Month: December 2016
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Community health workers help Kentuckians deal with the multitude of obstacles between them and better health
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News BEATTYVILLE, Ky. – Fannie Callahan, a 62-year-old woman from Lee County, worked at the local nursing home for 38 years before retiring, has insurance,...
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Medicare cuts 11 Ky. hospitals for patient-safety issues; repeaters in Louisville, Danville, Hopkinsville, Lexington, Paducah, Florence
The federal government is penalizing 11 Kentucky hospitals for falling short on patient safety in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, two more than last year. Medicare has imposed...
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Substance-use treatment under Medicaid jumps, following expansion of program and increase in abuse of painkillers
Kentucky’s expanded Medicaid program covered approximately 11,000 substance-use treatment services in the second quarter of 2016, a huge increase from the 1,500 services from January through March 2014, the first...
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Kentucky likely to get measures to restrict malpractice lawsuits
The coming Republican control of state government makes it likely that doctors and other health-care providers will get from the General Assembly what they have wanted for more than 30...
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Anecdotal reports suggest that injured teen athletes who are prescribed opioids are getting addicted, but research is conflicted
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Three high-school athletes, two playing football and one a swimmer, recently told NBC News how they got hooked on opioids after being prescribed them for...
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1/3 of long-term prescription opioid users say they’re addicted
One-third of long-term opioid users in the U.S. report being addicted or dependent on the painkillers, and nearly all of the long-term users in the survey said they got their...
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Report again ranks Kentucky 49th in well-being for seniors
Kentucky held onto its 49th spot for the seventh year in a row in a new ranking of seniors’ well-being, with West Virginia following close behind. The rankings are part...
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Study finds a community awareness campaign increased uptake of low-dose CT scan, which can detect lung cancer early
A community awareness campaign in Eastern Kentucky about a low-dose CT scan that detects lung cancer early has increased uptake of the procedure and prompted individuals to consider quitting tobacco,...
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Ky. had biggest drop in uninsured low-income people, and in percentage of adults who passed up care because of cost
Kentucky had the largest drop in low-income, working-age people without health insurance, and the biggest decline in adults who passed up medical care due to cost, after the state embraced...
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Fewer teens are using drugs and alcohol than their counterparts did in the 1990s, nationwide and also in Kentucky
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A new national study shows teen drug and alcohol use are at their lowest rates since the 1990s, a trend that is also seen...