Health
University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center makes history with national designation?
Anna Cox had just graduated from the University of Kentucky when she was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2018.? She first sought emergency care for a “wrenching abdominal pain.” It turned out to be related to stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.? Cox was treated at the university’s Markey Cancer […]
New round of COVID-19 booster shots on the way after CDC recommendation
WASHINGTON — Americans older than six months should get an updated COVID-19 booster this fall, according to a recommendation the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday. The vaccine should be available by later this week, the CDC said in a statement. “We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes from […]
Sexual assault survivors can now track their rape kits in most states
It can take hours for a sexual assault victim to undergo the multiple swabs, hair samples, blood and urine collections, and other invasive procedures of a sexual assault examination. And then it can take months, sometimes years, for investigators to process that evidence kit. But now, responding to demands from survivors and their advocates, more […]
Kentucky projects receive $1.5 million to aid with substance use disorder recovery, re-entry
ASHLAND — The Appalachian Regional Commission announced nearly $14 million for projects that help people recovering from substance use disorders to re-enter the workforce.? Across 11 states, 43 projects were selected to receive part of the funding through ARC’s? Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative. Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin offered her congratulations to […]
‘Really important conversations’ sought by Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health
The Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health held a town hall at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington Sept. 6. This was the second in a series of town halls the commission will hold throughout the state this year. The next one will be Wednesday in Ashland. (For a full listing, see below.) “These […]
Report faults EPA for not enforcing limits on toxic benzene emissions at oil refineries
The federal Environmental Protection Agency must do a better job ensuring that oil refineries that exceed emissions limits for benzene, a toxic, carcinogenic pollutant, cut those concentrations, the agency’s inspector general found. “Thirteen of the 118 refineries we reviewed had benzene concentrations above the action level in 20 or more weeks after the initial exceedance,” […]
Whooping cough cases on the rise in Kentucky
FRANKFORT – Kentucky is seeing an uptick in cases of pertussis, more commonly called whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness.? As of Sept. 13, there were 56 cases confirmed to the Kentucky Department of Public Health, a spokeswoman said, though other cases are being investigated. That total is up from 2022, during which there […]
Death rates for people under 40 have skyrocketed. Blame fentanyl.
A new Stateline analysis shows that U.S. residents under 40 were relatively unscathed by COVID-19 in the pandemic but fell victim to another killer: accidental drug overdose deaths. Death rates in the age group were up by nearly a third in 2021 over 2018, and last year were still 21% higher. COVID-19 was a small […]
Physician says no evidence McConnell experienced a stroke or has a seizure disorder
Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office on Tuesday released a physician’s letter saying “there is no evidence” that the Senate’s Republican leader has a seizure disorder or experienced a stroke, following two public episodes when McConnell appeared to freeze while speaking to reporters. “There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your […]
University of Louisville wins $11.7M to study links between disease, microorganisms
University of Louisville researchers hope to better understand conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and diabetes and how to best treat them through a nearly $12 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health. Over the next half-decade, the researchers will study connections between microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses and protozoans and diseases, […]
Surprise! You’ve lost your Medicaid
Some patients find out they’ve been dropped from Medicaid when they come in to pick up a prescription. Others, when they arrive for a doctor’s appointment at one of the Family Health Centers’ Louisville clinics. And some are struggling to cope with paperwork or documentation required to prove eligibility for Medicaid under new rules that […]
What to know about Kentucky’s dominant COVID-19 strain?
The “vast majority” of Kentucky’s COVID-19 cases are now the variant EG.5 – also known as “Eris” – according to Louisville infectious disease expert Dr. Mark Burns.? This variant is “slightly more contagious … but overall not very different from the original omicron” strain, Burns told press Wednesday.? EG.5 is an omicron descendant, according to […]