Princess Health and Wellness coalition in Perry County, where life expectancy is state's lowest, gets funding from Foundation for a Healthy Ky.. Princessiccia

Princess Health and Wellness coalition in Perry County, where life expectancy is state's lowest, gets funding from Foundation for a Healthy Ky.. Princessiccia

Appalachia children children's health education farm to school farmers' markets food Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky foundations grants hospitals life expectancy nutrition philanthropy schools

Gusty 10:14 Add Comment

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky has funded the Perry County Wellness Coalition's three-year plan to encourage fitness and better nutrition in school-age children, "Kids on the Move!"

The wellness coalition will receive $144,450 from the foundation this year, matched by $124,944 from the community, to increase access to physical activity and provide healthier food options and nutrition education. Perry County has the lowest life expectancy in Kentucky.

"Our children are the most valuable resource we have," said Gerry Roll, executive director of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, which is serving as fiscal agent for the coalition. "It's the best investment we can make as a community partner."

The health coalition will work with local schools to implement physical activity and nutrition-policy changes, collaborate with local farmers' markets for a strong farm-to-school component, and coordinate with other community agencies to create a lasting and collective impact.

The project also will implement best-practices nutrition and exercise programs in schools, support community gardens, summer feeding programs, and a "Farmacy" program to increase the purchase of healthier produce at farmers' markets and local grocery stores, among other changes to be coordinated by the agencies in the coalition.

The Appalachian Regional Healthcare hospital in Hazard will be the administrative hub for the coalition, providing leadership and sharing its expertise in promoting community health. "We have already begun these efforts by providing fitness fairs and health screenings to over 20 schools in our service area and reaching a little more than 2,500 middle school and high school age kids this year alone," said Hazard ARH Community CEO Dan Stone said.

The coalition is among seven Kentucky communities funded by the foundation's "Investing in Kentucky's Future" initiative, which is spending $3 million over five years to fund communities working to improve the health of their school-aged children. The other groups are in Breathitt, Clinton, Grant, Jefferson and McLean counties, and in Boyd and Greenup counties. Perry County was in the original announcement and recently completed its detailed plan. It shares with Breathitt and Wolfe counties the state's lowest life expectancy, 70 years.

Princess Health and Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky seeks nominations for seats on its board of directors and Community Advisory Committee. Princessiccia

Princess Health and Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky seeks nominations for seats on its board of directors and Community Advisory Committee. Princessiccia

Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky foundations philanthropy

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The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is seeking nominations for two seats on its board of directors and three seats on its Community Advisory Committee, which drive the foundation's policy work and investments. Nominations are due July 22.

Board members represent the interests of Kentucky's medically under-served and include individuals working in health policy, health-care services and health-care finance. However, the board also seeks members who are not employed by health-care organizations and can provide varying perspectives.

The two board seats available are in Jefferson County and an at-large seat that can be filled by anyone in the state.

The Community Advisory Committee, which advises the board and appoints some of its members, is seeking new members from areas not represented: the Purchase, Buffalo Trace, Gateway, Fivco, Big Sandy and Cumberland Valley area development districts. The greater Lexington area is over-represented, the foundation says.

The committee is seeking two additional members who are executive directors or trustees of organizations working to address the unmet health care needs of Kentucky. It is also seeking members with expertise outside health care, such as in business, law and education.

"Service on the board or CAC is an opportunity to help improve the health of Kentucky through policy changes, grantmaking and other means, while creating lasting connections with other individuals who have different backgrounds but similar interests," the foundation said in a news release. "It is anticipated that the board and CAC will be developing a new strategic plan during 2017, making this a particularly exciting time to join. The Foundation has a highly skilled and dedicated staff to manage day-to-day activities, enabling the Board and CAC to focus on strategic direction and efforts to improve the Foundation's programs."

The full call for nominations and a nomination form can be found on the Foundation's website, http://healthy-ky.org/.

Princess Health and Annual health policy forum set Sept. 28 in Bowling Green.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Annual health policy forum set Sept. 28 in Bowling Green.Princessiccia

education food Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky foundations health education health policy housing nutrition philanthropy schools transportation workplace health

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This year's annual Howard L. Bost Health Policy Forum "will offer new insights and opportunities from a range of civic sectors for a shared vision, policies, and actions for community health," says its lead sponsor, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.

"Local, regional, and national speakers will share their knowledge and experiences in building healthy communities, with a focus on transportation and housing, education, food systems and policy, and employers and workplaces," the foundation says. "TED style" speakers will make presentations on each of the forum's four focus areas: education, food systems and policy, employer/workplace, and transportation/housing.

The forum will be held at the Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green on Monday, Sept. 28. For the registration website, click here.

Princess Health andKentucky is one of three states to get Walmart Foundation money to expand farm-to-school programs.Princessiccia

Princess Health andKentucky is one of three states to get Walmart Foundation money to expand farm-to-school programs.Princessiccia

education farm to school philanthropy schools state government

Gusty 09:50 Add Comment

Kentucky will use money from The Walmart Foundation to partner with the National Farm to School Network to expand efforts to get more local foods into schools.

A project called Seed Change will �jump start� programs that get local foods into schools and enhance food education for more than 1.8 million school children at 100 sites in Kentucky, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, the network said in a news release. Each site will get $5,000 grants, with applications to be accepted later this spring.

The state Department of Agriculture�s farm-to-school program connects schools with local farmers and food producers and helps students "learn to appreciate the importance of local foods and grow into well-informed consumers who demand local foods as adults," the release said. The program served an estimated 364,000 children in about 700 schools in 84 districts in the 2011-12 school year. For more information on the program, go to www.kyagr.com or contact Tina Garland at 502-382-7505 or tina.garland@ky.gov.

Princess Health and Princess Health andFoundation for a Healthy Kentucky reports putting 24 percent more money into grants last year than in 2012.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andFoundation for a Healthy Kentucky reports putting 24 percent more money into grants last year than in 2012.Princessiccia

cardiovascular disease children's health foundations health policy philanthropy public health schools smoking smoking ban smoking bans smoking ordinances

Gusty 13:33 Add Comment

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky made grants totaling $2,355,838 in 2013, a 24 percent increase over the 2012 total of $1,903,660, according to the annual report it released yesterday.

Last year was the first in which the foundation made grants for two major initiatives: Investing in Kentucky's Future, which it calls "a $3 million commitment to seven Kentucky communities where civic leaders have come together and committed to a process and a plan for collective impact on the future health of their children," and Promoting Responsive Health Policy, which tries to see that voices of under-represented populations are part of the health-policy conversation in Kentucky.

The first initiative's seven grantees are Fitness for Life Around Grant County, the Clinton County Schools (for the Healthy Hometown Coalition), the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky (for the Perry County Health and Wellness Coalition), the Green River Area Development District (for the Partnership for a Healthy McLean County), the Kentucky Heart Foundation (for work in Boyd and Greenup counties), Kentucky River Community Care (for the Breathitt County Health Planning Council for Children) and the Louisville Metro Department of Health and Wellness (for the Coalition for Louisville Youth).

Under the policy initiative, the report says, grantees "are working to improve access to needed health care, support children's health, strengthen local public health and "increase the number of Kentuckians living in communities where workplaces are smoke-free." For a complete list of grants made by the foundation in 2013, click here. For a January press release about them, click here.

The foundation was established in 2001 to settle a lawsuit by then-Attorney General Ben Chandler against Anthem Inc. to recover the charitable assets that Anthem had gained in its merger with the old Kentucky Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The foundation's net assets grew to nearly $56.4 million last year, a 7.7 percent increase over the end of 2012.

The foundation is a non-profit philanthropy with a mission of addressing the unmet health-care needs of Kentuckians. It has invested more than $24 million in health-policy research and pilot-project grants that invests in communities and informs health policy through grant making, research and education. It says it is "committed to improving access to care, reducing health risks and disparities and promoting health equity."

The foundation also acts as a convener, through its annual Howard L. Bost Health Policy Forum, its "Health for a Change" workshops and webinars, funding of conferences held by others and meeting space at its new offices in eastern Jefferson County for more than 21 community and statewide organizations.

It also acts as a communicator, through its annual Kentucky Health Issues Poll and other research, and it funds independent health reporting by Kentucky Educational Television and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications at the University of Kentucky, which publishes Kentucky Health News.

Princess Health and Princess Health andUK awarded $1.9 million to improve recruitment, preparation and retention of science, tech, engineering and math students.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andUK awarded $1.9 million to improve recruitment, preparation and retention of science, tech, engineering and math students.Princessiccia

education philanthropy

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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has awarded the University of Kentucky a five-year, $1.9 million grant to improve retention of students in the STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering and mathematics, through a collection of initiatives dubbed "STEMCats."

The STEMCats project will feature five key components, each aimed at improving the recruitment, preparation and retention of STEM majors: FastTrack courses for Math, Biology, Chemistry and Physics to better prepare incoming students; a STEMCats living learning community; a freshman STEM research course; a team-based summer research experience and an improved introductory STEM curriculum.

Fewer than half of all students who enter college with the intention of majoring in a STEM field leave with a STEM degree, according to the university's press release. Nationwide, 40 percent of students enroll in a STEM program when they enter college, and the rate drops to roughly 20 percent among historically under-represented ethnic groups.

Many first-year college students are not prepared for the rigors of college-level science and math, Professor Vincent Cassone, chair of the UK Department of Biology and STEMCats project director, said in the release. "They have no idea what to expect, and I think it comes as a shock to some of them just how much work is actually involved in passing an introductory-level STEM class," Cassone said in the release. "By the time they realize it, they may already be in trouble. It's not that they can't do the work. They just are not mentally and psychologically prepared for the challenges they face at the university level. The STEMCats initiatives are designed to help students get ready to succeed."

UK is partnering on these initiatives with Bluegrass Community and Technical College, which will allow these students "to work in UK research facilities, live in STEM-designated communities at UK and be part of a FastTrack student cohort designed to remove barriers of success while enhancing STEM opportunities and knowledge," Tammy Liles, associate STEMCats project director, said in the release.

UK is one of 37 research institutions to receive an award, from among 170 institutions competing for a share of $60 million in total funding, according to the release. (Read more)

Princess Health and Princess Health andFoundation for a Healthy Kentucky seeks nominations for its board and Community Advisory Committee by June 30.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andFoundation for a Healthy Kentucky seeks nominations for its board and Community Advisory Committee by June 30.Princessiccia

Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky philanthropy

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The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is accepting nominations for qualified persons to join its board of directors and its Community Advisory Committee.

The 15-member board is responsible for preserving the foundation�s endowment and upholding its charitable mission of addressing the unmet health care needs of Kentuckians. It is advised by the 31-member advisory committee.

Nominations are being accepted for a directorship from Kentucky Supreme Court District 2, the counties of Barren, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Daviess, Grayson, Hancock, Hardin, Hart, Henderson, Larue, Meade, Ohio, Union and Warren.

The board expects to elect four new Community Advisory Committee members, who make recommendations to the board, serve as community liaisons, serve on foundation committees, take part in the foundation's annual policy forum and appoint or nominate candidates to the board.

Nominations for the advisory committee are sought from residents of five area development districts: Purchase, Barren River, Lincoln Trail, Buffalo Trace and Fivco. Members should bring diversity to the foundation and not be currently employed in the health sector.

You may nominate yourself or someone else via the online nomination form and attach a resume or bio by June 30. You may submit the nomination online, by mail or vuia email to: Mary Jo Shircliffe, chief operating officer; Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky; 1640 Lyndon Farm Court, Suite 100; Louisville, KY 40223. Her email is mshircliffe@healthy-ky.org. You will receive an email acknowledgement of the receipt of your submitted nomination. For more information call 502-326-2583 or (toll free) 877-326-2584. 

Princess Health and Princess Health andKosair sues Norton over use of donations to Children's Hospital; Norton says charity weaseling out of obligation.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andKosair sues Norton over use of donations to Children's Hospital; Norton says charity weaseling out of obligation.Princessiccia

children's health courts hospitals philanthropy

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Kosair Charities, which gives more than $6 million a year to Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, has sued the hospital's parent, Norton Healthcare, accusing it of misusing some of the money "to enhance its bottom line and 'line the pockets' of its executives," and has "refused to provide an accounting of how Kosair's donations are spent," Andrew Wolfson reports for The Courier-Journal.

"Norton spokesman Thomas Johnson said the company 'categorically' denies that 'money designated for Kosair Children's Hospital was somehow spent for any other purpose or in any other Norton Healthcare facility'," Wolfson writes. "In a statement the company called the lawsuit 'baseless' and said, 'Over the last few years Kosair Charities has engaged in a systematic pattern of raising baseless allegations in an effort to avoid its contractual obligations to the children's hospital that carries its name.'" (Read more)

Princess Health and Princess Health andAnthem gives hospital group grant to improve perinatal care, including discouraging early, medically unnecessary deliveries.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andAnthem gives hospital group grant to improve perinatal care, including discouraging early, medically unnecessary deliveries.Princessiccia

Caesarean section health care costs health insurance hospitals infant mortality neonatal care obstetrics perinatal care philanthropy premature birth

Gusty 11:24 Add Comment

The foundation of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has awarded nearly $259,000 to an arm of the Kentucky Hospital Association to improve perinatal care and outcomes for mothers and their babies by discouraging early, medically unnecessary deliveries and encouraging breastfeeding.

Perinatal care, provided in the time around childbirth, is critical to ensure the good health of newborns, Anthem notes in a news release, pointing out that Kentucky's infant mortality rate is 6.6 deaths per 1,000 births, while the national rate is 6.1, and the state's rate of premature births, almost 14 percent, is well above the 9.6 percent goal set by the March of Dimes.

"The closer the baby is to full term, the better; but sometimes babies are born before they fully develop, weighing only a few pounds," the release notes. "When this occurs, long stays in the hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are necessary as these babies fight health complications while learning to breathe on their own without the use of a ventilator."

NICU stays are usually expensive. In 2012, Kentucky hospitals charged about $400 million for such treatment.

The hospital association says it has been working to reduce early, elective deliveries, with the Anthem foundation's help, and the latest grant is designed to build on that work. It says the grant to its subsidiary, the Kentucky Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, will also promote breastfeeding, reducing blood infections in the hospital, and reducing complications related to inducing labor, including Cesarean sections.

"KIPSQ will work with all Kentucky hospitals that deliver babies to assure the best care during delivery and the best outcomes for mothers and babies," the KHA release says. "KIPSQ will collect data to measure progress and provide resources, tools and technical assistance in quality improvement techniques to reduce prematurity, unnecessary Cesareans and improve the long-term health of newborns.

KHA says 76 of Kentucky�s 131 hospitals are members of KIPSQ, which is expanding its membership to include long-term care facilities and physicians' practices. "The Anthem grant will improve the delivery of perinatal health care to all of the state�s birthing/neonatal hospitals, regardless of their participation in KIPSQ," the release says.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans of Kentucky, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The Anthem Foundation Inc. is a private, non-profit foundation.

Princess Health and Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky seeks nominations for its board of directors and Community Advisory Committee.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky seeks nominations for its board of directors and Community Advisory Committee.Princessiccia

Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky philanthropy

Gusty 11:58 Add Comment

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is accepting nominations for qualified persons to join its board of directors and Community Advisory Committee.

The 15 directors are responsible for preserving the foundation�s endowment and upholding its charitable mission of addressing the unmet health care needs of Kentuckians. Nominations are being accepted for three seats, including one to be selected by the directors and one by the governor.

The third seat will represent Supreme Court District 6: Bath, Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Fleming, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties. This director will be chosen by a Community Advisory Committee subcommittee, comprising five members who help run organizations addressing the unmet health care needs of Kentuckians.

The foundation is also accepting Community Advisory Committee nominations in anticipation of electing two new committee members. The 31 members provide advice and recommendations to the board, serve as community liaisons, serve on foundation committees, take part in the annual policy forum and appoint or nominate directors.

Please complete the nomination form and attach a resume or bio. Self-nominations are allowed.  The deadline for receipt of nominations is July 15. Mail to Mary Jo Dike, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, 1640 Lyndon Farm Court, Suite 100, Louisville, KY 40223, or email to mdike@healthy-ky.org. For more information call 502-326-2583 (toll-free 1-877-326-2584).

Princess Health and U of L profs get $6.3 million to continue spinal cord research.Princessiccia

Princess Health and U of L profs get $6.3 million to continue spinal cord research.Princessiccia

foundations grants paralysis philanthropy research spinal cord injuries

Gusty 14:22 Add Comment

Susan Harkema, a University of Louisville professor, talks
about epidural spinal stimulation. Courier-Journal photo.

Two University of Louisville professors have received a $6.3 million grant to continue their work helping paralyzed patients restore movement by using electrical stimulation.

The grant was awarded to Susan Harkema and Dr. Jonathan Hodes from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Last year, they received much acclaim when they published a study in the journal The Lancet "showing that the use of continual, direct, electrical stimulation of a patient's lower spinal cord using technology designed for pain relief can allow a person using a wheelchair to stand and bear weight," reports Laura Ungar for The Courier-Journal.

With these new grant funds, Harkema said they will "be able to built a stimulator that will allow the individual to take advantage of these advances in their homes and communities."

One of the initial case studies involved Rob Summers, a former baseball player from Oregon who was paralyzed below the chest after a car accident. After the therapy, he was able to get to a standing position and stand as long as four minutes. "He was also able to take steps with help and move his toes, ankles, knees and hips." Harkema said he continues to improve.

Nationwide, more than 5 million Americans live with some type of paralysis, and more than 1.3 million have spinal-cord injuries. (Read more)