Month: March 2016
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Kentucky ranks fourth nationally in painkiller prescriptions; CDC proposal would limit prescription strength and amount
Kentucky has the nation’s fourth highest rate of painkiller prescriptions, at about 130 prescriptions for every 100 people, Christine Vestal reports for Stateline. The high rate of painkiller prescriptions is...
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Rice Leach, battling cancer and headed for hospice, gets Public Health Hero Award that Fayette health board will name for him
Rice Leach Dr. Rice Leach, a state and national leader in public health for decades, was honored March 14 with the Public Health Hero Award from the Lexington-Fayette County Board...
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Did you know that smoking can lead to Type 2 diabetes?
Smoking can lead to diabetes, and then cause more complications from the disease. So writes Dr. Laura B. Hieronymus, associate director of education and quality services at the Barnstable Brown...
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Stivers calls for House bills on Kynect and Medicaid expansion, says Senate would vote on them to show where legislators stand
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Republican Senate President Robert Stivers challenged Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo Friday to send the Senate two House bills that would preserve the state’s...
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Co-workers with CPR and AED training save Lexington man from ‘widow maker’ heart attack; now he’s fine and cheering Wildcats
Tim Hayden (UK photo) This time last year, co-workers’ quick actions saved a Kentucky man who suffered from a usually fatal type of heart attack because they knew how to...
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This year’s smoking-ban bill is dead; Senate advocates have bill to make insurers provide all smoking cessation treatments
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Despite early hope, the bill to ban smoking in Kentucky workplaces was likely dead on arrival this year. “I haven’t heard anything about the...
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Hard-fought bill to protect independent pharmacies passes Senate committee; would regulate pharmacy benefit managers
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Update March 28: SB 117 passed the Senate March 14 with a 38-0 vote and passed the House March 25 with a 97-0 vote....
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First case of Zika confirmed in Ky., from traveler to Central America; no threat to Kentuckians unless they visit affected areas
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News After the first case of Zika was confirmed in Kentucky March 9, health officials held a news conference at the Capitol to raise awareness...
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McConnell touts bill to fight opioid abuse; blocks extra funding, says money is available and more should require cuts elsewhere
The U.S. Senate passed a bill 94-1 March 10 aimed at “the growing epidemic of painkiller and heroin abuse,” Karoun Demirjian reports for The Washington Post. “Drug abuse has been...
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Bill to keep dirty needles out of landfills hijacked with amendment to require needle-exchange programs to be one-for-one
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A House bill to educate the public about how to safely dispose of hypodermic needles easily passed was hit with a surprise amendment that...