Author: Melissa Patrick
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House and Senate move bills to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy and require ultrasounds; could be law by Saturday
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Republicans passed two major anti-abortion bills out of legislative committees Wednesday, Jan. 4, in hopes of enacting them into law...
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Foundation for a Healthy Ky. granted $1 million in 2016, pushing 15-year total above $26 million; plans more smoke-free work
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky awarded grants in 2016 totaling a little more than $1 million to nonprofit organizations and community health coalitions working to improve Kentucky’s health. That...
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UK’s chief medical officer says doctors should follow university trauma team’s example and not prescribe an opioid first
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The University of Kentucky hospital trauma team has adopted a protocol to treat acute pain that they hope will be adopted by the entire...
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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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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...