Category: HEALTH POLICY
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With the important exceptions of vaping and marijuana, substance abuse among U.S. teenagers has been going down
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Except for cannabis use and vaping, substance use among American teens is going down, according to a recent study. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance...
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Abortion-rights supporters report raising more funds than backers of anti-abortion ballot measure; Lexington mayor opposes it; Beshear reflects poll
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Abortion is on Kentucky’s ballot. The state’s portal for requesting an absentee ballot opened Saturday, Sept. 24, and the ballot will have this question:...
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More than 50,000 in Medicare prescription program had a drug overdose last year; up 15%, about same as overall increase in Ky.
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News At least 50,391 Americans in Medicare Part D, which pays for prescription drugs, had an overdose from prescription opioids, illicit opioids, or both during 2021,...
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Beshears get new Covid-19 booster shots designed to protect against recent variants of the coronavirus
The governor gets a shot as the first lady watches. (State photo) —– Gov. Andy Beshear and his wife, Britainy Beshear, got the newly updated bivalent Covid-19 booster vaccine Wednesday...
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Doctors back booster shots for recent Covid-19 variants, saying vaccines are especially needed now that cooler weather is here
iStock/Getty Images Plus photo illustration via Kaiser Health News —– By Al Cross Kentucky Health News Kentucky experts largely dismissed concerns about speedy approval of the new coronavirus vaccines on...
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Cutting barriers to tobacco-quitting treatment helped, but not enough; Ky. has wide differences among regions, and not enough money
Photo: healthyplace.com —– By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Since Kentucky passed a law in 2017 that reduced barriers to tobacco treatment and counseling, Kentucky Medicaid providers have diagnosed more...
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UK study to test effectiveness of kiosk with harm-reduction goods as way to increase access and fight the stigma felt by drug users
An example of a harm reduction vending machine in Cincinnati (Photo from Kiosk Marketplace) —– By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News To fight feelings of stigma that discourage intravenous drug...
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With no exceptions for rape or incest, Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban can force children as young as 9 to deliver a baby
Courier Journal graphic; for a larger version, click on it; to download, right-click. —– While pregnancy in very young girls is rare, it does happen. “In Kentucky, the two youngest...
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Monkeypox cases in Ky. remain low, but keep inching up slowly; vaccine is available for those at high risk of getting the disease
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Even as new cases of monkeypox inch up in Kentucky, overall cases remain low. On Sunday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed...
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Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission plans eight town-hall meetings around the state, starting in Pikeville Sept. 19
The state commission overseeing distribution of $478 million in opioid-settlement funds in Kentucky has scheduled a series of town-hall meetings to discuss drug addiction, treatment and recovery in the state....