October had not received a seasonal flu shot.

Update 2/11/24: This story has been updated to reflect the correct number of children 4 and younger hospitalized for Covid-19 (nine) and the correct increase from the week prior (eight) when the state had only one Covid-19 hospitalization in this age group.  

Bill to ban cost-sharing fees on cancer screenings clears panel

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

A bill aimed to ban cost-sharing for preventive cancer screenings in certain types of health-insurance plans passed unanimously out of a House committee and awaits a vote in the full chamber. 

Asked why the bill was important, its sponsor, Rep. Deanna Frazier Gordon, said cost is often a barrier for people when it comes to preventive screenings, especially if they don't have any symptoms.

Rep. Deanna Frazier Gordon

"I think the cost is a barrier for people," said Frazier Gordon, R-Richmond. "You know, a lot of health-care plans have $1,000, $2,000 deductibles. And so when you're asking asymptomatic people to go get screening for a condition that they might not have,  I think . . . a fear of that cost is a factor" in deciding to do it or not. 

House Bill 52 says cancer screenings, test or procedures performed for the purpose of detecting cancer "shall not be subject to . . .  any deductible, coinsurance, copayment or other cost-sharing requirement." 

The House Health Services Committee approved the bill 16-0 on Feb. 8. The bill has had two of its three required readings and is in the House Rules Committee. 

Frazier Gordon said the bill would only impact certain insurance plans. The bill's summary says it will "require limited health service benefit plans, Medicaid, self-insured employer group plans provided by the governing board of a state postsecondary education institution and the state employee health plan to comply with the cancer coverage requirement." 

The state Department of Insurance financial-impact statement for the bill says it is "not expected to materially increase premiums," nor is it expected to increase administrative costs. Further, it notes there is a potential for long-term savings due to early detection of cancer.

'Momnibus' bill aimed at lowering state's maternal-mortality rate, second highest in the nation, moves to the full House for a vote

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

A bill aimed at decreasing the state's high maternal-mortality rate was approved by the House Health Services Committee Thursday and now awaits a vote in the full House. It's been dubbed the "Momnibus" bill.

The prime sponsor, Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, who chairs the committee, said House Bill 10 was the result of an informal House-Senate workgroup that dug into Kentucky's maternal-mortality data over the summer to try to understand why the state has the nation's second highest rate of death in the year following a childbirth in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reps. Kim Moser and Nancy Tate
presented the "Momnibus" bill
to the House Health Services
Committee. (Photo by Melissa Patrick)

“It was a bipartisan, bicameral look at what’s wrong with our maternal health in Kentucky, why are our numbers so high and what can we do about it,” she later told reporters. “So this really addresses the priorities that we thought we could tackle.”

She told the committee that the bill addresses a number of contributors to the state's high maternal-death rate. 

"Initiatives that are included in this legislation will address the high rate of substance-use disorders, which are now the number one reason that Kentucky women die in the first year following childbirth; a lack of access to prenatal care, a lack of access to mental health treatment, a lack of education and this also provides a referral to service including treatment support and follow up care," she said.

Kentucky's maternal-mortality rate is 38.4 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, according to CDC data gathered by the Kaiser Family Foundation. This number includes the deaths of women while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy in 2018-21. During that time, Kentucky had 81 maternal deaths.

Rep. Nancy Tate, R-Brandenburg, a co-sponsor of the bill, said 89% of the deaths could be preventable and that 54% of the deaths are related to substance-use disorder. 

Moser agreed, telling reporters, " “I mean, if we’re talking about the maternal-mortality numbers that rival a third-world country, we have got to get serious about this."

What would the bill do? 

A key part of the bill would allow a special health-insurance enrollment period for pregnancy by allowing it to be designated as a "qualifying life event." Said another way, this would allow a woman without health insurance to sign up for coverage at any time after becoming pregnant.

“We discovered that pregnancy was not considered a qualifying life event for some insurance, and we just want to close that gap and make sure that moms can get the prenatal care that they need,” said Moser. "That's the period of time when we know that any chronic disease or any health issue is picked up and can more easily be dealt with." 

It also would establish the Kentucky maternal psychiatric access program, called the "Kentucky Lifeline for Moms." 

This program would establish a dedicated hotline to allow health-care providers to connect with a psychiatrist or a psychologist as a way to help address maternal mental health issues. It would be operated by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Moser said the state has a $750,000 grant to implement this program, but it is important to codify it to make sure it is long-lasting. 

"We know that mental health is an issue that is not being adequately addressed," she told reporters. 

The bill also calls on the cabinet to establish the Kentucky maternal and infant health collaborative. A committee substitute added two additional members to the collaborative, one from the cabinet's Department for Public Health and one from a local health department. 

Moser said this collaborative will oversee the psychiatric lifeline, will collect data, monitor the program and inform future policy needs. CHFS will also study doula certification, and whether or not this is a valuable service, said Moser. 

It also amends and expands the Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) program, a voluntary home-visitation program for new or expectant parents, to require it to provide lactation counseling, education about the importance of breastfeeding and to provide information about safe sleep for babies. It would also ensure that HANDS clients can participate via telehealth if needed. 

“Telehealth has become a really common-sense way to help address some of the health situations that we’re seeing," Moser told reporters. " If there are some needs that a mom has, we were looking for any way to help her." 

The amended version of the bill also included remote patient monitoring as a billable service for prenatal care and added in-home addiction treatment as a billable service. It also changed the phrase "pregnant individual" to "pregnant woman." 

Rep. Rachel Roarx, D-Louisville, asked Moser whether a person who identifies with a "gender marker of a different sex" would be excluded from this bill. Moser said the bill would "cover anyone who is carrying that pregnancy. . . . At this point in time, women are the only persons who can conceive and carry a pregnancy to term.”

The bill passed out of the Feb. 8 committee meeting on a vote of 15-0-2, with Reps. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, and Felicia Rabourn, R-Pendleton, passing. Bray said he had questions about the "defrayal" cost to the state Department of Insurance and about a possible floor amendment. 

Earlier, Moser mentioned the possibility of a floor amendment to "really target who is able to provide this open enrollment." She also noted that she had not seen this bill marked as a "cost defrayal" to the state and that it "doesn't substantially raise the rates." The department's financial-impact statement estimates that the bill would increase premiums as much as $1.42 per member per month, or might not increase them at all.

Kentucky water plants would no longer have to add tooth-protecting fluoride to water, under bill approved by a committee

By Liam Niemeyer
Kentucky Lantern

Kentucky water utilities would no longer be required to add or adjust fluoride in tap-water supplies — a state requirement since the mid-20th century aimed at improving dental health — under a bill a legislative committee approved Thursday, Feb. 8.

House Bill 141 is the latest effort by Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, to remove the state requirement for water utilities serving populations larger than 3,000 to add or adjust fluoride levels in drinking water systems to “protect the dental health of the people served.”

Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth
(Ky. Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)

Hart, a legislator since 2017, was the only sponsor of making drinking-water fluoridation optional when he filed the first such bill in 2018. The legislation has gained Republican co-sponsors as it has been filed several times over past legislative sessions.

The House State Government Committee heard the proposal for the first time Thursday and approved it 16-1. The bill now goes to the House floor for consideration.

Republicans who voted for the bill, and advocates for the legislation who joined Hart, characterized the bill as providing “local control” for utilities to choose whether or not to fluoridate their water. Those advocating the bill included representatives of Morehead’s municipal utility, Irvine’s municipal utility and the Grayson County Water District.

Some advocates for the bill questioned the efficacy of adding fluoride to tap water and its potential side effects.

“Honestly, it is forced medication,” said Rep. William Lawrence, R-Maysville, a co-sponsor of HB 141. “Whether you’re for or against fluoride, this bill has nothing to do with that. This is a local control — let the local water districts decide what’s best for their district.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers community water fluoridation to be one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. The federal public-health agency also has found no “convincing scientific evidence” linking fluoridation to “any potential adverse health effect or systemic disorder.”

Groups representing dentists, oral-health advocates and the dental insurer Delta Dental strongly opposed the bill, saying it would increae tooth decay, particularly among children. Kentucky already ranks among the highest for the number of adults with no teeth.

“We have reached the point where it’s not about the science, it’s about the emotion,” Stephen Robertson, executive director of the Kentucky Dental Association, told the Lantern after the committee approved the bill. “No matter what your position is, you can find something out there that’s going to validate your position.”

Jack Kall, a Louisville dentist and supporter of the bill, showed lawmakers cited graphs from a 2016 magazine article by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that questioned the efficacy and safety of fluoridation. That article was strongly criticized by the American Dental Association, saying it relied on a report that was a “biased misinterpretation,” and the dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine at the time called for the article to be rescinded.

Kall, citing the graphs, asserted that countries that don’t fluoridate water have had a similar decline in tooth-decay rates as countries that do. He told the Lantern that fluoride can lower intelligence in children; a federal court case is litigating whether the mineral has an effect on brain development.

“It’s a hot topic and science continues to evolve,” Kall said. “We should constantly be reviewing things.”

Robertson said there are studies regarding fluoride that need to be verified and that improvements in nutrition and personal dental hygiene also could improve dental health in Kentucky. But fluoride in drinking water, he said, is a “program that works.” He asked, “Are we willing to take the risk of removing fluoride and seeing what happens?”

Hardin, McCracken and Scott counties are certified as Recovery Ready Communities, bringing Kentucky's total to 10

Kentucky Health News map from Wikipedia base map

Kentucky Health News

Three more counties have been designated as Recovery Ready Communities for their commitment to providing residents with access to addiction treatment and recovery support and removing barriers to the workforce, raising the total to 10 out of 120, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday.

"Thank you, Hardin, McCracken and Scott counties, for leading with judgment instead of division," Beshear said at a press briefing Thursday.

The three join seven other counties: Boone, Boyle, Campbell, Grant, Kenton, Perry and Woodford. Counties certified as Recovery Ready provide transportation to and from employment services and job interviews, allowing residents to make positive changes in their lives while filling much-needed jobs, and can earn certifiction in other ways.

"Hardin County’s emphasis on educating youth on the impacts of addiction through collaboration with the county’s school system combined with the outreach of the Lincoln Trail District Health Department and the training offered to local school officials makes the county Recovery Ready," a state news release said. "Not only is it educating all its citizens about the dangers of addiction, but it is providing recovery resources through its participation in an active Agency for Substance Abuse Planning board."

Sara Jo Best, the health department's director, said “While this certification highlights the successful work that has been done so far, it also creates an opportunity for additional activities that we can undertake as a community.”

McCracken County won its certification with distinctive ways of fighting addiction. "An entire city block in downtown Paducah has been transformed into a unified campus allowing seamless delivery of services to at-risk youth, addiction treatment and metal health disorders," the release said. "McCracken County is also home to a mobile access van that serves people throughout the region while working with public and private stakeholders to create a countywide treatment system that is accessible and affordable."

Scott County’s certification turned on collaboration among local law enforcement and grassroots recovery advocates. "The Georgetown Police Department has demonstrated a profound commitment to addressing addiction-related crime and disorder through Operation Hope, which is the agency’s local version of the Kentucky State Police’s Angel Initiative," the release said. "Additionally, the police and local advocates have worked with local food banks and shelters to ensure local citizens have a place to stay safe and do not need to go hungry."

To learn more about the program and to apply for certification as a Recovery Ready Community, click here.

Jaime Parsons is new Ky. Rural Health Assn. executive director

Jaime Parsons

The Kentucky Rural Health Association has a new executive director.

She is Jaime Parsons, "a seasoned leader with a proven track record in healthcare administration and a deep commitment to rural health," a news release from KRHA said.

Parsons has nearly 20 years of experience in health care, "with a strong focus on improving health-care access and outcomes in rural communities," the release says. "Her extensive background includes experience in rural health clinic administration and accreditation, grant writing and management, association management, rural advocacy and community engagement.

KRHA President Amanda Dennison said in the release, “Her passion for rural health, wealth of experience and strategic vision align with the association’s mission to improve healthcare for all rural Kentuckians. As a board, we are excited to work with Jaime to further the association's reach and relationships as we work together to tackle the unique challenges faced by rural communities in Kentucky.”

Parsons said, "Rural is in my blood and I am deeply committed to issues which impact rural areas. I look forward to collaborating with the dedicated members of KRHA as well as stakeholders and community leaders from across the commonwealth to enhance health and promote the well-being of individuals in rural Kentucky."

Parsons succeeds Tina McCormick, who was executive director for more than 10 years. McCoemich said in the release, “It is with great excitement that I leave my post as the executive director to a qualified rural-health leader.”

Norton Healthcare expands its footprint in Bowling Green with primary care; also adds a multi-purpose facility in Frankfort

Norton's new Frankfort facility (WLKY image)

Kentucky Health News

Norton Healthcare of Louisville is buying Bowling Green Internal Medicine and Pediatric Associates as its latest interest in the state's third largest city.

"It's about taking our specialized services out into the state," Dr. Steve Hester, Norton's senior vice president and chief clinical and strategy officer, told Don Sergent of the Bowling Green Daily News. "We appreciate the relationships we already have with providers in Bowling Green. Now we want to look at what things we can bring that aren't already there."

Norton spokesman Joe Hall todl Sergent that the company already has "significant investments" in Bowling Green through such Norton Children's Hospital specialty practices as heart, neurology and maternal-fetal medicine, and the new group will "bring primary care into the fold."

Sergent notes, "Norton is also expanding to other locales outside of Louisville. Earlier this month, it announced a new $12 million multi-practice location in Frankfort that will provide pediatrics, adult services and urgent care under one roof."