This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Herald Leader. You can view it online, here. I am a Teddy Roosevelt fan because we share common passions. As a gridiron fanatic, I am awe-inspired by how he saved football. Faced with calls for the abolition of the game due to a stunning number of deaths and serious injuries, Roosevelt used his diplomacy and mandated from the Oval Office elements of the game that we [...]

February is National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month. The School-Based Health Alliance is inviting States across the country to share success stories on how School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) have proven to be beneficial for providing children comprehensive health care services.  In honor of the month, I want to highlight the history of school-based health and how it can improve the health of Kentucky’s children. The idea of school-based health is not new. In fact, [...]

Today the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition, a project of Kentucky Youth Advocates, released the infographic Word of Mouth: The Importance of Oral Health in Kentucky. The infographic displays fun facts about oral health and the consequences of poor oral hygiene. It also looks at what barriers Kentuckians face when it comes to having optimal oral health including cost, lack of prevention, and lack of access. View and Download the full infographic below!  

Today, the House Health and Welfare committee passed HB 173, which would make indoor workplaces smoke-free. Testimony by the lead co-sponsors of the bill, Representatives Susan Westrom and Julie Raque-Adams, highlighted the importance of this public health issue for everyone in the Commonwealth. Senator Julie Denton, who filed SB 117, a companion bill in the Senate, recalled a training she completed as a dental hygienist on tobacco and its harmful effects on every system in [...]