For Release: Sept. 15, 2005
Projects to serve as models for improving health of KentuckiansStatistics show Kentucky ranking at or near the bottom of all states in many important health indicators. The state has the highest percentage of cigarette smokers in the U.S., the second-highest rate of cancer deaths, the fifth-highest rate of cardiovascular deaths, and ranks sixth for levels of obesity. In addition to the personal impact these rampant health problems have on individuals and their families, the statistics also point to an ongoing crisis that costs millions of dollars annually in health care, insurance, Medicaid and lost productivity. Fortunately, inspiring leaders across the state are working to prevent health problems and to help their communities cope with their health challenges.
In a new 13-part series, The CommonHealth of Kentucky , KET takes a close look at 29 projects throughout Kentucky that are models for addressing a wide range of problems. The series airs Tuesdays at 8/7 p.m. CT, beginning Oct. 4 on KET1 and repeats Sundays, at 2/1 p.m. CT beginning Oct. 9 on KET1 and Sundays at 7/6 p.m. CT beginning Oct. 9 on KET2 Be Well Kentucky ¯which features a variety of programs and services.
The series is hosted by Dr. Wayne Tuckson, a Louisville surgeon and host of Kentucky Health , and features panel discussions by top health care professionals. Each program in The CommonHealth of Kentucky focuses on a particular health issue, such as smoking prevention and cessation, surviving violence, addiction recovery, workplace wellness, disease management, mental health and aging.
" The CommonHealth of Kentucky looks at community solutions to major Kentucky health issues, highlighting models that are making a difference and encouraging people to replicate those models," says Judy Flavell, KET's outreach director and executive producer of the series. "We hope this series and KET's Community Health Toolkit will inspire them to become health leaders in their own communities and provide them with the resources to do so."
Twenty-three of the featured projects were chosen by a panel for their ability to be replicated in other communities. Called "Models that Work," they range from the Larue County Coordinated School Health Initiative to Kentucky Homeplace in Hazard, in which lay health workers help medically underserved residents access health services. The series also features other health projects, such as the Mayor Abramson's Healthy Hometown Movement in Louisville and the "Nun Study," a far-reaching Alzheimer's research initiative of the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.
KET's partners in the series and outreach tools are The Foundation for A Healthy Kentucky and Partnership for a Fit Kentucky. The CommonHealth of Kentucky is funded in part by Sound Partners for Community Health, a program of the Benton Foundation. Support was provided by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The CommonHealth of Kentucky is a KET production, produced by Jayne McClew and Deidre Clark. Judy Flavell is executive producer. The program is closed-captioned for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Viewers can find out more about the series, the Community Health Toolkit and KET's Be Well Kentucky initiative at www.ket.org/BeWellKentucky .
Editor's Note: A complete press kit on Be Well Kentucky and the 13-part The CommonHealth of Kentucky series is available at www.ket.org/pressroom/special/BeWellKy.