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Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman discusses her double mastectomy
FRANKFORT — Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman knew for a long time that one day she might learn cancer was at her door.? Her family history put her on heightened alert — her mother, aunt and cousin all had breast cancer. So she “wasn’t shocked” when, in September, a routine mammogram — her first — […]
What to know about the certificate of need debate in Kentucky
FRANKFORT — For the past four years, at least one lawmaker has annually tried to reform Kentucky’s certificate of need (CON) laws.? In 2023, a legislative task force set out to understand the issue and talk about reforms — and it is slated to continue that work in 2024.? But what is the complicated CON […]
‘Momnibus’ bill to help Kentucky maternal health introduced in House
FRANKFORT — The “Momnibus” legislation introduced Wednesday in the Kentucky legislature grew out of an informal working group of Republican and Democratic women lawmakers who met throughout the summer. The bipartisan, 40-page House Bill 10, introduced by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, is intended to support mothers through their pregnancy, through delivery and through the […]
Kentucky to get a new nursing school
FRANKFORT — The Tennessee-based Lincoln Memorial University is launching a School of Nursing site in partnership with CHI Saint Joseph Health in Lexington later in 2024, it announced Wednesday.? Students will be able to enroll for the fall 2024 semester at the new Caylor School of Nursing campus, LMU said in a statement. The school, […]
Medicaid would cover at-home INR tests under proposed law
FRANKFORT — A Republican House bill would make life easier — and potentially safer — for Kentuckians taking blood thinners for their mechanical heart valves, according to a University of Kentucky physician and nurse. Rep. Deanna Frazier Gordon, R-Richmond, introduced House Bill 31 on the first day of the 2024 legislative session. Her bill, which […]
Kentucky bills to watch that focus on children’s welfare in 2024
Kentucky’s youth face a plethora of challenges that stand between them and their ability to thrive fully.? Some bills filed during the 2024 legislative session would address key issues surrounding child abuse, neglect and more.? Here are a few pieces of legislation to watch.? A Senate bill that would exempt diapers from the sales tax […]
Kentucky children dead from flu, COVID-19
A Kentucky child has died from COVID-19 and another from flu, the first deaths of minors for each illness this season, the Kentucky Department of Public Health announced Thursday.? Both children were unvaccinated against their respective viruses, according to the department. It’s unclear how old they were or where in the state they were located.? […]
Republican lawmakers fighting for freestanding birthing centers in Kentucky (again)
FRANKFORT — Champions of freestanding birthing centers are renewing their push in the Kentucky General Assembly with legislation that addresses concerns raised by opponents in the past. Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, and Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown filed bills to, among other things, remove the certificate of need requirement for the centers in Kentucky.? Funke […]
Sen. Douglas seeks continued study of Kentucky’s certificate of need law
FRANKFORT — Telling a Senate committee Wednesday that “we should not rush” the state’s policy conversations about certificate of need, a central Kentucky lawmaker presented his resolution seeking to reestablish a task force to examine the issue. Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville, presented his resolution to the Senate Standing Committee on Health Services. He filed it […]
Northern Kentucky lawmaker files three bills loosening certificate of need requirements
FRANKFORT — Saying that Kentuckians should have options when it comes to where they get their medical care, a Northern Kentucky representative filed three bills Tuesday aimed at reforming the state’s certificate of need (CON) requirements.? The bills, filed by Rep. Marianne Proctor, R-Union, would increase health care expenditures minimums, removesome services like freestanding birthing […]
Kentucky Senate committee ponders coming crisis in child care
FRANKFORT — In a year when Kentucky’s child care providers are looking to the legislature for a financial lifeline, a Senate committee heard an overview Tuesday of what its chairman called “one of the most pressing issues” facing the General Assembly . Several members of the Senate Families and Children Committee, including chairman Danny Carroll, […]
Overdoses up in Lexington as fentanyl is being found in all types of drugs
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department announced it is seeing “an unusually high number of suspected nonfatal drug overdoses” a week into 2024.? There were 29 such overdoses Jan. 4-7, the health department reported, compared with 17 the previous week. “This is an important time to carry naloxone, used to reverse opioid overdoses, especially if you […]