By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
The focus of March’s “Our Healthy Kentucky Home” initiative is emergency preparedness.
“Here in Kentucky, we’ve experienced firsthand these tolls that disasters and emergencies can take on our communities,” Health Secretary Dr. Steven Stack said at a March 5 news conference.”Floods, tornadoes, winter storms and severe weather are beyond our control, but while we can’t control when emergencies happen, we can control how prepared we are when they arrive.”
He said one way to do this is to prepare an emergency supply kit with high protein foods, water, medications and first aid supplies. Also, he said it’s important to have a family plan for what to do in a disaster, and to practice it together. He also said it’s important to stay informed about local risks and alerts.
“Small steps taken today, though, can make a big difference tomorrow,” Stack said.
The goals of the state’s campaign, which were emphasized in the first year of the initiative, are for Kentuckians to eat two servings of fruits and vegetables daily, to exercise at least 30 minutes three times per week, and to engage with others and stay connected. The second year of the campaign will focus on the state’s health and wellness programs.
Stack highlighted three emergency preparedness programs, including:
- Kentucky Emergency Management, which helps communities prepare through planning, training responders, coordinating resources and ensuring local leaders have what they need before emergencies happen.
- Kentucky Medical Reserve Corps, which brings together trained medical and non-medical health care providers to serve their own communities during emergencies.
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day by calling or texting 988 from your phone. “And I want to emphasize, you can text 988 and ask for help, and you will get a response,” Stack said. “You don’t have to be in immediate crisis to reach out, either. Sometimes you just need someone to listen.”
“At the heart of Our Healthy Kentucky Home is the understanding that being prepared strengthens help,” he said. “When families plan ahead, when communities train together and when support systems are ready, we reduce harm, protect lives and recover faster.”
The Our Healthy Kentucky Home website includes information about emergency preparedness resources, with links to each month’s focus topic.
