Nurse practitioners want to change law that requires them to make deals with physicians to prescribe strong painkillers

Nurse practitioners Julie Gaskins, left, and Beth Partin own Family First Health in Columbia. (Photo by Melissa Patrick) By Melissa Patrick...

Ky. is a national leader in hepatitis C, but many counties at risk shun syringe exchanges that could prevent disease outbreaks

"Growing intravenous drug use by people sharing syringes to inject heroin and other substances" has helped make Kentucky a nationa...

Southern Ky. doctor charged with illegal prescriptions that feds say caused 3 deaths; another will serve a year on similar charges

One Southern Kentucky physician was sentenced this month to a year and a day in prison for illegally prescribing painkillers to five people,...

After their child died from a drug overdose, a Kentucky family joined those who are choosing to tell the truth about addiction

By Traci Thomas Kentucky Health News The obituary for Katherine Bryant Reynolds, published in the April 5  Lexington Herald-Leader , was eng...

State health department offers services to fight opioid epidemic, including free antidote for overdoses and education about it

The state Department for Public Health is reminding communities of the services it offers to address the impact of opioid abuse, and to edu...

About half of Kentucky adults support syringe exchanges, meant to decrease the risk of outbreaks of HIV and hepatitis C

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News More Kentucky adults favor syringe exchanges than oppose them, and the more they know about them, th...

Young, white, lower-income and lesser-educated men have greatest increase in heroin addiction, study finds

Young, white men with lower education and income levels have experienced the greatest increase in heroin use and addiction, a study has fou...

Medical examiner quits, then stays; was in dispute over resources, autopsy delays, hiring of former legislator to run office

Photo illustration from WKYT-TV Dr. William Ralston quit his job as the state's chief medical examiner Friday "over frustrations in...

More health bills pass as legislative session ends; one would require doctor's OK to play student athletes after concussions

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Several more health-related legislation passed in the final two days of the General Assembly's s...

Big drug bill heads to governor's desk; has harsher penalties and limits most prescriptions for acute pain to 3 days

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A bill that would limit most painkiller prescriptions to a three-day supply for acute pain, and chan...

County Health Rankings show troubling trend of more premature deaths, contrasting trends among some counties

By Danielle Ray Kentucky Health News The premature death rate is getting worse in 44 of Kentucky's 120 counties and improving in 12 coun...

Louisville's Our Lady of Peace opens first retail pharmacist-operated, long-acting injection clinic; will mostly treat opioid abuse

                               Insider Louisville photo Kentucky is again leading the nation in finding ways to combat the opioid epidemic, ...

Kentucky lawmakers have passed several health-related bills to deal with the opioid epidemic, and could pass several more

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. – The 2017 General Assembly has passed several bills meant to put more "tools in...

Nurse practitioners ease doctor shortage, but will have to wait to get more authority to prescribe narcotics; opioid epidemic cited

Nurse practitioner Robin Szczapinski talks with her patient,  Harold Brashear Sr., at the Louisville Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  (Co...

House sends Senate bill to limit most potent painkiller prescriptions to three days, target traffickers of fentanyl

The state House has sent to the Senate a bill to put a three-day limit on prescriptions of high-potency painkillers, and increase penalties ...

KET examines successful recoveries from opioid addiction, airs a forum to discuss Kentucky's opioid crisis

Kentucky Educational Television is airing "Journey to Recovery," a documentary that looks at Kentucky's opioid epidemic and e...