This post originally appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the Courier Journal on February 27, 2013 A critical bill now stands before the Senate that would create a child fatality and near fatality review panel. The creation of this panel would be one of the biggest steps forward our state can take to identify trends and solutions to address child deaths and near deaths that occur as a result of abuse and neglect. [...]
Managed care is certainly a hot topic in our state. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, Kentucky has undergone major changes to its Medicaid program since 2011 by bringing in multiple private companies to run Medicaid in order to save costs. This new system is called Medicaid managed care. The transition has been anything but easy, and it looks as if the road will remain bumpy for awhile longer. The House Budget Review Subcommittee on [...]
Guest Post by Dr. Jim Cecil, retired public health dentist and former State Dental Director I’ve been a dentist, an oral health and public health professional, for more than 40 years and I have to be honest, I am fed up with the state of oral health among Kentucky’s kids. When I was a student dentist at the University of Kentucky, College of Dentistry in the late 1960’s, the oral health status of children was [...]
Marylee Underwood, staff attorney, Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs “We applaud the Kentucky House of Representatives for recognizing that human trafficking is a very real problem in Kentucky and unanimously passing House Bill 3 today. This bill will ensure that child victims get the services they need to heal and provide better resources for law enforcement officers and prosecutors.” Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates “Today, the House showed bipartisan collaboration by unanimously [...]
Guest Post by Gretchen Hunt, Training Coordinator, Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs The statistics are staggering. Nationally, between 100,000 and 300,000 children are vulnerable to being trafficked into commercial sex in the United States. Runaways and homeless youth are particularly vulnerable, with one in three being exploited in commercial sex in the first 48 hours of being on the streets. The average age of entry into prostitution in this country is between twelve and [...]
On January 29 the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced cuts to some vital programs for children, in response to a projected $86.6 million budget shortfall for the Department of Community Based Services. The planned cuts target the Kinship Care Program and the Child Care Assistance Program both of which affect thousands of families and children across the Commonwealth. Cutting the Kinship Care and Child Care Assistance Programs will cost the state more [...]
Guest Post by Terry Wilson, Service Coordinator at Berea College Although many students don't officially drop out of school until high school, the student's disengagement with their schoolwork can almost always be traced back to an earlier age. If the problem isn't addressed prior to attending high school, those students will almost surely be overwhelmed once they enter high school and are very likely to give up and drop out. To prevent this we must [...]
Do you “like” us on Facebook? Do you “follow” us on Twitter? Social media is an up and coming way for organizations like Kentucky Youth Advocates to connect with our supporters and we want to make it more personal to you. What else would you like to see? How can we serve you better? These are just a few questions included in the social media survey that we would like all of our supporters [...]
In the New Year, many individuals commit to turning over a new leaf. You’ll hear stories of resolutions to begin healthy habits this year almost anywhere. Ads for gym memberships and healthy foods are all over the newspaper ads and radio stations. We become obsessed with trying to incorporate healthy living into our daily routines. Kentucky’s health data is staggering: over 66% of adults are overweight and more than 31% are obese. Our state also ranks [...]
First Focus and Kentucky Youth Advocates released a new report today, showing that funding to help Kentucky manage the growing problem of child poverty lags behind that of other states like Ohio, Illinois, and West Virginia. It also recommends concrete actions Kentucky’s Congressional delegation can take right now to give Kentucky’s leaders the resources they need to meet children’s needs. The report, TANF Supplemental Grants: Reforming and Restoring Support for Children Who Need it the [...]
