Princess Health and New license plate would promote outdoor recreation, support environmental education programs; 900 buyers needed to start.Princessiccia

Princess Health and New license plate would promote outdoor recreation, support environmental education programs; 900 buyers needed to start.Princessiccia

child obesity childhood obesity children's health environment environmental health exercise obesity state government

Gusty 06:49 Add Comment

A new "Let's Go Outside" license plate is being offered to give Kentucky motorists the opportunity to promote the health and environmental benefits of outdoor recreation.

First Lady Jane Beshear unveiled the license plate June 10. She said that encouraging children to play outside will help improve their health and noted that "Kentucky has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the nation," reports to The Lane Report.

Proceeds from the specialty plate will support the work of the Kentucky Environmental Education Council, including coordinating the Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools program and certifying professional environmental educators.

�Kentuckians have said in surveys that children not spending enough time outside is a major concern,� KEEC Executive Director Elizabeth Schmitz said. �One of our goals is to encourage children to embrace the outdoors and to teach them the importance of a clean environment for our health and preservation."

The Kentucky Environmental Education Council needs 900 applications, each accompanied by a $25 donation, before any plates will be manufactured.

Submitting the application does not obligate you to purchase the plate, but your donation will be credited toward the purchase of a plate once they are in production. If not enough applications are received, your $25 will be considered a tax-deductible donation.

A link to download the application is available at www.keec.ky.gov/LetsGoOutside.

Princess Health and Newspapers' data analysis finds that Kentucky's seniors on Medicare are among the sickest in U.S.; local data available.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Newspapers' data analysis finds that Kentucky's seniors on Medicare are among the sickest in U.S.; local data available.Princessiccia

Appalachia chronic disease county health data elderly Medicare seniors

Gusty 18:20 Add Comment

Red counties are over 21%. For map with data, click here.

The top 10 Kentucky counties with the highest percentage of seniors on Medicare who have six or more chronic conditions are also in the nation's top 50 for sick seniors, according to government data analyzed by USA Today and The Courier-Journal. Nine of the top 10 counties are in Appalachia.

"That's not surprising," Fran Feltner, director of the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health, told The C-J's Laura Ungar. "And when you're having breathing problems, high blood pressure problems and other problems, to me it seems like you're waging a daily battle against the chronic diseases. It's hard to fight the battle ... and as you get older, it's harder."

The top 10 Kentucky counties ranked by percentage of the 65-and-older Medicare population with six or more chronic conditions are Clay, 27.1 percent; Breathitt, 26.3 percent; Johnson, 26.2 percent; Knott, 25.1 percent; Perry, 24.6 percent; Letcher, 24.2 percent; Bell, 24 percent; Floyd, 23.8 percent; Wolfe, 23.7 percent; and Taylor, 23.6 percent. Taylor County (Campbellsville) is not in Appalachia but borders three non-coal Appalachian counties.

Beve Cotton (C-J photo by Mark Mahan)

Beve Cotton, 81 and with a long list of chronic diseases, is one of those seniors. He lives in Manchester, the seat of Clay County, which ranks 12th among more than 3,100 counties nationally for the percentage of seniors on Medicare with six or more chronic conditions, Ungar reports.

"I'm a mess," said Cotton, who gets around in a power chair and wears a full set of dentures after losing all his teeth. "I'm not able to do things. I'm an accomplished cook, but I can't do that anymore ... I can't drive. My legs don't cooperate. ... It's very hard."

Ungar reports that Clay County, population 21,147, has many of the factors that combine to cause poor health.: "Nearly 38 percent of residents live below the poverty level, compared with a state average of 19 percent, according to the Census Bureau. Median household income is about $22,000 a year, about half the state average.Access to health care, especially specialists, is limited, and there are few well-stocked grocery stores or safe places to exercise. Smoking and obesity rates are sky-high."

Carmen Webb, who directs the senior center in Manchester, told Ungar that many seniors struggle with being able to afford staples, let alone healthy food and also the high cost of transportation, making it difficult to get to doctors appointments to manage their illnesses.

Cotton, who grew up in Manchester, told Ungar that he depends on others for rides, frequently to doctors' appointments, including many at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lexington, about 100 miles away. Webb noted that public transportation in the area costs $1.50 per mile.

Feltner added that many seniors in the area don't know how to prevent chronic disease, some have fatalistic attitudes and because many of them are on multiple medications, they face the dangers of drug interactions and side effects, Ungar reports.

Experts say that such high levels of illness hurts communities, "hastening a downward economic spiral locally and requiring huge portions of Medicare budgets," Ungar writes. It also overtaxes the medical communities in rural counties even thinner.

"These patients need to be seen frequently by doctors, and they need much longer visits. ... These folks need intense care," Dr. Michael Karpf, executive vice president for health affairs at UK, told Ungar. "Given the shortage of primary care in Appalachia, this kind of patient just exacerbates that shortage."

"The real issue is prevention � weight control, exercise, food habits," Karpf said. "But it's hard. Fast food is cheaper than wholesome, healthy food, and (the way people eat) is partly cultural. Those things are hard to change. It's a generational process."

Princess Health and Dr. Steven J. Stack of Lexington is sworn in as 170th president of the American Medical Association.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Dr. Steven J. Stack of Lexington is sworn in as 170th president of the American Medical Association.Princessiccia

electronic health records hospitals physicians

Gusty 18:11 Add Comment

Dr. Steven J. Stack, an emergency physician practicing in Lexington, was sworn in as the 170th president of the American Medical Association, the nation�s largest physician organization.

Dr. Steven J. Stack

He is the organization�s youngest president in the past 160 years and is the first board-certified emergency-room physician elected to the post.

Stack says he will focus his tenure on advancing the AMA�s three strategic areas: improving health outcomes for those with pre-diabetes and hypertension; accelerating change in medical education to ensure physicians are prepared to meet the needs of a 21st century health care system; and enhancing physician satisfaction and practice sustainability.

"I am honored and privileged to be named president of an organization that is dedicated to the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health and a profession that is working to improve the health of our nation," Stack said in a press release. "I look forward to serving on behalf of America�s physicians to not only create a brighter future for the medical profession but a healthier America one patient at time, one family at a time and one community at a time."

Stack gained national recognition for his expertise in health information technology while serving as chair of the AMA's Health Information Technology Advisory Group from 2007 to 2013. He has also served on multiple federal advisory groups for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and as Secretary for eHealth Initiative, a non-profit multi-stakeholder organization committed to advancing health care through health information technology.

In Kentucky, Stack has served as medical director of the emergency departments at Saint Joseph East in Lexington and Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, both part of KentuckyOne Health. He was also previous medical director of the emergency department at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Stack was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2006. In the last eight years, he has served in many leadership positions, including chair and secretary. Prior to his service on the AMA board, he was an elected leader in numerous state, national and specialty medical associations.

He is the second Lexington physician to lead the AMA in three years. Dr. Ardis Dee Hoven, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Kentucky, led the group in 2013-14.

Princess Health and Advocates of school nutrition standards use high-school chefs' competition to show that food can still taste good.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Advocates of school nutrition standards use high-school chefs' competition to show that food can still taste good.Princessiccia

food fruit healthy food school health school lunch schools student health vegetables

Gusty 18:07 Add Comment

The higher school-food standards required by the Child Nutrition Act expire this year, and Republicans are continuing their efforts to roll back some of them. Democrats and advocates of the standards used a student cooking event on Capitol Hill to generate support for the standards, apparently to counter arguments of some school nutrition directors that some of the healthier options are more difficult to prepare and serve.

In the final competition, the top nine high-school teams served their winning dishes to lawmakers. The dishes had to follow their cafeterias' budgets and the national standards: To win, students had to include products rich in whole grains, low in sodium and a half-cup of fruits and vegetables, Whitney Forman-Cook reports for Agri-Pulse, a Washington newsletter. She doesn't list any of the dishes, but they're listed with the winners on the "Cooking Up Change" website of the Healthy Schools Campaign.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., hosted the event. She said that she and Senate Agriculture Committee Chariman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., who has vowed to roll back some of the standards, have been discussing the issue, and she would like to pass a bipartisan bill by Sept. 30, when the current law's authority ends. One standard Stabenow doesn't want to compromise on is the requirement for a half-cup of fruit and vegetables; Michigan is a big fruit and vegetable state.

Stabenow said the Department of Agriculture "is very willing to work with schools where there are issues" in meeting nutrition requirements. (Read more)

Princess Health and Partial knee replacement using a robotic arm used in Ky. for first time; offers hope of longer lasting knees that feel more natural.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Partial knee replacement using a robotic arm used in Ky. for first time; offers hope of longer lasting knees that feel more natural.Princessiccia

arthritis food and drug administration orthopedics surgery

Gusty 07:45 Add Comment

A partial knee replacement surgery that utilizes a robotic arm was performed for the first time in Kentucky in May, Mark Hansel reports for the Northern Kentucky Tribune.

RIO, Robotic Arm System
(Photo from NKYTribune)

Dr. Matthew Hummel of Commonwealth Orthopaedic Physicians, which serves the greater Cincinnati area, performed the Stryker MAKOplasty partial knee resurfacing procedure at St. Elizabeth Edgewood May 19.

Hummel said "benefits of the minimally invasive procedure are expected to include a more natural feeling post-surgery and improved recovery time," Hansel writes.

�Stryker MAKOplasty allows us to treat patients with knee osteoarthritis at earlier stages and with greater precision,� Hummel said. �Because it is less invasive and preserves more of the patient�s natural knee, the goal is for patients to have relief from their pain, gain back their knee motion, and return to their daily activities.�

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and a leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Hummel said the procedure has been "around for several years," and that he has been tracking its progress, including recent results and upgrades in technology, before using it on his patients.

Hansel explains that the procedure is performed using RIO, a highly advanced, surgeon-controlled robotic arm system. The system correlates a pre-surgical plan that was created by using a CT scan of the patient's knee taken before the surgery with a three-dimensional, virtual view of the patient's bone surface during the procedure.

Hummel told Hansel that some patients are "apprehensive about having a robot perform the procedure," but assures them that "I am actually operating and doing all the work, but it is helping me apply the best laser lines and guiding techniques."

In addition to a more rapid recovery, the procedure is expected to result in reduced pain, a smaller scar, minimal hospitalization, less implant wear and loosening, and better motion that feels more natural, Hansel reports.

�If my implants completely match my plan CT scan, I�m hopeful that with today�s technology, we can have knees that last 25 and 30 years,� Hummel said

Hummel has since performed the procedure on at least one other patients at St. Elizabeth Edgewood. It is anticipated that this procedure will be expanded to total hip and total knee replacements, but these procedures have not yet gained the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval.

Princess Health and UK students in national program to educate kids about oral health .Princessiccia

Princess Health and UK students in national program to educate kids about oral health .Princessiccia

dental care dental health dental school University of Kentucky youth

Gusty 18:30 Add Comment

A University of Kentucky undergraduate dental group was recently spotlighted by the National Children's Oral Health Foundation for their passion to share oral-health education with elementary and middle schools in Kentucky, according to a UK news release.

UK Students United with America's ToothFairy was founded in 2014 and is made up of more than 100 UK undergraduates interested in dentistry, who are also part of the UK Pre-Dental Society.

The America�s ToothFairy� program is the branch of the National Children�s Oral Health Foundation that works to prevent childhood dental disease through community-based prevention, education and treatment services.

"At a young age, these children can lose and permanently damage their teeth," Nabeela Rahman, a first-year UK College of Dentistry student and former UKPDS president, said in the release. "Being able to help these children, even slightly, was a very rewarding experience for me."

Already this year, UK's SUAT chapter has held six community outreach events reaching more than 500 students, targeting schools in Lexington and some rural Kentucky areas. It is considered one of the largest and more active chapters in the nation, the release says.

At each event, SUAT members share oral health and nutrition information and demonstrate proper tooth brushing and flossing. They also share information about the effects of tobacco on oral health and send the students home with toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in children and adolescents ages 6 to 19, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And a 2001 Kentucky oral health survey found that 29 percent of third- and sixth-grade students screened had untreated tooth decay and 75 percent had not seen a dentist in more than a year, according to the release.

Princess Health and A looming danger: About 1 in 3 U.S. adults are pre-diabetic, but only about 11% say they have received such a diagnosis.Princessiccia

Princess Health and A looming danger: About 1 in 3 U.S. adults are pre-diabetic, but only about 11% say they have received such a diagnosis.Princessiccia

diabetes heart disease prevention stroke

Gusty 18:07 Add Comment

Before Type 2 diabetes develops, most people experience what is called prediabetes, where the blood sugar levels are above normal, but below diabetic, Dr. Philip A. Kern, University of Kentucky professor and director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, writes in a UK news release.

In America, approximately one in three adults are pre-diabetic, but only around 11 percent are aware of that condition, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Kentucky, 289,000 adults, or almost 9 percent, reported that they had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic, according to the 2015 Kentucky Diabetes Report.

"Without intervention, there is a high likelihood that prediabetes will progress to diabetes within three to 10 years," Kern writes. "People with prediabetes are also at 50 percent higher risk for heart disease and stroke."

When a person is prediabetic, many of the diabetic disease processes, like nerve damage, eye problems and heart disease, begin in the body even though the person doesn't have diabetes.

And because prediabetes often has no symptoms and can affect people of all ages, Kern writes, it is important to know your blood sugar levels, especially if you have one of the following risk factors: overweight or obese, fat distributed around the abdomen, history of gestational diabetes, family history of diabetes, symptoms of diabetes (increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, and blurred vision), or history of elevated blood sugar levels.

Kern suggests the following lifestyle changes to help prevent the progression of prediabetes to diabetes; he notes that these changes will also help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol and high blood pressure:

• Weight loss: Losing just 10 to 20 pounds can reduce the liklihood of prediabetes progressing to diabetes.
• Healthy diet: Choose low fat, low calorie and high fiber foods, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Exercise: Incorporate 30 to 60 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week.
• Sleep: Research has found that getting at least six hours of sleep each night can help reduce insulin resistance. He also notes that sleep apnea can worsen prediabetes.
• Medications: Some diabetes medications are prescribed to prediabetics to prevent the condition from progressing.

If you're interested in learning about opportunities to participate in research about prediabetes at UK, visit ukclinicalresearch.com or call (859) 323-2737.