Author: Melissa Patrick
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Study says intravenous drug users in almost half of Kentucky’s counties are at high risk of getting hepatitis C or HIV
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A preliminary report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 220 counties in the United States as being most vulnerable...
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FDA to regulate e-cigs: ban sales to minors, require warning signs, require federal approval; did not address advertising issues
In a long-anticipated move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced May 5 that it is assuming regulatory authority over all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, cigars, hookah, tobacco and...
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Stanford hospital is first in Kentucky to go back to laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, to relieve the pain of childbirth
Photo: Abigail Whitehouse, Interior Journal Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital‘s Birthing Spa in Lincoln County is the first in Kentucky to offer nitrous oxide, often called laughing gas, as an alternative...
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Prescription drug addiction not only comes at a personal cost to individuals, but also at an enormous cost to employers
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News With nearly one of three opioid prescriptions being abused, employers are not only subsidizing the cost of these drugs, they are also paying for...
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State and national smoke-free leaders tell Ky. advocates to focus on local smoking bans because of political climate in Frankfort
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News More Kentucky localities are likely to see efforts for smoking bans, as a statewide ban appears less likely and leading advocates are saying to...
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Suicide rates are rising in the U.S.; experts attribute high rate in rural Ky. to poor mental health access, stigma and ‘gun culture’
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News After a decade of decline, suicide is becoming more common in the United States, increasing by 24 percent from 1999 through 2014, according to the...
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UnitedHealth will leave Ky. next year, leaving much of the state with only one or two choices for health insurance on exchange
UnitedHealth Group Inc. won’t be participating in Kentucky’s individual insurance plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace next year, which could leave about 20 percent of the state with...
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More than 100 at SOAR Substance Abuse Roundtable committed to work on prevention and treatment efforts in region
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News More than 100 people attended the Shaping Our Appalachian Region Substance Abuse Roundtable April 7 to learn about current research and emerging opportunities associated...
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Levels of suspected ‘hormone disruptors’ in teen girls dropped after they switched to products that didn’t contain them
A recent study found that after three days of not using personal-care products that contain “problematic substances,” the levels of chemicals that potentially disrupt hormones in the bodies of teenage...
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Zika update: Local anti-mosquito action needed; McConnell, Rogers at center of debate over Obama's request for more funds
Mosquitoes can carry Zika. (NPR photo) By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News While all 388 Zika virus cases confirmed in the continental U.S., including six in Kentucky, have been in...