Author: Al Cross
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Meth is Pikeville’s ‘drug of choice.’ It’s epidemic, involved in 80% of arrests, and its addiction is harder to treat than opioid addiction.
Pikeville and Pike County are battling a resurgence in use of methamphetamine, reports Alex Acquisto of the Lexington Herald-Leader. The area has been ground zero for the opioid epidemic, but “a quieter crisis...
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UK gets $1.3 million grant to help train more substance-abuse and behavioral-health workers for work in Appalachia
The College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky has received a three-year, $1.3 million federal grant to help get more substance-abuse and behavioral-health workers in Appalachia. “More than two-thirds of Kentucky’s counties...
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State health officials ask health-care providers to report cases of any lung problems related to e-cigarettes; they plan to investigate
State health officials will be working closely with health-care providers, local health departments and federal health officials to gather information and investigate any cases of severe pulmonary disease related to...
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People in the most rural areas are more likely to die from colon cancer even though they are less likely to get it in the first place
Patients who live in remote or very small rural communities are a bit more likely to show up at their doctor’s office with late-stage colon cancer than other Americans, which...
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September is National Recovery Month; recovering addict Rex Chapman slated to attend event in Paintsville Sept. 21
Every September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors National Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of substance-use and mental disorders and to celebrate the people who recover. “This...
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86 percent of Kentucky’s school districts have already adopted tobacco-free polices, ahead of state law with opt-out provision
Only 24 of Kentucky’s 172 school districts, or 14 percent, have not passed a tobacco-free policy that mirrors a new state law that will take effect next July 1, according...
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Dr. Angela Tackett Dearinger, UK physician, appointed commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health
Dr. Angela Tackett Dearinger —– By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The state Cabinet for Health and Family Services has named Dr. Angela Tackett Dearinger commissioner of its Department for Public Health. Dearinger,...
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After 2018 tax hike, cigarette sales in Ky. dropped 10%, more than the national decline; bill would tax e-cigs, sales of which are rising
The tax hike made cigarettes noticeably more expensive in Kentucky than in Indiana and Tennessee, and narrowed price differentials with Ohio and West Virginia; that may have reduced Kentucky sales....
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Study finds it takes longer than previously thought for a heavy smokers’ risk of heart disease to be the same as a non-smoker
Medical News Today photo —– Quitting smoking has immediate benefits to the heart, but it takes longer than previously thought for a former smoker’s risk of heart disease to return...
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Skyrocketing cost of insulin examined by legislative committee and research showing cost makes patients ration the hormone
Advocates called on state lawmakers to find a way to make insulin more affordable, with several of them telling an all-too-common story of how they must ration their supplies because...