skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Day of action focuses on CT undocumented's healthcare needs; 7 jurors seated in first Trump criminal trial; ND looks to ease 'upskill' obstacles for former college students; Black Maternal Health Week ends, health disparities persist.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Seven jury members were seated in Trump's hush money case. House Speaker Johnson could lose his job over Ukraine aid. And the SCOTUS heard oral arguments in a case that could undo charges for January 6th rioters.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

Great American Smokeout in One Week

play audio
Play

Thursday, November 12, 2009   

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Great American Smokeout is one week from today, but many Kentuckians who want to quit their tobacco habit probably aren't getting enough help. That's according to a new report, "Helping Smokers Quit: State Cessation Coverage 2009," which shows that Kentucky is one of only six states that does not offer comprehensive smoking cessation benefits to all Medicaid recipients.

Menisa Marshall, with the American Lung Association in Kentucky, says the state legislature would be wise to invest in funding the smoking treatments that target the 285,000 smokers currently on Kentucky Medicaid.

"If we would just allot $1.5 million for this program now, we could qualify for a significant amount of matching money from the federal government and actually save money on our Medicaid costs."

She says because a 2007 quit-smoking program never was implemented, thousands of Kentuckians were left with no affordable option to help them quit smoking. Most of the variety of programs and medications that help people who are addicted to tobacco are not free, she points out.

"There are smoking cessation therapeutic aids people can qualify for and get, patches and the pills people are familiar with, that can be used for assistance, and there is counseling."

According to experts, tobacco kills 443,000 people in America each year. Kentucky ranks number one in tobacco-related deaths, with 7,800 people dying each year due to tobacco use.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Since 2009, Market Match has served tens of thousands of low-income Californians to buy produce at markets like this one in San Francisco.(Heart of the City Market)

Social Issues

play sound

California's program helping low-income families buy fresh fruit and vegetables is on the chopping block and health care advocates are asking legislat…


Social Issues

play sound

A persistent child care worker shortage across New Hampshire is leaving families with few options. The state is currently short more than 7,000 …

Social Issues

play sound

The child welfare system in Pennsylvania faces a staffing crisis affecting children and families throughout the system. The Child Welfare Resource …


By 2031, good jobs accessible to people with only a high school education will represent just 6% of all jobs. (bodnarphoto/Adobe Stock)

play sound

Work is being done in rural areas across Texas to make sure students are prepared for the workforce even if they intend to stay put after graduation…

play sound

This summer, colleges and universities will have to comply with a new federal rule and not withhold students' transcripts over unpaid tuition and …

From 2017 to 2019, Ohio ranked 46th among 50 states for pollution exposure, including exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution. (Halfpoint/Adobe Stock)

play sound

Recent data ranks Columbus as the most polluted major city in the U.S., highlighting concerns about common pollutants, like smog and vehicle …

Social Issues

play sound

Kentuckians have less than a week to register to vote in next month's primary election. If folks miss the April 22 deadline, residents can still …

Environment

play sound

The chair of the Federal Trade Commission will be in rural Iowa this weekend to hear from farmers and other residents about the proposed sale of Iowa …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021