U of L To Participate In New Four-State Study On Rural Health Outcomes
A new study hopes to help researchers understand what causes high rates of heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders (HLBS) in rural Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Dubbed the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) study, Stephanie Boone, PhD, assistant professor, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, will lead the research in Kentucky.
The overall study is coordinated by Boston University School of Medicine and funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. The six-year, $21.4 million multi-site prospective epidemiology cohort study includes 50 investigators from 15 other institutions. The study is set to begin in fall 2020 in Alabama.
Markey announces first cohort of high school students for ACTION program
Through a multimillion-dollar grant from the National Cancer Institute, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center recently expanded its successful Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program to include high school students from Appalachian Kentucky counties.
The ACTION Program offers Appalachian Kentucky high school students the opportunity to gain cancer research, clinical, outreach and educational experiences that will enrich their interest in pursuing a future cancer-focused career.
After reviewing more than 90 applications for the program, a Markey committee selected 20 high school students to enroll in the program for the 2019 class. These students will participate in the program for a total of two years beginning with a five-week summer residential program on UK’s campus starting Sunday, June 9, 2019.
Appalachian Regional Healthcare rolls out tele-ICU
Lexington, Kentucky-based Appalachian Regional Healthcare is deploying new tele-ICU capabilities across 12 hospitals in Kentucky and West Virginia.
Working in partnership with vendor Advanced ICU Care, which provides telemedicine technology and services, the health system kicked off the implementation at Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center in Kentucky, with 11 more locations set go live by July.
Like most of Advanced ICU clients, Appalachian Regional serves its patients in a sprawling network of hospitals spread across multiple states. It hopes to benefit from a standardized, enterprise-wide deployment of high-acuity remote monitoring services using the vendors’ platform.
The company’s intensivists, advanced practice providers, and nurses will connect with ARH clinicians to leverage real-time clinical data and two-way audio-visual capabilities to coordinate care remotely for ICU patients among multidisciplinary teams.
Kentucky Rural Health Association call for poster presentations
Kentucky Rural Health Association (KRHA) is now accepting poster proposals for the 2019 conference on November 14th and 15th in Bowling Green, Ky. Submitted poster proposals are required to have a policy focus related to the health of rural Kentuckians. Abstract submissions are due by July 15th.
The submissions will be reviewed by a panel of rural researchers and only 20 posters will be accepted for the conference. Posters will be presented at a scheduled presentation time on November 14th; judges will select the top five posters to do quick Ted talk style presentation on stage to all attendees.
Grant supports free dental screening in Eastern Ky.
The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry (UKCD) provided over 300 oral health screenings during the annual Hillbilly Days event in Pikeville. These screening were part of the college’s Eradicate Oral Cancer in Eastern Kentucky project, made possible by a $1 million grant from the United Health Foundation (UHF).
Kentucky has one of nation’s highest incidences of oral cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health. In Harlan, Letcher and Pike counties – the ones targeted by the project – the prevalence of oral cancer is as much as 54 percent higher than the state average.
The three-year Eradicate Oral Cancer in Eastern Kentucky project seeks to raise public awareness of the symptoms of oral cancer and its links to heavy alcohol and tobacco use, provide approximately 1,000 oral cancer screenings in partnership with local health departments and help connect patients needing additional care to cancer specialists in Lexington.
Rural clinics reach out to treat hepatitis C
To combat the hepatitis C virus, healthcare providers are reaching into some of the hardest hit areas, which are rural areas with limited access to healthcare. In Williamsburg, Bryant Family Medicine has become the local hub for hepatitis C treatment, as part of the KHAMP (Kentucky Hepatitis Academic Mentorship Program) through the University of Louisville.
KHAMP is a training platform designed using a telementoring-based training program for primary care providers throughout communities in the Commonwealth. KHAMP’s goal is to improve the health of individuals in underserved communities throughout the Appalachian region by building a primary care workforce trained by experts to screen, diagnose, treat and follow persons infected with hepatitis C infection.
