Increased Safety, Improved Health, and Reduced Traffic Congestion Jeffersontown, KY - With heavy reliance on driving in Kentucky, roads have generally been designed with only cars and trucks in mind, making it difficult and often dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians to navigate safely. Children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities are particularly vulnerable on Kentucky roads as they commonly walk, bicycle, or utilize public transportation. A new issue brief by Kentucky Youth Advocates, Complete Streets: [...]

It was with great sadness that Kentucky Youth Advocates learned of the passing of its founding director, David Richart of Louisville. David served as Kentucky Youth Advocates’ first executive director in 1976, and over the next 20 years helped to shape it into the commonwealth’s most respected, credible voice for children and families. David was unrelenting in his advocacy, placing his only priority on Kentucky's kids. He combined his passion for Kentucky's most vulnerable youth [...]

Jeffersontown, KY – The Beshear administration is currently in the process of implementing a managed care system to deliver health services to Kentuckians enrolled in Medicaid and KCHIP with the intent to both improve health outcomes and achieve cost savings.  As the state makes such a significant shift in service delivery it is critical to consider the potential impact on over 430,000 children who are served by Medicaid and KCHIP in Kentucky.  Kentucky Youth Advocates [...]

Statement by Terry Brooks, Executive Director, Kentucky Youth Advocates “The Request for Proposals for Medicaid Managed Care Organizations was released today and we are pleased to see the document requires specific considerations for children, including children in foster care, school based services, newborns, and children with special health care needs. As the Commonwealth takes steps towards expanding Medicaid managed care in Kentucky and begins to review proposals, it is crucial that we not only look [...]

Promising Practices Apparent, but Sustainability and Budgets a Concern Jeffersontown, KY – As schools across the Commonwealth, and the country, wrestle to improve test scores and other accountability measures, there is a growing awareness about the impact that factors such as children’s health and wellness have on school performance. Many districts in Kentucky have recognized this in recent years and intervened by providing school health services to meet students’ health needs at school. Until now, [...]

Jeffersontown, KY – As schools across the Commonwealth, and the country, wrestle to improve test scores and other accountability measures, there is a growing awareness about the impact that factors such as children’s health and wellness have on school performance. Many districts in Kentucky have recognized this in recent years and intervened by providing school health services to meet students’ health needs at school. Until now, however, detailed information on school health services offered in [...]

More Work Needs to be done to Ensure That Across-the-Board Cuts Do not Happen   Statement by Terry Brooks, Executive Director, Kentucky Youth Advocates   In what can only be described as head-scratching maneuvering from all sides, Governor Beshear faces important decisions around the state’s Medicaid budget. As the Governor considers the legislation handed him by the House and Senate, we urge him to: Take the fiscal actions required in moving $166.5 million from the FY [...]

 Statement by Terry Brooks, Executive Director, Kentucky Youth Advocates At a time when legislators are fighting yet another budget battle and taxpayers are paying more attention to the use of their tax dollars, HJR 5 takes a solid step toward making sure tax breaks are doing what they are intended to do. HJR 5, a bill relating to Economic Development Incentive Programs, directs the Legislative Research Commission to engage a consulting firm to study the [...]

Tells Congress Best Approach to Reducing the Federal Deficit is to Protect Vulnerable Families, Promote Economic Recovery Jeffersontown, KY – At a time when over 208,000 Kentuckians are out of work, the U.S. House of Representatives’ approach to the federal budget fails the children and families who are struggling most with the recession, according to a new report by the Coalition on Human Needs for the SAVE for All campaign. The report draws a sharp [...]

In a major effort to tap and foster state capital ingenuity, the Urban Institute has selected Kentucky as one of nine states to receive $250,000 each in planning grants as part of a five-year initiative with lead funding from the Ford Foundation. Kentucky, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina were chosen for first-year grants to test innovative ways to streamline services for low-income working families. Terry Brooks, Executive [...]