Health
Coercive control ‘operates in the shadows.’ Kentucky lawmaker moves to address it.
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.? You can also contact any of Kentucky’s 15 domestic violence programs.? FRANKFORT — A Kentucky victim of “coercive control” can’t use that alone to get a protective order […]
Kentuckians will pay with their health if lawmakers force cigar bars on smoke-free communities
House Bill 211 would threaten Kentuckians health by requiring local smoke-free ordinances to allow smoking in cigar bars. HB 211 could undo the dramatic public health protections afforded by the 44 strong smoke-free ordinances in Kentucky. Smoke-free hospitality venues are popular. Tourists like to breathe smoke-free air.? Kentucky has a long history of yielding authority […]
House bill would hurt efforts to remediate lead hazards in Louisville
In Metro Louisville, after extensive input from the public, including landlords and health officials, Metro Council adopted an ordinance in 2022 that took effect in December 2024, requiring residential rental properties be screened for lead hazard and that identified hazards be corrected. The ordinance creates a registry of residential rental properties and their compliance status. […]
Kentucky legislature moves to implement Make America Healthy Again
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky legislature is moving to incorporate the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” principles in the commonwealth.? On Tuesday, members of the Senate Families and Children Committee unanimously — and with bipartisan support — passed a resolution to establish the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Kentucky Task Force.? The task force would […]
As diabetes drives up Kentuckians’ use of weight-loss drugs, worries arise about unintended effects
This story discusses weight and eating disorders. If you or someone you know has an eating disorder, you can get help through the National Eating Disorder Association by calling 800-931-2237 or chatting online at nationaleatingdisorder.org. When Ruth Taylor got accepted into a trial to study semaglutide — which most people know as the brand name […]
Kentucky House passes bill weakening safety protection for coal miners
The Kentucky House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill for the second year in a row that would weaken a safety protection for coal miners created after the workplace death of a Harlan County miner.? The GOP-dominated House voted 76-16 to advance House Bill 196, sponsored by Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville. It would reduce the […]
Water fluoridation would become optional in KY under bill advanced by House committee
FRANKFORT — If the 31 sponsors of House Bill 16 are successful, Kentucky will let local water systems’ governing bodies decide whether or not to have fluoridated water. The bill easily passed the House Health Services Committee on Thursday mostly along party lines, 11-4.? Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, the committee’s chair, was the only […]
How to help and get help in the midst of Kentucky flooding, winter storm
Kentucky is in the middle of a deadly storm sandwich of floods, snowfall and frigid temperatures that has killed 14.? Below are some resources both for those who need and want to provide help.? In the middle of a life threatening emergency situation, call 911.? For other emergency needs, call Kentucky Emergency Management at 502-607-6665.? […]
KY Senate votes to stop state funding of hormone treatments for transgender prisoners
This article mentions suicide. The number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. A bill that would end hormone treatments for 67 Kentucky inmates and prohibit the use of public funds for any future gender-affirming surgeries for transgender prisoners passed the Senate Tuesday along party lines 31-6.?? Opponents called the bill cruel and politically-motivated […]
Bill cracking down on nicotine sales to underage Kentuckians clears committee
A legislative committee unanimously advanced a bill Tuesday that the sponsor has promised will add “teeth” to Kentucky laws aimed at keeping nicotine products out of the hands of youth. Senate Bill 100, from Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, can now go to the Senate floor for a vote. Delanie Crump, a first year student at […]
Weather claims 2 more lives in Kentucky, bringing toll to 14. More cold and snow on the way.
The rainfall and flooding that hit Kentucky over the weekend — and subsequent snow and cold — have now killed 14 people, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday.? The latest two, a woman and a man, were in Jefferson County. They “appear to have been homeless” and “to have died by hypothermia,” Beshear said.? “That should […]
Here’s how state lawmakers are taking aim at transgender adults’ health care
While much state policy and attention have focused on restricting gender-affirming care for minors, more states now are seeking to limit such care for adults. Lawmakers in several states have introduced bills that would prohibit Medicaid coverage of gender-transition services, prevent state or county health professionals from providing it, or bar the use of public […]