Focus on Public Health

April 1-7 is National Public Health Week

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 28, 2013) - The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is working to promote Public Health Week, an annual observance that focuses on critical public health issues to raise awareness and help people live longer, healthier lives.

“In some way, public health touches everyone, every day in Kentucky. We are dedicated to making our infrastructure even stronger, including ongoing work to become nationally accredited in 2014, finding opportunities for improvement within our programs, and focusing on overall prevention for the health and well-being of Kentuckians,” said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Stephanie Mayfield. “We hope this week will serve as an opportunity for the public to learn more about the vital role of public health in Kentucky.”
 

The focus of this year’s National Public Health Week is the return on investment of public health services. Research shows that investing just $10 per person each year in proven, community-based public health efforts can save the nation more than $16 billion within five years. That’s a $5.60 return for every $1 invested.
 

“Our nation and community simply cannot sustain the current trajectory of health care spending and chronic disease rates,” said Dr. Mayfield. “Fortunately, we know that investing in prevention and public health can make an enormous difference and it’s the right direction for Kentucky to move in to address poor health outcomes.”

Dr. Mayfield emphasized that supporting public health approaches to better health outcomes does reap life-saving returns. For example, research shows that each 10 percent increase in local public health spending contributes to a nearly 7 percent decrease in infant deaths, a 3.2 percent decrease in cardiovascular deaths and a 1.4 percent decrease in diabetes-related deaths.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) serves as the organizer of National Public Health Week and develops a national campaign to educate the public, policymakers and practitioners about issues related to the chosen theme. Since 1995, communities nationwide have celebrated National Public Health Week each April to draw attention to the need to help protect and improve the nation’s health. APHA creates comprehensive planning, organizing and outreach materials that can be used during and after the week to raise awareness.

“National Public Health Week helps educate and engage Americans in the movement to create a healthier America for ourselves and the generations to come,” said Georges C. Benjamin, M.D., executive director of the American Public Health Association. “The hundreds of events that take place this week help showcase the value of supporting prevention and the role that public health agencies, organizations and practitioners play in making prevention possible. We all have a role to play in making America the healthiest nation in one generation. And it starts with each of us taking the simple preventive steps that lead to better health.”

For more information about National Public Health Week, visit http://www.nphw.org/about. More information about Kentucky public health can be found at. http://chfs.ky.gov/dph/.


The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is home to most of the state's human services and health care programs, including Medicaid, the Department for Community Based Services and the Department for Public Health. CHFS is one of the largest agencies in state government, with nearly 8,000 full and part-time employees throughout the Commonwealth focused on improving the lives and health of Kentuckians.

WellCare Joins Collaboration To Improve Childhood Asthma Management In Kentucky; Asthma is the most common chronic illness among youth...

TAMPA, Fla. (March 25, 2013) — WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) today announced its participation in a collaborative asthma study with Eastern Kentucky Public Health, Inc. (EKPHI) and Ideomed, Inc. The study, which began in January and runs through December 2013, includes participants in Boyd, Floyd, Greenup, Lawrence and Pike counties.

Asthma is the most common chronic illness among children and youth in the United States and is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age. Kentucky has the highest rate of lung disease in the U.S., including childhood asthma, with the highest rates in eastern Kentucky.

WellCare is partnering with EKPHI, an organization of eight local health departments in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, to conduct the pediatric asthma study. The pilot program utilizes Ideomed’s new Abriiz asthma management technology along with an educational component to help children enrolled in WellCare’s Asthma Disease Management Program. The asthma pilot will establish initialHealthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) asthma measures with the goal of increasing medication compliance and reducing asthma-related emergency room visits.

“We welcome the opportunity to partner with WellCare to meet the needs of our students and their families. For students to be at their academic best, they need to remain healthy,” said Geri Willis, Board President of EKPHI. “The WellCare and Abriiz program will offer services and incentives for participating students with the potential of helping them remain more in control of their asthma triggers and symptoms, while lessening the likelihood of associated hospitalizations and absences from school.”

“WellCare strives to improve the quality of our members’ lives through preventative care and planning for chronic conditions,” said Mike Minor, President, WellCare of Kentucky. “We are excited to be part of this effort to reduce the effects of childhood asthma in eastern Kentucky.”

The asthma pilot will be administered through a school health program designed to coordinate family, school and community efforts to better manage asthma symptoms, while reducing school absences and emergency room (ER) visits. The Abriiz asthma management technology provides a web-based system for the caregiver and/or school nurse and a mobile application for the student. The system tracks daily medication use, rescue medication use, asthma triggers prior to escalation and ER visits. WellCare is also providing claims-based data.

Participating students received an Apple iPod Touch for use through the duration of the program. They meet weekly with a school nurse or community health worker to receive the education portion of the program and to ensure their medication usage is on track. Representatives from Ideomed provided training to the school nurses, participating students and their parents.

Martin County Health Department offers free exercise program;

DOROTHY CHRISMAN A trained professional (University of Oregon), Dorothy Chrisman came to Berea College to teach Physical Education in 1950 and originated Body Recall in the Continuing Education Department in 1979.

The Martin County Health Department and the Roy F Collier Community Center will be offering the Body Recall Exercise Program free of charge. Classes will begin Monday April 1 at 10am at the RFC Community Center, Inez., continuing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until June 7.  Classes are normally one hour or less in length.

Body Recall is an exercise program designed to reclaim a level of fitness for older adults or individuals with physical challenges.  Body Recall is a total fitness program, the values of treating every part of the body to more gentle and controlled motion, regardless of individual limitations, gives opportunity for expanded range of motion leading to recoveries of lost skills.

A trained facilitator will lead you to a new awareness of your physical abilities and encourage you to take a  positive control of your daily activities.  You will learn ways that promote flexibility, strength, balance, coordination and circulation to your body.