FacebookInstagramXYouTubeEmail

Youth Voice: Action Needed to Enforce Tobacco 21 Law

Kentucky kids need environments free from nicotine products to learn, grow, and thrive. Availability of products with high nicotine content is growing rapidly and marketing with bright colors and alluring flavors targets kids in stores across the state. Although Kentucky lawmakers have taken important steps to limit youth access to these products, like raising the legal purchase age to 21, action is still needed.   Griffin Nemeth testifying at the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing [...]

By |2023-10-19T16:16:17-04:00October 19th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
Read More

Bloom KY Growing Hope: Kentucky’s First Opioid Symposium

The opioid epidemic has been a devastating crisis across the United States, and Kentucky has not been immune to its effects. However, amid the challenges and heartbreak, there is a glimmer of hope. Kentucky's First Opioid Symposium, hosted by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, stands as a shining example of the dedication and determination to combat this epidemic. This symposium, held at the Central Bank Convention Center in Lexington, Kentucky, brought together a [...]

By |2023-10-18T10:47:44-04:00October 18th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health, Justice|
Read More

Strategies to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes in Kentucky

By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  Achieving optimal maternal health is critical to mothers across the Commonwealth and affects future generations in our communities. Nationally, improving maternal health has been a focus area due to high maternal mortality rates across the country. Kentucky also experiences similar negative maternal health outcomes.  In 2018, Kentucky’s maternal mortality rate was 40.8 per 100,000 live births. This is significantly higher than the national rate of 17.4.  In 2021 [...]

By |2023-10-11T16:52:03-04:00October 11th, 2023|Blog, Health, Race Equity|
Read More

Bloom KY Growing Hope: Spotlight on BRADD Regional Opioid Summit

As we embrace October as Substance Use Prevention Month, it's only fitting that we shine a spotlight on the remarkable work being done in local communities to combat the opioid epidemic. In this edition of Bloom Kentucky’s Growing Hope series, where we’re spotlighting opioid abatement efforts across the Commonwealth, we turn our attention to the Barren River Area Development District (BRADD) Opioid Abatement Coalition's recent Opioid Symposium. On September 18, 2023, at the iconic National [...]

By |2023-10-05T12:35:09-04:00October 5th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Justice|
Read More

Health Youth Ambassadors 2023 Onboarding Retreat

Last week, our 2023-2024 Health Youth Ambassador cohort came together for the first time in Bowling Green, Kentucky for their two-day overnight onboarding retreat! Representing 8 different counties from across the Commonwealth – including Oldham, Graves, Daviess, Clark, Hardin, Henry, Jefferson, and Crittenden – our new cohort consists of 13 youth advocates. The Health Youth Ambassadors (HYA) program is a statewide cohort that engages high school aged youth to learn about advocacy and policy, [...]

By |2023-09-28T16:34:23-04:00September 28th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
Read More

New Report – Fostering Connections: Actions Needed to Prevent Homelessness Among Foster Care Alumni

New Report – Fostering Connections: Actions Needed to Prevent Homelessness Among Foster Care Alumni Featuring Findings from Interviews and Surveys with Young Adults with Lived Experience and Recommendations LOUISVILLE, KY – Whether they exit care through adoption, family reunification, or aging out, foster care alumni are at higher risk of experiencing homelessness as a young adult. According to recent data, approximately one in three young adults who leave foster care in Kentucky will experience housing [...]

By |2023-09-21T08:42:57-04:00September 21st, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health, News Room, Race Equity|
Read More

Kentucky Youth Speak Out Against Substance Use

We know substance use, among both adults and adolescents, continues to be an issue in communities throughout the Commonwealth.  To better understand just how substance use, as well as the opioid epidemic, are impacting Kentucky’s young people, Bloom Kentucky recently connected with high school students across the state to hear their perspectives on the impact of substance use among their peers and in their communities and how we might address substance use prevention.  We [...]

By |2023-09-14T11:55:50-04:00September 14th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health|
Read More

Adolescent Mental Health is Declining and We Need To Understand Why

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the prevalence of mental health challenges across the nation, especially among youth. While there were policies proposed to expand access to and affordability of mental health treatment and to improve social indicators of well-being, youth mental health is still declining according to a recent report from Child Trends. Improvements in social indicators of well-being have caused an increase in the thriving index for youth, however, indicators of depression, anxiety, and suicide [...]

By |2023-09-13T11:18:17-04:00September 13th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health, Race Equity|
Read More

SNAP Update to Support Youth Aged-Out of Foster Care

Young adults often need a lot of extra support as they transition into adulthood, with many young adults relying on their family or another trusted adult for that support.   However, approximately 650 youth across Kentucky age out of the foster care system every year without permanent family connections. Youth who have aged out of foster care often struggle to meet their basic needs, such as food and housing, with 21% of former Kentucky foster youth [...]

By |2023-08-31T16:49:02-04:00August 31st, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Health|
Read More

Back to School and Back On Track with Immunizations!

By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  August is National Immunization Awareness Month, an opportunity to recognize the importance of childhood immunizations and answer questions from parents and guardians about necessary immunizations and their safety. As children prepare to start classes and see their friends in August, there are more possibilities for them to contract preventable diseases.  Ensuring students are up to date on their immunizations allows them to safely focus on their studies [...]

By |2023-08-24T15:16:19-04:00August 24th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
Read More
Go to Top