Schools, policymakers, students, parents, and health advocates celebrated a big win for student health in the 2019 Kentucky legislative session with passage of House Bill 11, which established a statewide tobacco-free school campus policy. All are celebrating again at the start of the school year as school districts are acting early to comply with HB 11. When the bill became law, only 72 of the state's 173 school districts, or 42 percent, were tobacco-free [...]

Updated December 19, 2019 This school year local school districts will have the opportunity to expand health and behavioral health services already offered to students in schools by leveraging federal Medicaid dollars. In November of 2019, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) and federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced final approval to move forward with this opportunity. By expanding health services to all students and billing services for Medicaid-eligible students, [...]

As summer break winds down for many Kentucky students, parents and caregivers are preparing to get school supplies together, health forms filled out, after-school care figured out, and more for the new school year. Whether your little one is off to kindergarten or senior year, below are helpful tips your family can utilize to ensure your child’s health will be in good shape as they head back to school and settle into their school routine. [...]

Yulie and Jenna presented at a recent Coalition for a Smoke-free Tomorrow press conference announcing the filing of the e-cigarette tax bill. “In the last year and a half, I went to 3 proms, 2 homecomings, graduated high school, got a job, AND I saw the rise of e-cigarette usage in high schools and middle schools across Kentucky and the nation. For a device that's small enough to fit between my thumb and [...]