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Monday, 26 May 2014

Princess Health and Princess Health andTobacco heritage blocks smoking bans in rural Kentucky.Princessiccia

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"A mural showing a tobacco harvest has been on display high in
the second-floor rotunda of the Bourbon County Courthouse for
than 100 years," Mary Meehan writes. (Herald-Leader photo) 

Bourbon County's strong tobacco heritage is the main obstacle for proponents of a local smoking ban, and similar feelings exist in many Kentucky counties, Mary Meehan reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader in the second of a series of stories about tobacco use in Kentucky.

"At an April political forum at Bourbon County High School, cigarette butts lined the walkway to the auditorium, although the campus is designated smoke-free," Meehan writes. "Onstage, candidates for city council and magistrate were asked whether they would support a smoking ban. Some said they had fathers or sisters who were longtime smokers who had cancer, most said they didn't smoke, and a few said they weren't sure smoking was really a health risk. Of 18 candidates, only one said he would support a smoking ban. He didn't win in last week's primary election."

The forum was organized by Students Making a Change in Our Communities, a youth group advocating a smoking ban. They have helped rejuvenate efforts begun three years ago by the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Bourbon County and Cyndi Steele, health coordinator for the Bourbon County Health Department.

"Twelve of Kentucky's 120 counties and 26 cities have enacted some type of smoke-free ordinance," Meehan notes. "In Kentucky, 34 percent of the population is protected by smoke-free laws. Almost all Kentucky cities with bans are county seats, leaving most of rural Kentucky without smoking regulations. Efforts to enact a statewide ordinance have failed in the legislature.

"Across the country, about half the population lives in places with smoke-free rules, said Cynthia Hallett, executive director of the nonprofit Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. She said the science on the dangers of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke was clear, as were the benefits of smoke-free laws. Kids who grow up where smoking is banned in public places are less likely to smoke, she said. People tend to quit when towns go smoke-free." (Read more)

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2014/05/25/3259432/bourbon-countys-tobacco-heritage.html?sp=/99/322/&ihp=1#storylink=cpy
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Sunday, 25 May 2014

Princess Health andMike Vs. Dave: Team Edition.Princessiccia

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As many of you already know, Mike and Dave are going head-to-head in the inaugural Battle of Run Waterloo.  



After stage 1 (2014 Re-Fridgee-8er 8K), Dave has a lead of just over 1 minute!

That being said, the race is far from over.  In recent weeks, Mike beat Dave by approximately 2 minutes in a 7-Miler.  The next stage, the Waterloo 10K Classic, may very well be the deciding stage of this race.

To make things even MORE interesting, not only will Mike and Dave be racing as individuals, but they will be racing as captains of their own H+P teams.

Team Mike vs. Team Dave
In the team edition of Mike Vs. Dave, the premise is simple: the team with the fastest average finishing time in the 10K wins.  Here are the details:

  • Only the top 5 on each team will count in the average time calculation
  • Each team will be selected in a draft format.  A coin toss will decide who gets first pick.  The individual with the 2nd pick will also get the 3rd pick.  Then the two captains will alternate picks until their teams are complete.
  • The results of the draft will be LIVE TWEETED at 9:00pm on June 2nd!  Make sure to watch our twitter feed to see how it all unfolds!  
Other H+P-ers in the Battle:
We can't forget the rest of the team participating in the battle.  Right now we have a number of athletes fighting for spots on the OA and their AG podiums.  

After stage one, we have six runners (Sean, Dave, Mike, Greg, Brendan, Pat) all in the top 11 OA.  

Vicki Z is also in contention for the OA podium on the women's side as she now sits in 4th OA.

Princess Health andH+P Racing: Somewhere around May 25th, 2014!.Princessiccia

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With our next big, collective team focus still a few weeks away, the team was spread out throughout a number of different races this weekend (and last).  Here is a summary of how we did!



Sulphur Springs

100M 
Steve Parke had an amazing 100M!  He came in with a time of just over 18 hours.  The was good enough for 2nd OA, and put him in front of 3rd place by almost 1.5 hours!

25K:
Helen had an outstanding race.  She crushed the technical 25K run in 2:17, taking 6 minutes off her time from last year!
Linda also had a great race.  She finished with an outstanding time of 2:26!

10K:
Dave Rutherford crushed the very technical 10K course in a time of well under 39minutes.  This allowed him to comfortably win his AG, and place 4th OA.

Woodstock Triathlon:
Luke had an outstanding race.  He finished the sprint triathlon in a time of 1:05.  This put him in second place in the very competitive 40-44AG.

Ohio TTT:
Graham Dunn DESTROYED this race.  If you don't know what it is: basically you race triathlons all weekend long.  Friday is a short sprint tri, Saturday you race TWO separate Olympic Triathlons, and then Sunday you race the Half Ironman.  Mr. Dunn managed to finish in a very impressive 16th place OA, and achieved a personal best in the event by 45 minutes!

Buffalo Marathon:
Vicki Z had an amazing break-through race.  She crushed the marathon, finishing with a time of 3:32.  This was a 19 minute personal best, and brought her in ranked 3rd in her AG!

Toronto Women's Half Marathon:
Tracy made some last minute arrangements, and ran the half in a very respectable 1:47!  This brought in 10th place in her AG, nice work!

Saturday, 24 May 2014

Princess Health and Princess Health andCenters for Disease Control honors Lexington physician for her work in promoting immunizations in Kentucky.Princessiccia

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Grace F. Maguire
Grace F. Maguire, medical director of the Thomas H. Pinkstaff Medical Home Clinic in Lexington, has been named 2014 Childhood Immunization Champion in Kentucky by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for her efforts to promote childhood immunization in central Kentucky.

As a pediatrician, Maguire has seen patients with almost every vaccine-preventable disease and has long been a vaccine information resource for her medical colleagues.

For many years, she was the primary immunization educator for trainees at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Pediatrics. She led the immunization programs for the university's outpatient clinics and helped develop the state's immunization registry.

Now she is medical director of a clinic that serves a unique population of children � those in foster care and those with birth defects, brain injury, cerebral palsy, and other special health care needs. The clinic, under her direction, assures these children receive all appropriate vaccines, including those indicated for high-risk populations.

�Dr. Maguire's leadership and dedication to protecting vulnerable children against disease is not only admirable, but vital to public health�s work in preventing the spread of communicable disease,� Stephanie Mayfield, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said in a news release.

Each year, the CDC and its foundation honor health professionals and community leaders around the country with immunization-champion awards to acknowledge exemplary individuals who go above and beyond to promote immunization among children in their communities.
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

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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. 

Friday, 23 May 2014

Princess Health and Princess Health andMcConnell presses Democratic foe Grimes to say how she feels about Obamacare, but won't bite on questions about Kynect.Princessiccia

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By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

At his first press conference after winning the Republican nomination for a sixth term, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell pressed Democratic nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes to clarify her position on the federal health-care reform law but wouldn't say whether his plan to "start over" on the issue would include shutting down the state's successful health-insurance exchange.

"She's been dodging it for a year," McConnell said Friday. "She's been in this race for a year. It's time for her to answer the question, "How do you feel about it?" Grimes, Kentucky's secretary of state, twice refused Wednesday to say how she would have voted on the 2010 law if she had been a senator.

McConnell speaks at half-hour press conference.
(Associated Press photo by Timothy D. Easley)
The topic arose when McConnell was asked to reply to Democratic assertions that his pledge to "pull it out root and branch" would end the law's insurance coverage for 415,000 Kentuckians through the state exchange.

The senator didn't answer directly. "This is another good reason why the two of us ought to have a real debate," he said, recalling his post-primary proposal for three Lincoln-Douglas-style debates by the middle of September.

Asked if he would dismantle the state exchanges created under the law, McConnell said he would have created a national market -- "tear down the walls, the 50 separate silos in which health insurance is sold" -- passed medical-malpractice reform, and allowed small businesses to "band together in this international [sic] market."

Asked again, specifically, if he would shut down Kentucky's exchange, which is branded as Kynect, he said "I think that's unconnected to my comments about the overall question here."

While polls have shown the law to be unpopular in Kentucky, a small plurality of voters in a recent poll had a favorable opinion of Kynect. Last fall, the Kentucky Health Issues Poll found that people who weren't sure how the law would affect them and their families had an unfavorable opinion of it, while those who said they did know how it would affect them had a favorable opinion.

In his overall comments about the law, McConnell said a Congressional Budget Office study has predicted that full implementation of the law would still leave 30 million Americans uninsured, covering only 10 million. "What is the cost-benefit ratio of this kind of destruction, this kind of impact, on 16 percent of the economy?" he asked. "The people of this state are entitled to know the answer to the question, 'How do you feel about it?' and I think my opponent has tried to dodge that question."

UPDATE: Joe Sonka of LEO Weekly writes, "According to the CBO, by 2024 the number of uninsured will, in fact, be 31 million people, but without the ACA there would have been 56 million people uninsured. This number takes into account the undocumented immigrants who can�t get insurance because of the lack of immigration reform, and the people who can�t get Medicaid in states that opted out of the Medicaid expansion. That means that when the ACA 'kicks in fully' . . . 26 million will have gained access to health-care coverage because of it."

Asked if repealing the law would be his top priority as majority leader if Republicans take control of the Senate, he said he wasn't ready to say because he's not in the majority yet, "but I think it's reasonable to assume that would be a high priority for us." He noted that Obama will be president until January 2017, an implicit acknowledgement that Obama would veto any repeal and two-thirds votes of the House and Senate would be required to override him.

Jason Millman of The Washington Post writes that the issue could be pivotal in the race. "Kentucky is about as big of an Obamacare paradox that you could find: the state's exchange is working well, but Obamacare remains unpopular in the state," he writes. "It�s also home to one of the more successful Obamacare health insurance exchanges." He concludes, "Grimes may want to have a better answer the next time she's asked whether she would have voted for the health-care law." She has refused to say.
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