by Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service As anti-hunger advocates gather today at the state Capitol to launch Feeding Kentucky’s Hunger Action Month kickoff, experts say the next Farm Bill — the nation’s largest nutrition and agricultural legislation — will decide the fate of many of the federal food programs Kentuckians rely on. Cassidy Wheeler, advocacy coordinator…
by Kentucky Health News Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he helped get $3.3 million for the Fletcher Group, a nonprofit founded by former Gov. Ernie Fletcher, to build housing for rural people in drug recovery. “With the help of the Fletcher Group’s targeted prevention, treatment and enforcement programs, Kentucky’s rural communities can take…
by Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service Kentucky’s child-care crisis could get worse when federal assistance for child-care centers runs out, and that could increase barriers for survivors of intimate-partner violence. Federal data shows that when adjusted for inflation, families nationwide are paying between $5,000 and $17,000 per year per child for child care. Meg Savage, chief…
By Melissa Patrick, Kentucky Health News Attorney General Daniel Cameron has filed a lawsuit against three pharmacy benefit managers and drug manufacturers over an alleged insulin pricing scheme. The lawsuit alleges that PBMs CVS Caremark, Optum Rx, and Express Scripts along with manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi have worked together to manipulate and increase insulin prices. PBMs act as middlemen…
FRANKFORT, Ky. – In an ambitious move to address childhood hunger, a problem impacting one in seven Kentucky youths, state Senator Cassie Chambers Armstrong and state Representative Chad Aull, D-Lexington, announced a bill to expand access to free meals at schools through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program. The announcement was made at Franklin…
by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern During a crisis, parents of children with severe emotional disabilities must currently go to the hospital for help. They want the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to offer a crisis hotline and crisis intervention services, among other services. This insight came from seven in-person and two virtual…
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East, a leading facility dedicated to women’s and neonatal health services, has announced a significant boost to its labor and delivery care capabilities. A $125,000 grant from WHAS Crusade for Children will fund the purchase of new equipment to enhance care for premature babies and…
By Melissa Patrick, Kentucky Health News A federal appeals court panel voted 2-1 last Monday to allow Kentucky to enforce a recently enacted ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth while the law that imposed the ban works its way through the courts. The ruling will have a health impact on transgender youth undergoing…
By Melissa Patrick, Kentucky Health News Five Kentucky hospitals have been named among the nation’s “Best Regional Hospitals” in the annual ranking by the U.S. News & World Report magazine. The No. 1 hospital in Kentucky is the University of Kentucky hospital, followed by St. Elizabeth Healthcare Edgewood-Covington. Tying for third place were Baptist Health Lexington, Norton Hospitals and St. Joseph Hospital-Lexington. …
by Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service Medicaid benefits can help people stay housed or get connected to resources that can help them find housing. And experts say the state’s Medicaid renewal process – triggered by the end of pandemic-era continuous-coverage protections – could negatively impact Kentuckians who need housing help. At the Homeless and Housing…